775-764-8115
HomesOnWheelsAlliance@gmail.com

“I am so grateful!”

“Hello HOWA family, I was approved for your Emergency Funds Program on 3/6/23 and I would like to tell you my story. I had traveled from Galveston, Tx to spend the winter in one of my favorite places, Quartzsite AZ. I got a job at Pilot Flying J @ Subway which sustained me and River, my Husky, for the winter. I then went to The RV Show and landed a job as a Camp Host with American Land & Leisure. Everything was going perfect as planned, I had made just enough money to carry on and get to my summer job in West Virginia..then chug..chug..my van broke down. Oh No!! I am alone out here with my dog and had depleted my emergency fund..with a plan to recover..but broke down before ever leaving Quartzsite (thank goodness). I needed help!! I emailed Tracey @ HOWA and she heard my story and allowed me to apply for the Emergency Fund Assistance Program. I told my story, submitted all required documents/ pics / estimate and waited to hear back. I was stranded, stressed, and was feeling very discouraged..when I received an email. HOWA is going to help you!! I could not believe it..brought tears to my eyes. I want you to know, all of your time, effort and love that you put into HOWA..is released into our community and touches people’s lives..like mine…I am so grateful! Thank You HOWA!”   Katherine

Thank you to all who donate! In the first two months of 2023 the Emergency Fund has helped seven nomads in situations just like Katherine’s. Help us continue this important program by donating HERE.

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2023 RTRs Jan 7 – Jan 20

Over 14 days of WRTR and RTR hundreds of attendees enjoyed seminars, demonstrations, live music, open houses, crafts and games, and a screening of Nomadland.  Food trucks, buskers, a sewing station joined the attractions from earlier RTRs such as the free table, bulletin board, and button table. A good time was had by all! Make plans come to the 2024 RTRs and join in the fun!

Yummy stuff from the food trucks      Informative seminars                          Crafts and games

Performances by musicians like The Nomads, Gong Gypsy, Status Crows, and talented buskers.

Open house! A chance to check out everyone’s rigs for ideas and inspiration.

Learn skills and get tips. Charlene Bower, founder of Ladies Offroad Network, leading a seminar at the WRTR.

Sewing station for free repairs and hemming.

Sweepstakes tickets to win a Bluetti solar system, a Lectric ebike or a handmade quilt. Thank you to the donors of the sweepstakes prizes.

Nomadland on the big screen. You may even get to meet some stars!

Thank you to the many volunteers who helped make the RTRs a wonderful event!

The RTRs are always free, however, donations are appreciated and help pay for the rental of the park, stage, portable potties, movie screen, and movie. 

Thank you for your donations!

 

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Join Our Community!

Many of our programs foster community building and everyone is welcome to join us!

RTRS

In 2011, Bob Wells, president of Homes On Wheels Alliance, started our oldest program, the Rubber Tramp Rendezvous.  The RTR is held every year in Quartzsite, Arizona and features seminars on topics such as solar power, work camping, safety, vehicle maintenance, and other subjects of interest to new and experienced nomads. The Women’s Rubber Tramp Rendezvous, formed to address the concerns of nomadic women, held it’s first official gathering in Quarzsite, Arizona in 2018. Please join us at the 2023 the RTRs which will be held at the Quartzsite city park from Jan. 7 to Jan. 20!

Caravans

Realizing that many new nomads are alone and overwhelmed by the challenges of their new lives, Bob Wells started the Caravans in 2019. Caravan sites are marked with a flag and change location every 2 weeks to keep within BLM restrictions on camping time. The goal of the Caravans is to help new nomads form friendships, become comfortable with dispersed camping, and learn from each other, however, all nomads are welcome. Caravans

Virtual Caravans

Presented as Zoom meetings, Virtual Caravans were born during the coronavirus outbreak when in-person RTRs and Caravans could not be safely held. These proved to be very popular and will continue even though it’s now safe to meet in person. The Virtual Caravans give new nomads and people who wish be become nomads another way to make their journey easier as they can meet people in the meetings and then later meet in person. Virtual Caravans

Facebook

We have four Facebook groups that are geared to towards different aspects of nomadic living – general discussion, finding camping partners, RTR attendees, and WRTR attendees. These groups are moderated to keep the posts helpful and kind and are a wonderful resource for getting advice and sharing your journey. Join Facebook!

Volunteer

Hundreds of people have become successful in their nomadic lives with the support they received from HOWA’s programs. Many then give back by volunteering with HOWA online and in-person.

Your donations keep these valuable programs going!

 

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You Are Amazing!

HOWA’s Emergency Fund recently hit a milestone with $50,000 awarded to over 140 nomads in need! This was only possible because of you. Donating to this very important program helps keep nomads in their homes on wheels by providing awards that cover everything from gas money to get to a job location or the installation of a rebuilt transmission. We also provide high quality tents for nomads who need temporary or expanded shelter for emergency or medical needs. 

Emergency fund recipients are vetted and donors can be assured that the fund is used to help nomads in emergency situations. Ninety percent of Emergency Fund contributions directly assist those in need within the mobile community. Ten percent goes toward operating expenses to run the Emergency Fund Program.

Below are a few notes of appreciation from nomads who have been helped through the Emergency Fund.

“...I came across one of Bob’s videos and was sucked into days of watching. I told my husband we could do this. He thought I was crazy, but eventually agreed. We made the decision to use the last of our money to purchase a van and make it our home on wheels.
We found a work camper job and headed out with only a little money in our pockets. Unaware that our van would need repairs. A short time after we arrived at our job the van broke. We were at a loss. What were we going to do? Where would we live? We were stranded. We did not have any money. I remembered Bob mentioned the emergency fund in one of his videos. I was scared to apply at first because Bob always said have repair money! In our case this was not possible. I eventually got the nerve to apply and after some emails and prayers HOWA paid for our van to be repaired. We were able to make it to a better paying workcamper job and save enough to go visit my Mom and daughter before heading to our next job…” “Carol”

“Thank you Bobbi! And please thank the committee! This is so incredibly helpful:raised_hands::smile: You guys are amazing, truly and I cannot thank you enough!”  Heather

“…I also want to ask if you would, wherever/whomever the funds came from, to Please give them (and yourself for all your patience and help), a HUGE and very sincere, Thank you and God Bless You all. I will use this wisely and carefully, and truly appreciate it. There is no way I won’t be at the October gathering, assisting however I can.” Brenda

Thank you to all who donate. You have made the lives of nomad in need better in so many ways! To donate to the Emergency Fund please click HERE.

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HOWA Cleans Up the Desert Near Pahrump

Pahrump, Nevada, has been HOWA’s home base since its inception, so the Nevada desert holds a special place in our hearts. That’s why, during the spring 2022 BYOV (Bring Your Own Vehicle) build in Pahrump, a group of HOWA volunteers took it upon themselves to clean up the desert.

For Jaime Abbas-Restorff, it all started when she drove past some king-size piles of garbage on her way to the build. And we mean that literally—she saw a king-size box spring and a household toilet littering the desert, among other large piles of trash. “The people of Pahrump open up their community to us when we travel here as nomads,” says Jaime. “We want to leave the land better than we found it.”

       

Meanwhile, BYOV volunteer Georgia and HOWA Executive Assistant Phyllis Bickford had the same idea. Independent of Jaime and her co-organizer Jake Holster, they contacted the Pahrump BLM Field Office to ask about collaborating on a cleanup effort. 

At first, the two groups were unaware that they worked separately toward a common goal. But over the course of the month-long build, what began as two small independent cleanup efforts (using volunteers’ pickup trucks to transport garbage) transformed into something much bigger. 

