Application for Minivan

If we had our choice we would help everyone who asks, but the reality of limited available finances means that can’t happen—as much as we hate it, we must turn down some people that we would love to help. That raises the question of how do we choose who we say “Yes” to, and who do we say, “No” to? We despise making that decision, but we have no choice, we must make it.

To guide us in making a fair decision we’ve developed this Grant Application Form, it may appear to be intrusive, and we apologize for that, but we feel that it is required to make the best possible decision about who gets the limited money we have.

Our goal isn’t just to help you in this time of need, we want to be as sure as possible that you can thrive and succeed in the future. We feel it would be an injustice to you to bring you out here and set you up only to discover you never had a solid chance to make it in your financial circumstances. Much of the information we’re asking is to help us decide how to best help you now and in the future.

One of the things we’re doing to assure your success in the nomadic life, is to ask you to make a small payment every month into a savings account. It will be your money but we will leave it in the escrow account as either a savings toward, 1) the future upgrade of your vehicle home, 2) or as an emergency fund for the inevitable mechanical and other problems that befall all nomads. If we are donating a vehicle to you, such as a minivan, we’ll place a lien on it until the payments are finished.

For those with a very low monthly income and we determine you can’t afford the future costs of maintaining a vehicle home, we may offer you a new home of either, 1) a quality canvas tent, or, 2) a very small trailer your car can tow. Either of these will reduce your future costs to a more manageable level, matching your income.

Finally, we’ll ask that each of you “give back, or, “pass it forward” after you’ve been a nomad for awhile by mentoring and sharing your valuable experience with other new people coming into the nomadic life.

Thank you again for trusting us enough by entrusting us with knowledge of your life, we are looking forward to seeing you blossom and thrive in a wonderful new life, and then sharing that with others.

Welcome aboard!

The Trustees and Staff of Homes On Wheels Alliance

IMPORTANT NOTICE:

The April 2020 Minivan Build Outs have been postponed to reduce the spread of COVID-19.  We have stopped taking application.  For the seven people who have already applied, we will keep your applications on file to be reviewed with others when the Build Outs are rescheduled.

Youu can find about HOWA’s response to the virus on this page (http://HomesOnWheelsAlliance.org/COVID-19)   

Thank you.  And, please take good care of yourselves.

Application Materials to Apply for a Minivan Home

If you are in need of a mobile dwelling, we invite you to apply for a vehicle home, complete with a solar power system, bed, shelving, storage and a back kitchen.  Complete the application which includes a yearly budget form, then attach the application and supporting documents in a single email.

Cutoff date to for HOWA to receive your application materials is March 27, 2020.

Three minivans will be awarded over the next several months.  Two are sponsored by Lectric eBikes, and one is funded by an anonymous donor.*

To be considered for a minivan home on wheels, we review and weigh each applicant’s ability to meet the following criteria: 

     1)  Legal driver (shown by providing your driver’s license and vehicle insurance),

     2)  Unable to afford a built-out minivan (as shown by the annual budget you provide),

     3)  Able to afford ongoing maintenance and an emergency fund for a minivan (as shown by the annual budget you provide),

     4)  Able to succeed in the nomadic lifestyle (cover letter in email), and

     5)  Able to attend and participate in a build out in Nevada or the Pacific Northwest.

Email the completed application form that includes your yearly budget with the requested supporting documents to

Suanne Carlson, Executive Director
HomesOnWheelsAlliance@gmail.com

The CUT OFF to receive a completed application packet by email is midnight Pacific Standard Time on March 27, 2020. The link to the application is found below.

TO USE THE FILLABLE APPLICATION FORM: 

ON A COMPUTER

      1. Download the application
      2. Save the document
      3. Open the saved document
      4. Complete the form
      5. Save the document again
      6. Attach it to the email to submit the form with your other supporting documents

ON A CELL PHONE
Download Adobe Reader (free version) to your phone (other pdf readers WILL NOT work)

      1. Open the application in Adobe Reader
      2. Save the document
      3. Open the saved document
      4. Complete the form
      5. Save the document again
      6. Attach it to the email to submit the form with your other supporting documents OR share it with HomesOnWheelsAlliance@gmail.com

The application for a minivan will be re-posted here when a Build Out has been rescheduled after the thread of COVID-19 has passed.

 

Here is HOWA’s first minivan under construction …

*A forth minivan was to be available because the original recipient couldn’t accept it due to health reasons.  Unfortunately, it was in an accident at the end of Feb 2020 and we are working on getting a replacement.  See http://HomesOnWheelsAlliance.org/accident