My grandparents knew them as hobo camps - groups of unemployed men doing what they could to get by during the hard times of the Great Depression. Today we witness a more troubling phenomenon. Tent cities have been springing up all over the nation in the last few years. Composed of a conglomeration of unemployed, underemployed, the working poor, and discouraged workers, this new phenomenon suggests that the current economic downturn is producing some disturbing features. The National Coalition for the Homeless has launched a new study in an attempt to better understand this growing social concern. What they have found is that municipalities have differed greatly in their response to the sudden, urgent need for housing among folks affected by the recession. Some cities (Seattle, WA and Portland, OR, for example) have set aside land, provided services, and attempted to alleviate the human suffering experienced by those displaced by the shifting economy; other cities (Colorado Springs, CO) at first worked with the homeless, and then, panicked by their increase in size and apparent permanence, broke up the tent cities and sent people packing.
With the disappointing unemployment numbers just out, the inability of our politicians to extend unemployment benefits, and a structurally weakened economic system, we must prepare to accommodate a growing number homeless with creative solutions. The "new study" link above compares different approaches along the west coast of the US and worth a look.
1 comment:
My father grew up during the great depression (he was born in 22) but he was lucky enough to live on a farm and his father was a carpenter so they had enough food and could always make enough money to pay the bills. That is why he always told me that skills and property are more important the money.
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