Locals in Bozeman, Montana, are moving into their cars and RVs parked on city streets, a practice called "urban camping," amid high housing costs.
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So-called urban camping — when people live in RVs or vehicles parked on city streets — has risen rapidly in Bozeman, Montana, where locals are getting priced out by rising housing costs that are impacting many communities in the West.
Bozeman, located in the Rocky Mountains about 80 miles north of Yellowstone National Park, has a population of around 56,000 people. City officials say the number of Bozeman residents living in their RVs or cars spiked by 200% in two years, according to Montana PBS, which cited the city. Since 2020, the overall unhoused population has grown by 50%.
The rise in residents experiencing homelessness comes as housing costs have spiked. The median listing price for a home has gone from $669,000 at the start of 2020 to $1.2 million in 2024, according to city data. Meanwhile, rental costs in Gallatin County, where Bozeman is located, increased nearly 19% from 2019 to 2022 and continued to rise, leaving the county with the highest rents in the state.
"Homelessness has always been on the radar," Bozeman Mayor Terry Cunningham told PBS. "This — with urban camping, RVs, more cars — This is a recent phenomenon."
Though homelessness in the city has been rising since the pandemic, the increase in RVs and campers on city streets made the problem more visible, resulting in tensions over how to address it.
"First, these folks are our residents too," the city website says when discussing how it's addressing urban camping. "Many contribute to the workforce, send their kids to our local schools, and may not appear 'homeless' when you see them at their jobs and in the area."
Bozeman residents are divided over whether the city has been too lenient in addressing the issue. In some locations, the city has installed dumpsters and trash cans near areas with campers to prevent litter and provide the unhoused with a place to dispose of their garbage.
A group of local business owners sued Bozeman last fall, arguing the city was not doing enough to enforce existing laws that would prevent people from camping on public streets. Business owners say they have dealt with theft, vandalism, and instances of harassment.
Residents have also complained that some people living in their cars are not doing so out of necessity but just to save money on rent, pointing to the presence of new cars and generators on the some of the campers, PBS reported.
Mayor Cunningham told the outlet part of the issue is that the city cannot easily determine why individuals are living in their cars or RVs, and people are not required to disclose that information.
In November, the city implemented an ordinance aimed at limiting urban camping. It prohibits camping at the same location for more than 30 days without getting an extension and also prohibits camping in front of certain places, like businesses and schools.
The result has been like playing musical chairs, people living in their campers told the Bozeman Daily Chronicle, which reported the city has hired three roles to enforce the ordinance.
"They're making it harder to be homeless. It's already hard enough," Steven Ankney, who lives in an RV with family, told the outlet. "I understand they don't want us on the street, but it's going to happen until they get livable places for us, or affordable houses for us, or places that we can live."
The city says it is working on bringing more affordable housing to Bozeman and is working with the nonprofit Human Resource Development Council to build a 24/7 shelter.
