The Man in the Van Project

As he nears the end of the line for his Man in a Van Project, Aaron Heideman of Grants Pass, Ore. has only begun to process the stories he gleaned from his cross-country recession odyssey.

After losing jobs himself due to the sour economy-not once, but twice-the 29-year-old set out to chronicle the tales of people whose lives have been affected by the Great Recession.

In an exclusive interview with WalletPop, Heideman discussed the project, what it's meant to him and what comes next for a young man who, for now, still lives in his orange Dodge van, hoping to land permanent employment soon.

From Florida to California and many points in between, people scrawled their stories onto a large roll of Tyvek paper. Some even scrawled notes and missives on the van itself, turning it into a rolling chronicle of continued economic woe, and the hope that survives amidst it.

"I am guessing that I've probably put about 122,000 miles on it, though I don't know because the odometer is broke. The van itself has several hundred stories on it, maybe 300, but I also have a banner made of tear-resistant, waterproof Tyvek paper. It's 150 feet long and I have collected thousands and thousands of stories on that and the van together. I've talked to thousands of people, too. I've collected maybe 5000 stories in written form," Heideman told Walletpop.