 |
| Courtesy of Chris Hoskey |
Chris Hoskey, 49, and her husband, Jason, have been living in a camper in Michigan for several years. Despite working low-wage jobs including Chris’s current part-time role at Amazon they remain without stable housing. Their story is part of a growing reality in America: full-time work doesn’t always guarantee a roof over your head.
Life Changed Overnight in 2020
Everything began to unravel for Chris Hoskey in 2020.
She lost her job managing returns at a cashmere clothing company just north of Detroit a position she had held for nearly a decade as the pandemic forced businesses to shut down. Her $14-an-hour income had been enough to maintain her mobile home lifestyle. But without it, she could no longer afford rent at the mobile home park. So she sold her trailer for a few thousand dollars and left town.
“Losing my job made me lose everything,” said Hoskey, now 49.
Looking for work and a place to live, she bought a camper and moved to northern Michigan, taking on a series of low-wage jobs in fast food and hotel housekeeping. After several months without work, she recently started a new part-time role at an Amazon delivery station in early July, earning $18.50 an hour. She wants full-time hours but struggles to get more than 20 a week.
An Amazon spokesperson confirmed that all workers at the Traverse City facility are limited to part-time or “flex-time” schedules.
Even with the support of Medicaid and SNAP, and splitting costs with her husband, Jason, Hoskey doesn’t see a clear path out of her situation. Jason now works nearly full-time for a landscaping company, earning $16.75 an hour but the work is seasonal.
“Right now, financially, things suck,” she said. “It’s getting harder and harder to dig our way out of this.”
Working, but Still Without a Home
Hoskey and her husband are among a rising number of Americans who are working yet remain homeless. Many are in jobs that don’t pay enough or offer consistent hours. Nearly 5 million U.S. workers want full-time positions but can only find part-time roles a number that’s been increasing steadily.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development classifies individuals living in RVs or campers without access to essential utilities like running water as “unsheltered homeless.” And that group people who are employed but can’t meet basic living costs is growing rapidly.
“There are different kinds of homelessness,” Hoskey said. “There are people you see on TV, and then there are people like me working, trying, and still without a home.”
About a month into her Amazon role, Hoskey says she appreciates the supportive environment and kind coworkers. But despite making more than Michigan’s $12.48 minimum wage, her limited hours and unpredictable schedule aren’t enough to secure stable housing.
A 2024 survey by the University of Illinois at Chicago found that nearly half of Amazon warehouse workers had struggled to afford rent or housing costs in the past three months. Over half experienced food insecurity, and a third relied on public assistance. Amazon disputes the study’s methodology and results.
A separate 2019 study by the nonprofit Economic Roundtable reported that full-time Amazon warehouse employees in Southern California received an average of over $5,000 annually in public aid.
“Wages are too low, jobs are inconsistent, hours are unstable people simply don’t make enough to pay rent,” said Daniel Flaming, president of the Economic Roundtable.
Responding to these criticisms, Amazon spokesperson Eileen Hards said, “Our goal is to be an employer of choice. In the past five years, we’ve invested over $5 billion into hourly pay, raising our U.S. average to $22 per hour.”
 |
| Courtesy of Chris Hoskey |
Where Running Water Is a Luxury
For now, Chris and Jason park their camper on the property of Jason’s employer, where they pay a small fee to use electricity, a bathroom, and kitchen facilities. Their trailer has no running water.
Hoskey depends on government-provided healthcare and food assistance. Michigan’s housing authority stopped issuing new Section 8 housing vouchers in 2024 and closed the waitlist entirely, citing a lack of federal funding. When they’re especially short on cash, Jason has occasionally asked his mother who lives on Social Security for small amounts of money to get by.
“I feel terrible about it,” Hoskey said. “She’s barely getting by herself.”
The couple uses a propane heater during the brutal northern Michigan winters and covers their 28-foot trailer with a tarp to protect it from snow and ice. In the summer, they use a small AC unit but they have to turn it off whenever they want to microwave something or use their air fryer to avoid overloading the power.
“I just want to wash my dishes in my own sink,” Hoskey said. “It’s the little things I miss the most.”
They dream of one day buying land in northwest Michigan, building a modest home, and living self-sufficiently as homesteaders.
“I try to stay optimistic,” she said. “But after doing this for so long, it just feels like it’s out of reach.”
