Gerald and Eda Davis live in a bigger RV with their dog Peanut, and their son lives beside them in a smaller RV. In the winter they park at the Revelstoke Community Centre during the day, and drive across the highway to a truck pullout in the Big Eddy at night.

In the summer Gerry says it's easy to disappear, to park somewhere and only come to town for supplies every few weeks. In the winter, they want a place to park so they don't have to move every day.

They park at the community centre so they can use the pool and charge their batteries, and they go to the pullout at night so they don't get ticketed.

It's hard to know how many people live in vehicles like the Davises because it's unauthorized, but it is a mixture of people like them who are squeezed out of the market, and people in town for the winter to ski or snowmobile.

Eda calls her family and others who live like them "Tiggers," but she says they want to stop bouncing.

"It’s very exhausting. I don’t want to move some days, it’s like 'Oh do we have to?'" She said.

She's always tense with the thought of having to move.

This is the Davis' first winter as Tiggers. They lived in the Smokey Bear Campground for ten years, first in an RV, then in a trailer. Due to "differences with the landlord," Gerry said they moved out in July of last year with their two RVs.

Gerry is from Revelstoke and Eda is from Vavenby and Clearwater. When he was 35 "working like a dog" in Alberta, where he met Eda, Gerry injured his shoulder. The doctor told him he would never work again, and he went on disability. A few years ago he had a massive heart attack, and had to have a double-bypass surgery. At the time the doctors discovered a problem with his heart and arteries and said they were surprised he was alive.

Eda is caretaker for Gerry and their son, who is autistic, and she doesn't have an income.

Gerry and Eda are on waiting lists for affordable housing at Monashee Court and Oscar St., but Gerry thinks he'll be dead before they get in.

"I've got an expiry date like a bad carton of milk," he said.

Some days are good for him, and some days are bad.

"It makes living in something like this extremely challenging, to say the least." He said.

Listen to a full interview with the Davises here:

The low vacancy rate, high rents and high demand for rental housing in Revelstoke have the city looking at ways it can provide more housing, as quickly as a city can. It's doing things like expediating development permits and changing bylaws to allow secondary suites as a result.

Late last year council directed staff to to prepare a discussion paper to look at options available to people who live in what they call "non-traditional residential accommodation—" which means people who live in RVs, trucks campers, vans or tiny homes.

The paper was presented to the committee of the whole on Jan. 12, and Gerry read it front-to-back.

Because the paper says that finding a way to authorize people to park their RVs will increase the administrative burden on city staff and slow down permitting in other areas, Gerry thinks staff are biased against people who live in RVs.

Revelstoke Mayor Gary Sulz doesn't think the city is biased.

What the paper was doing was looking at how people can fit in and find a safe place to stay that they can afford, he said.

"Living on the streets are what people are doing because they can’t afford [housing]," he said, "but we have bylaws against that, and I can’t fetter what our bylaw officers do."

As for having a place where people can park in the winter time, Sulz says there would be all kinds of complications with allowing that.

"I get they don’t want to bounce around, I understand that." He said.

But he said at the Big Eddy pullout there are pit toilets they can use. None of the city facilities are winterized, and there isn't land they can use for this.

In the discussion paper it talks about RVs violating provincial building code, and that the city could face liability for allowing something against provincial rules.

Sulz says the city can't put an extra burden on taxpayers, but Gerry and Eda say they and other people they have spoken with would be happy to pay a monthly fee for a spot to park, porta potties and a place to put their garbage.

"If there was an easy solution we would already be doing it." Sulz said.

Listen to a full interview with Gary Sulz here: 

The city is holding a summit about affordable housing tonight, Thursday, March 9. It's from 6:00 to 9:00 at the community centre. Guest speakers include people from Sicamous, Tofino, Banff, Whistler and Revelstoke. Sulz hopes the exchange of ideas will result in solutions for people like the Davis.

Click below to listen to a radio report: