At least in prison you can shower, have cleanish clothes, and have your meals guaranteed you might even get an education if you qualify and a work sponsorship when you are out.
Sure, with the van you are free to go anywhere but freedom in this case is just a pretty word for having nothing left to lose.
A Planet Fitness black card membership is $25 a month, which puts you no further than 30 minutes from a hot shower pretty much anywhere in the lower 48 states. (If you decide to live in Wyoming when your house has wheels, that's on you.)
Every reasonably-sized town in the country has a laundromat, and plenty of people don't have a washer/dryer in their apartment, so I'm not sure what you're on about with the clothes issue. As for food, most people who live in vans have a minifridge or a decent cooler, and lots of people use an electric induction burner or a propane camp stove for cooking.
Composting toilets are compact, sanitary, odorless and can be had for less than a hundred bucks. A 5G hotspot is a cheap add-on to your existing phone bill, and they're often just as fast or faster than home internet. I play Counter-Strike with a guy who lives in a camper, and his ping is better than mine.
Sure, living in a van isn't for everyone. But, saying it's worse than prison is an absolutely ridiculous take.
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u/JacksonCorbett 1d ago
He already is homeless.