Permanent campers: Rising rents are pushing people to live on public lands
Photo Credit: AZCentral
Anecdotal evidence indicates that the number of long-term campers – those living on public lands in tents, vans, RVs and the like – are on the rise. U.S. Forest Service rangers say they’re seeing more trash, and federal law enforcement between January 2020 and November 2022 issued more than 300 citations for camping longer than legally allowed. One study “explored” the link between homelessness and long-term camping, according to the article, which pointedly blames high rents in the headline and throughout, but only in passing mentions the state’s critical housing shortage.
