(WHBQ) A Seattle man is celebrating after a judge ruled that the truck he has been living in is his home and the city can’t sell it to pay for a hefty parking ticket and fines. The ruling could affect hundreds of homeless people living in their vehicles.
The judge’s ruling is based on the 123-year-old Homestead Act that says the government can’t force anyone to sell their home to satisfy debts. This is apparently the first time anyone has successfully argued that a vehicle can be a home.
Steven Long has lived in a truck on the streets of Seattle since 2014. But last year, when his truck was parked on Poplar Street South for five months, the city impounded it. He said living outside took a toll.
