The footage captures a man on day 127 of “car living,” surveying a dimly lit parking lot in Atlanta’s outskirts. “Atlanta and outskirts is crazy,” he narrates, estimating that around 50 vehicles in the lot alone are serving as makeshift homes for people unable to afford traditional housing.
Parking Lots as Homes: A Glimpse into Atlanta’s Growing Homelessness Crisis
“I imagine the whole country’s like this, but it’s more people in higher populated areas,” he adds, panning across rows of parked cars under the glow of streetlights. Here’s the video:
This personal account underscores a broader crisis in the metro area, where skyrocketing rents and limited affordable housing options are pushing more individuals and families into precarious living situations.
The video, which has garnered over half a million views, shows the man driving through the lot at night, pointing out vehicles with covered windows and occupants “posted up” for the evening.
It’s a scene that’s becoming all too common in Atlanta, where parking lots at shopping centers, fast-food restaurants, and industrial areas are quietly transforming into unofficial overnight shelters.
Inside Atlanta’s Unhoused Situation
Atlanta’s homelessness has been on a troubling upward trajectory in recent years. According to the 2025 Point-in-Time (PIT) Count conducted by Partners for HOME, the city recorded 2,894 individuals experiencing homelessness, marking a 1% increase from the previous year.
This follows sharper rises of 7% in 2024 and 33% in 2023.
While chronic homelessness saw a 9% decline and veteran homelessness dropped by 3%, family homelessness surged by 14%, affecting roughly 400 more people than in prior counts.
Particularly alarming is the rise of the “working homeless” – individuals who hold jobs but still can’t secure stable housing due to high costs.
That situation describes that of June Williams of Cumming, Georgia.
Williams works in Atlanta but lives — in her car — in Cumming. “I lost my apartment last year after a layoff,” she said. “I’m just doing what I got to do for now,” she said.
She showers at a local LA Fitness and is hoping for a better paying job in the near future.
Data from 2025 indicates that only about 4% of Atlanta’s homeless population reported having both employment and benefits, but local advocates estimate the true figure of working homeless could be as high as 50%.
Many of these residents are employed full- or part-time, yet face rents averaging over $2,000 per month in the city, making traditional apartments unattainable.
In metro Atlanta, an additional 4,600 people are living full-time in extended-stay hotels, with families often spending up to 77% of their income on these temporary accommodations.
The video’s creator, who documents his ongoing experience of vehicle-dwelling, highlights how these parking lot communities form out of necessity.
“There’s literally got to be 50 cars up here, and you can tell we all posted up,” he says, emphasizing the shared struggle in a city where the cost of living continues to outpace wages for many.
This phenomenon isn’t isolated; reports from organizations like Atlanta Mission note that around 2,000 people sleep on the streets nightly in Atlanta, with vehicle living becoming a hidden but growing subset of unsheltered homelessness.
City officials have responded with initiatives like the Atlanta Rising program, aiming to house 400 individuals by the end of 2025, and allocating $60 million in 2024 to combat the issue.
However, advocates argue more is needed, including expanded affordable housing development and stronger social safety nets to address root causes like evictions, rental scams, and economic inequality.
As Atlanta prepares for the World Cup, stories like the one in this video serve as a poignant reminder of the human cost behind the statistics. For many, parking lots aren’t just a stopover – they’re the new reality of home.
Interested in other ways to save or make money? Check out our Money Section:
More Articles Like This From AtlantaFi.com: