A homeless couple who have been documenting their journey living in a tent has recently gained more attention after declaring that their lives on the streets were a “flex,” relying on donations and free amenities found at hotels. Their controversial lifestyle and opinions have already cost them being expelled from establishments and amassed backlash on the internet.
Highlights
- A couple documented their "houselessness" journey on TikTok, gaining 165.700 followers.
- After claiming "houselessness is a flex", they faced backlash for their views and lifestyle choices.
- The couple set up a GoFundMe page aiming for an RV/tiny home.
Leland Brown Jr. and Breanna, a couple from Hatfield, Pennsylvania, USA, went viral on Sunday (March 3) after declaring that they would now be using the term “houselessness” instead of “homelessness” as a result of the “negative connotation attached to being homeless.”
Taking to their TikTok page, followed by 165.700 people, Leland and Breanna shared a video where they explained, from the tent they have been living in, that “houselessness is a flex” while arguing that they were not dehumanizing homeless people.
“Homelessness isn't wrong if you’re looking at it from our perspective,” Breanna exclaimed in the video.
A homeless couple's viral TikTok video sparked controversy as they branded their tent lifestyle a "flex"
Image credits: Leland's GoFundMe
In the clip, which racked up 125.600 views, Breanna went on to explain that living rough meant that they had developed “strong surviving skills that other people don’t have.”
Leland further admitted that the word homeless “is just attached to a lot of sad stories,” and therefore, the couple preferred to refer to their situation as “houselessness.”
“Surviving and pushing through regardless of if you have a house or not, and not all the convenience at your fingertips, not heat, no all that,” Leland said. “And we’ve got no house. If you can do that, that’s a flex.”
The couple’s video sparked various reactions, as a person commented: “Flex is paying your bills and still have money.”
Another TikTok user penned: “It shouldn’t matter to anyone how you live.
“You're not hurting anyone but yourself. It’s your life, your choice.”
Image credits: fullestness
A separate individual chimed in: “Dude I've been homeless. it may seem. like it's cool while you’re young but when you get older it's not as glamorous.”
On their GoFundMe page, through which the couple has managed to raise $162 out of their $10,000 target, Leland and Breanna explained that they had chosen to live a “minimalist lifestyle, foregoing traditional housing options to accelerate our financial progress.”
They wrote: “We believe that by living below our means now, we can secure a better future for Leland Jr.'s son, who is the center of our world.”
The couple explained: "Leland Jr. spends precious time with his son every weekend, but he dreams of providing even more quality time."
The couple defended their minimalist lifestyle on GoFundMe, aiming to secure a better future for Leland's son
“However, the financial strain of traditional living arrangements, like expensive apartments, makes this dream seem distant.”
As a result, Leland and Breanna claimed to raise money in order to “acquire an RV and eventually a tiny home.”
They added: "We're passionate about generating passive income to further enrich our lives."
Image credits: fullestness
“Imagine being able to prioritize family over exhausting work hours, thanks to streams of passive income.
“That's the dream we're chasing, and with your support, it can become a reality.”
Whilst the pair didn’t explain what they meant by “passive income,” Investopedia defines it as a “revenue that takes negligible effort to acquire.”
The couple said their dream was to prioritize family over work through passive income streams
Moreover: “It includes earnings from rental properties, limited partnerships, and other projects where you're not involved in the continued generation of earnings.”
In addition to their GoFundMe page, Leland and Breanna have also set up public accounts with mobile payment services Cash App, Venmo, and PayPal, all linked on their social media pages.
As well as depending on strangers’ donations, the couple has also found elaborate ways to sustain their lifestyle by using hotel amenities.
Image credits: fullestness
In another video posted on Saturday (March 2) on TikTok, Leland filmed himself in the lobby of a hotel that was located “right next to [their] site.”
In the video, Leland filmed electric plugs and a microwave, which he said he could use “for free.”
At the end of the video, he revealed that this was a hotel he had been working at before being “kicked out” by the manager.
They advocated for the term "houselessness" and faced backlash for their views
A person commented: “It's more like you just wanna love for free as opposed to being ‘homeless by choice.’”
Back in January, Leland and Breanna were evicted from the storage unit they had been living in, which had initially been the subject of their most viral TikTok videos.
"This unit is 24 hours. So, I can come here anytime I want, stay here as long as I need to…we can take naps if we need to," Leland had said of their unconventional home before being expelled from the premises.
Following their eviction, the couple temporarily sought refuge in a tent in the woods, but their shelter was damaged by heavy snowfall, VT reported. Fortunately, a good Samaritan reportedly stepped in, offering to replace their tent and provide accommodation at a local Holiday Inn.
The reason why Leland and Breanna are homeless is unclear, but older videos of Leland document his previous jobs at McDonald’s and in a hotel while also showing him living in a house.
Nevertheless, Leland and Breanna have made it clear in a previous video that they had no intention of getting a job now, as they were “too smart for that.”
"It's laziness," a reader commented
