'Urban Survival Coach' Aims to Cash in on His Homelessness

After losing a bundle in the stock market, enduring repeated layoffs from the failing mortgage industry, and working stints at Starbucks, Ralphs and Costco, Jeff Read, now living in his van, has given up on the labor market.

But that doesn't mean he's sitting around. Read, who admits to having a Gypsy streak, is reinventing himself as an "urban survival coach" and "road warrior" who teaches people how to live well on the streets.

"It's kind of like I crashed and got shipwrecked in society," said Read, peering from behind the bushy beard and shaggy hair he grew for branding purposes. "I'm 51 years old. I cannot find a decent paying job. I know the reality is I do not believe this economy is getting any better, and I've found a way to continue to live and exist."

He's set up a Facebook page—Read's RoadWarrior360 Facebook page—that already has 4,300 followers, and says he plans to write a book and shoot a documentary about his experiences.

The target audience: college students who want to travel cheaply, surf campers, adventurers, RV travelers with families trying to save a few bucks on the road, laid-off workers and people simply looking for ways to be more frugal—as well as folks who find the whole concept generally entertaining.

Living on the street, he says, is tricky with just your wits, a van and $200 per month in food stamps.

"You have to live like a covert operative—you're trying not to blow your cover," Read said. "You're in society but you're not a part of the regular society. You have to be careful who you trust. Of course, I'm telling you because I'm trying to monetize what I'm doing."

Living in a vehicle violates many municipal ordinances, and police often roust people they suspect of doing it—although it's hard to prove. Deputies in San Clemente have registered Read's van as abandoned, for instance, so it's subject to being towed, he said. Their end goal is to drive homeless people out of town, Read said.

Read has a network of friends in San Clemente who live in their vehicles, and each one is terrified of being found out and hassled out of town by police, he said.

"Rich people will call the cops on you," he said. "Nobody likes people on the streets; they have all these suspicions, they think you might be a criminal. Really, the homeless who live on the road is a very small population. The majority of criminals are living in apartments, in houses."

In addition to lodging, there are other practical considerations—like showers and bathrooms. Read said that's a big reason why he sticks to beach towns. A loofah, bathing suit and dollar-store shampoo are all you need for a good shower at the beach.

Libraries are also crucial resources—for job searching, restrooms and entertainment, Read said. Naturally, the library is where he met Patch for an interview. Sitting on the bench behind the building, he pointed out a woman he's known for the four months he's been living in San Clemente. He knows her—a former office manager for a big construction firm, he said—because she's been looking for a job on the library's Internet every day of those four months.

"She's doing what people would probably say I should be doing," he said. "But I watch her out there putting in 1,000 percent, and she's not getting anywhere. I used to be the guy that would do all that, but so many people are fighting and competing for these jobs."

Read's Facebook page promotes his alternative approach. "Join us! Click 'Like!' Be a Road Warrior! World travel club," it urges. "Road trips & travel. By land, sea & air. Young & old. Rich & poor. Adventure, fun, retirement, survival. The mobile lifestyle. Hi-tech. Wireless. RVs. Members worldwide."

The trick is to turn his following into cash.