           

Every Friday morning in April was dedicated to cleaning up the BLM land east of Pahrump. Dozens of volunteers participated, despite long days and weeks spent working on vehicle buildouts. The BLM Field office even supplied 30-yard dumpsters to ferry trash to the local dump where it belonged. All HOWA had to do was fill them up.

By the end of April, HOWA volunteers had put in hundreds of hours and picked up over 100 yards of trash.

Nicholas Pay, Pahrump’s BLM Field Manager, shared a hearty thank-you message: “Please pass on my thanks and admiration to the volunteers of your organization that have helped clean up our public lands … The work that you accomplished in a relatively short time is absolutely incredible.”

Jaime even shed a few tears when she was able to admire the beautiful landscape without a pile of trash in sight. ”It made me cry because it looked so different than it did before,” she says.

As nomads, we gratefully use these lands for dispersed camping. Acting as responsible stewards of public land is just one way we can give back to a community and a landscape that does so much for us. Bob Wells, HOWA President, put it this way: “We aren’t the source of the problem, but we want to be part of the solution.”

Here are some tips for picking up litter wherever you find it:

  • Save plastic shopping bags from places like Walmart to pick up trash as you travel. Even picking up a single piece of litter each day adds up over time.
  • Set an example. When others see you cleaning up, they notice your example.
  • Don’t leave it to the states. More and more dispersed camping areas are closing down because state officials are overwhelmed trying to keep the land healthy. State budgets are feeling the squeeze of higher gas prices and other economic shifts just as you are, so don’t assume that state officials will handle cleanup. We can each make a difference.

The cleanup was such a resounding success that we’re already planning to do it again. In October, we will partner with the Pahrump BLM Field Office once again to pick up any trash that accumulates over the summer on our beloved public lands.

Post written by Sarah Kuiken, Trustee

 

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A New Home for Bunny and her Cats

All photos by Bunny La Grand

When Bunny La Grand could no longer afford the rental she had in Portland, Oregon, she moved herself and her three cats into a 4-person tent and hit the road in her minivan, despite the challenges. She has arthritis and needs both knees replaced, which can make setting up and tearing down a tent difficult. But the pandemic hit Bunny hard, and without savings, she knew she needed to reduce her cost of living.

Unfortunately, her original tent wasn’t well-suited to be a full-time home. Her minivan stores her belongings and her livelihood—clothing she sells online and at flea markets—so a tent represents home to Bunny and her cats: privacy, warmth, and safety. Unfortunately, her original tent wasn’t durable enough to handle Quartzsite’s desert winds and sustained damage in a windstorm. She was also afraid to use her propane heater, even when the temperature dipped into the 40s overnight, because the roof was too low. 

So when Bunny heard from a fellow nomad that HOWA provides loaner tents, she was filled with hope. “Having a good tent is crucial to my and my cats’ well-being,” she wrote. “We need a good tent to protect us from the elements, and also wildlife.”

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HOWA provided Bunny with a used 8-person tent donated by one of our generous supporters, and Bunny felt the difference right away. “It is such an upgrade and a blessing for me and my three cats,” she told us. “It’s like a small studio! My heart is bursting with gratitude that someone cared enough to donate this tent and that HOWA was able to assist us.”

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Then, the zipper on the donated tent broke, allowing one of her cats to escape into the desert night. She used safety pins and duct tape as a temporary means of sealing the door—and a laser pointer to reclaim her escaped kitty. For a second time, thanks to the generosity of our supporters, we were able to send Bunny a new tent with a working zipper. She now has a fully functional 4-person tent, and has passed the original donation along to another houseless friend in need. This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is blgc-768x1024.jpg

Bunny’s ceaseless optimism and gratitude in the face of challenge remind us that there is beauty even in the challenging moments of our lives. When high winds kicked up and threatened to tear the walls of her new home, Bunny wrote, “There was a beautiful full moon.”

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A sincere and heartfelt thanks to the generous supporters who make stories like Bunny’s possible. If you have the means to help nomads in need, please consider donating here.

Post written by Sarah Kuiken

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