A woman has gone viral after choosing to live in her car amid the housing crisis and has been documenting every aspect of her life in a Honda Civic.
Nikita Crump, from North Carolina, took to TikTok to document her life living in her car and revealed she chose to be homeless when she found herself struggling to pay rent on time, skipping meals and working two jobs just to make ends meet.
The North Carolina native found herself paying rent late, barely making enough money to survive and constantly ‘stressing over money,’ so she decided to move into her car to avoid pushing herself into an even further financial crisis.
Nikita Crump, from North Carolina has gone viral after choosing to live in her car amid the housing crisis and has been documenting every aspect
The North Carolina native took to TikTok to share she chose to live in her car; she added that she made the decision after she was hardly making enough money to survive
She revealed she couldn’t afford to pay her rent despite having two jobs amid the reversal of the economy and inflation rates at an all time high
The TikToker revealed she had been showering at gyms and showed herself in the bathroom of Planet Fitness and added that she carries her toiletries in from her car
‘I’ve been homeless by definition most of my adult life,’ she revealed in a candid TikTok video, which racked up over two million views. ‘I’ve even lived in my car before, briefly. So I’m not that unfamiliar with being in uncomfortable situations and being homeless.
Nikita was working at department store T.J.MAXX and working to help care for butterflies and found herself ‘eating those $1.29 packs of ramen regularly, or not eating at all.’
Nikita’s life was slowly slipping away and she was forced to refuse experiences with her friends just to save money, so she decided to move into her car.
‘I couldn’t afford to go out and get cheap food with friends,’ she said. ‘I was skipping meals to save money and I was slowly and steadily going into debt.
In the midst of her financial struggles, Nikita revealed she chose to ‘cut [her] biggest bill out.’
The North Carolina native moved into her car in October, 2019 and has been traveling around the country in her Honda Civic ever since.
In many revealing videos, she opened up about the various adaptions she made for her new lifestyle and described to her over one million followers how she lives on wheels.
‘Here’s things in my car that just make sense for homeless life,’ she said.
Nikita added that she uses window covers made from refelctix insulation and black fabric to be safe
Since moving into her car in 2019 because of rent surges, she has been documenting living on wheels and showing her followers how she showers at gyms and stays safe
Nikita revealed she uses google maps to find a safe place to park her car and sleep at night; she said she uses the satellite view to find a ‘nice’ neighborhood to sleep in
Nikita showed her followers her window covers which she made with reflective insulation and black fabric and revealed how she used google maps to find a safe place to park her car and sleep in at night.
The North Carolina native whose full time job is now TikTok, also shared that she showers at her gym and showed herself grabbing her toiletries from her car before heading into Planet Fitness.
Nikita has made her car the perfect home on wheels, fully equipped with storage cubes in her trunk that hold her clothing and other necessities, portable chargers and fans.
And with rent prices on an unprecedented surge, Nikita has just been one of the many who have fallen victim to the housing crisis.
With the country going into recession after second straight quarter of negative growth, many like Nikita, are struggling to keep up with an economy in reverse and inflation rates.
Despite North Carolina’s cost of living being about four per cent lower than other US cities, inflation has caused the prices of basic good to skyrocket, including the prices of meat and poultry, which went up by 10.4 per cent, cereal, up 15.1 per cent, and fruits and vegetables, up 8.1 per cent.
Gas prices are another point of pressure for many people around the country, up nearly 60 per cent over the past year, with the cost of air fares up more than 34 per cent and price of used cars up more than 7 per cent.
Apparel costs are up by 5.2 per cent, overall shelter costs went up 5.5 per cent, and delivery services have gone up 14.4 per cent.
TikTok users have filled her comments section with words of support and encouragement, while other expressed their concern
And although North Carolina is reported to be one of the states with the lowest cost of livings, the state has suffered the consequences of the housing crisis brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness, North Carolina has an average of 9,280 people experiencing homelessness on any given day.
TikTok users have expressed their concern for the North Carolina native and have also tried to offer her support by empathizing with Nikita.
One user said: ‘This looks so lonely.’
‘Hotel Civic,’ joked another user.
‘A while back my wife and I were in the same situation that you’re in not by choice. And still struggle to build our home. We love you take care,’ commented a third user.