MISSION OF HOMES ON WHEELS ALLIANCE: Together we are changing lives, building supportive community, and preventing homelessness one person at a time.
No other age-gender sub-group in America has expressed their interest in HOWA’s mission more than women over 55 years of age, including —
• Women, senior citizens, who have no pension and only a skimpy social security income to survive.
• Women, a generation of caretakers, who raised children and supported husbands, now alone to fend for themselves.
• Women, intelligent females, who invested their energies, creativity, and problem-solving skills in others during their younger years, are now attending to their care of self.
• Women, travelers and adventurers, to whom the road calls and nature tugs.
• Women, resourceful, who discovered that they could transform their vehicles into homes.
• Women, in community with other like-minded nomads, who thrive in a lifestyle that they can fully afford.
• Women, empowered, who are growing in their self-empowerment.
HOWA supports women in their transition from traditional housing to a mobile lifestyle spent in nature, providing —
• education programs for learning the nomadic lifestyle, both all-gender and for women-only (WRTR)
• community events, both in-person and online; some of which are for women only (Caravans & WRTR)
Other services for all genders, but mostly serving women due to demand and participation (not selected on gender) —
• financial support for unexpected emergencies on the road (Emergency Funds),
• vehicle grants for turnkey homes on wheels for the most needy,
• vehicle-home improvements to create more functional living spaces for clients (BYOV),
• a focus on being good stewards of the land, including public-land and town clean-up events,
• an emphasis on a community culture of inclusion, kindness, and compassion.
Suanne Carlson
Executive Director
Thank you for this valuable information.
Iam interested in learning more about nomad living.
You have no idea how much respect that I have for you. My mother was the sacrificial lamb for us. She worked her fingers to the bone for decades. I love you guys. You are the toughest of the tough. I love you.
This is great! I’ll store this away in case I ever need it.
Thank you for this. It describes me to a T and gives me hope.
Questions I get – are you afraid and do you get lonely. No to each. I tend towards caution on one hand and ‘hold my beer’ on the other. That has always been my mindset. Have had my share of adversities but life is too short to not step out of the box and LIVE! This has been the happiest time of my ‘many years’. Women are their own support system. GO CLAIM YOUR LIFE!
This is one organization I feel 100% comfortable to contribute to. Thanks.
I am one of those women. I am a late life teacher and my retirement fund will be just enough for me to buy a used vehicle hopefully Class C. I am then going to hit the road and sell my jewelry. I am so hoping that I will be able to survive. I think I have watched every youtube video out there. I fall asleep watching. I retire in May and it will take until Aug before I get funded. I hope to find others that I can friends and grow together as a community. I have been such a homebody that I really do not have friends so this is going to be an experience. I turn 65 in July.
Hi Sylvia. I too have a class C. And I make — or rather used to make — jewelry too, and hope to continue once I am out of this stuck situation and on the road. Falling asleep to Bob Wells videos has become a habit for me too.
I wish you happiness and good luck as you enter retirement and join these lovely people on the road. I hope I get to meet you out there.
This is one of the few programs I support. You all do so much for so many. thank you. I wish we would all figure out how we can best support this community–there are so many ways and so much need. I am thrilled to have discovered you.
Thank you all so much for offering this wonderful program.
I would like to get involved. I’ve attended virtual caravans before, last year, and was really impressed by the sweetness and humanity of all the women there.
But something happened that kept me from continuing.
That has changed now, and I’m preparing to go out with my very ancient Class C for the first time.
Though I have experience traveling and tent camping, it was always with a real house back-up. This time I am on my own, in a vehicle I’ve been living in for over 11 years, but have only just now made complete and drivable.
Now I’m a little nervous because I’ve been stuck in one place for so long, the prospect of being out there has suddenly become frightening, yet I really must get out of a situation that is not healthy for me.
Having completely rebuilt this RV, which I’ve named “Geode” I’ve gained a lot of experience with RV building, I may even be useful to someone along the way. I want to be useful most of all.
I am basically pretty introverted, so quite awkward in social situations.
This is the year I turn 70. It is time for me to start living. But I don’t really know what to do, where to go, or how to begin.
I watched Nomadland last night. It touched me so much I cried all the way through it.
Thank you all so much for having this organization.