According to news reports, a Denver veteran has spent the last two years living in a climate controlled storage space there.
In fact, the report from Denver’s KMGH says that there are at least three people living out of the storage facility where Chris Cline and his dog spend their days.
Though what Cline is doing is illegal, and is problematic for the storage company because of the legal risks and the risk of injury to him, his dog or other tenants, the fact of the matter is that some people try to live in storage units when the cost of housing in their area is too high.
At our Oaks facility, for instance, we have tenants who have placed everything they own in a storage unit and then moved in with family members or couch-surfed with friends. As managers at the facility, one of our hardest jobs is to walk the line between safety and the law and compassion. We could not allow a situation like Cline’s to continue. There is simply too much risk to both the tenant who is looking for housing and the facility when a 70 square foot space becomes a tiny house.
According to the news story, Cline makes about $24,000 a year as a security guard in Denver, but once he pays for his vehicle, insurance, food, and other standard expenses, he has less than $800 a month to put a roof over his head. An apartment, or even a room to rent, at that price is difficult to find.
The news crew was careful not to identify the storage facility where Cline lives in an effort not to mess up the one home he has. Though we cannot allow something like this at our facilities, we are left wondering, “What would happen if we found someone living in a storage unit here?”
In Denver, the television station was trying to help Cline find an affordable place to rent. What is the most difficult living situation you’ve been in?
At Spacemall, we can’t offer you a place to live, but we can keep your stuff for you until you get back on your feet.
Other options that are better than trying to live in a storage unit include finding roommates and living with family members. If those are not long term options, another good option is to purchase a used RV and find an RV park that allows year-round camping.