In Palo Alto, one of the wealthiest cities in the United States, the number of residents living in vehicles roughly doubled from 2023 to 2025, according to Santa Clara County's 2025 data. Over the past several months, the city has ramped up restrictions on RVs as homeowners and businesses have complained about the vehicles and their residents.
Photos for Palo Alto Weekly
Kate Bridget Li lived in a trailer while renting other RVs to families in Palo Alto until the city banned both 'vanlording' and parking detached trailers in December 2025. She has since left the city.
Justin Harper and Shane Repass try to stay parked on the same street with several RV dwellers. Both discussed their concern that restrictions on some vehicles might separate them from their neighbors.
Part of the city's response to RVs and homelessness is Homekey Palo Alto, a transitional housing site operated by LifeMoves which aims to shelter more than 200 unhoused people. The project is close to complete, but a contract dispute has delayed it. In the meantime, LifeMoves is housing future Homekey residents like Paul and Sheryl in a hotel in Sunnyvale.
