Veronica Vargas, her longtime partner Alex, and their three sons are currently living out of a car which they park in a Walmart parking lot. They’re doing it to keep the boys in a sought-after public school district that’s nearby, but it’s in an area where affordable rentals can be hard to get. So, the family’s Hyundai Santa Fe has become a bedroom, living room, and kitchen for five people. Despite their circumstances, they do not qualify for federal financial aid. In fact, with Veronica and Alex’s $18/hour salaries from Walmart, they actually make more than the median American household.

This story was assigned and published by NPR in November 2021.

6:58AM: Veronica Vargas and her partner Alex leave their overnight shift at Walmart. Back at their car, their three boys brush their teeth before school.

7:04AM: Veronica waits as her three boys get ready for school in the Walmart parking lot.

7:29AM: Veronica and Alex drop their boys off at school. One of the main reasons why they took a job in this area is because of the highly-desired school district.

7:39AM: Veronica orders breakfast sandwiches for herself and Alex at McDonalds. Since they don’t have a kitchen, they have to eat out for every meal.

12:44PM: After sleeping for 4 hours in the park (since they both work the overnight shift, they have to sleep while their boys are in school), Veronica and Alex stop at their storage unit to switch out items from their car.

1:04PM: Veronica and Alex drive around Allentown and its surrounding towns looking for apartments which might be available for rent. They drop off an application for rent at a local realtor.

3:08PM: Alex places his hand on his son’s back as the family makes another stop at their storage unit to grab a change of clothes.

3:27PM: Veronica and Alex’s children enjoy chicken as an after school snack at the park where their family spends each afternoon.

3:43PM: Alex runs basketball drills with his sons at the park to prepare them for team tryouts.

5:38PM: Veronica watches her partner and children play basketball at the park.

5:48PM: Veronica drives her children to the park restroom.

6:48PM: While Veronica grabs clothes, her sons make shadow puppets on the storage unit wall.

6:48PM: The Vargas family makes one last stop at their storage unit to grab the boys’ bedding.

7:15PM: Veronica and Alex buy more gallons of water before their nightly outdoor shower. Because they do not have a bathroom or access to running water, they make multiple stops a day to get water for drinking, brushing their teeth, and showering.

9:01PM: Veronica does her family’s laundry at a laundromat. She wants to make sure that her boys’ clothes don’t have wrinkles so that they won’t get made fun of in school.

9:41PM: Veronica helps her children get ready for bed. The boys sleep in the back of the car while she and Alex work the overnight shift at Walmart.

9:58PM: Veronica and Alex head into Walmart for their nightly shift, where they will work until 7:00AM the following morning.