Living on the corner of 3rd and Sunset Avenue in the heart of Venice Beach, Darlene Knoll remains stifled by her eight-year struggle with homelessness.

The tattered RV she calls home has a litany of problems: only a few of the pistons are firing, the camper's ceiling drips rainwater and the toilet is out of order. As she sautés canned food for her four dogs on the camper’s gas stove, Knoll talks of how she is dreading November, when the LA Department of Transportation plans to post signs banning vehicles over 7-feet tall or 22-feet wide from parking throughout the night on Venice’s public streets.  

“They’re trying to get us out of Venice,” Knoll said. “What they don’t realize is that by taking away our right to park our homes, they’re putting us onto the street. They just want us gone, and they don’t care how.”

Knoll used to live in her own home in the Venice area, working as a registered nurse. Now, at age 56, she is unemployed and forced to take residence in what has become Venice’s marquee site of car and camper dwelling.

In contrast to the recent revitalization of Venice – specifically the spruced-up businesses and cafes along Abbott Kinney Road – Knoll’s neighborhood is defined by rainbow-clad RV’s stacked two-stories tall with furniture and personal belongings. Although there are no homes on Knoll’s stretch of 3rd Avenue, recent incidents of human waste dumping have ignited a communitywide protest against the area’s car and camper dwellers.

RVs on 3rd Avenue (Photos by Benjamin Gottlieb).

“Most of the people in Venice are very angry. They don’t understand us,” Knoll said. “They think that we’re either drug addicts, drug dealers, [or] prostitutes… that we’re dumping our sewage on the streets. But we’re not.”

Known as “mama” by the local camper community, Knoll often takes care of the community’s homeless, feeds hungry travelers passing through, and fights for the rights of the people who park their motorized homes on Venice’s public streets.

Along with the estimated 250 RV-dwellers living on the streets of Venice, Knoll may soon qualify for permanent housing through a proposal known as the “Vehicles to Homes” program. Championed by 11th District City Councilman Bill Rosendahl, the program targets Venice’s car and camper homeless and is designed to facilitate their transition into assisted living situations.

However, opponents of the measure – including Venice’s homeless and homeless advocates – say the program and the accompanying oversized vehicle ordinance are really a two-tiered “vehicle to streets” plan.

To qualify for the program, participants must be categorized as "economically deficient," have a valid driver’s license, proof of insurance, and registration for their vehicle. Knoll said many of Venice’s RV-dwellers will not meet such stringent requirements and will have no alternative but to leave without help.

Because she lives in her vehicle, Knoll must constantly deal with the LAPD trying to cite her for sleeping illegally in her camper. Knoll said the realities surrounding her living situation are often made unbearable by the presence of police.

“The cops are very abusive,” Knoll said. “They love the power, they love to taunt. There are some that I adore, but the majority of them get off on it.”

LAPD declined to comment on the accusations.

Marty Katon runs a design company on Sunset Avenue, adjacent to the RV-dwellers at 3rd and Rose Avenue. Katon, along with many supporters of the homeless, said the people living near his studio do not pose any distraction to his business and are respectful about parking in front of his building.

“The biggest problem is that these people are mixed up with the crack-heads,” Katon said. “You can’t manage a motor home if you’re a crack-head. They’re not.”   

Knoll said the RV-dwellers living in Venice simply want a place to live peacefully.

“We need someplace where we can be permanently parked,” Knoll said. “What about the Lincoln Courts? They’re empty. Why can’t they house the homeless there?”

Although many of Venice’s homeless are not engaged in criminal activity, a majority of homeowners are simply fed up with the problems associated with the homeless in their community. Jack Susser, a Venice resident since 1949, is passionate about relocating the community’s camper dwelling population after he witnessed a drunk homeless individual vandalize his home.

 “There’s no doubt [the RVs] infringe on the rights of the community,” said Jack Susser, a Venice resident since 1949. “Venice is too small to be able to accommodate 15 foot vans on its streets.”

As the laws and proposals targeting Venice’s car and camper dweller unfold, the lives of those who are literally a car’s door away from sleeping on the street remains uncertain.

To reach Benjamin Gottlieb, click here. Follow him on Twitter @benjamin_max.