Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Tent City, Paducah, Kentucky Dec. 13, 2011 before eviction (AP Photo-John Wright, The Paducah Sun)
While the U.S. unemployment rate has improved slightly in recent months, the rosy news of better times ahead contrasts with the difficult reality still haunting many Americans, especially for those living in tents to survive.
It is estimated that at least 5,000 individuals today call “tent cities” their home. These makeshift, and unhealthy, settlements have sprung up in more than 50 cities, including Portland, Oregon; Lakewood, New Jersey; Ann Arbor, Michigan; Pinellas Park, Florida; and Bakersfield, California.
Some of the tent cities house a few dozen, while others provide shelter for as many as 300. Many are supported by local churches while others face eviction because of safety code violations.
The conditions of the encampment in Ann Arbor have been described as “unhygienic. There are no toilets and electricity is only available in the one communal tent where the campers huddle around a wood stove for warmth in the heart of winter,” according to the BBC News.
-Noel Brinkerhoff
To Learn More:
America's Homeless Resort To Tent Cities (BBC News)
"Tent City" Moves To New Location (KGET Bakersfield)
Lakewood Tent City, a Last Resort for the Homeless, Faces Eviction (by Jaweed Kaleen, Huffington Post)
Homeless Find Hope in Pinellas Charity-Run Complex (by David DeCamp and Stephen Nohlgren, Tampa Bay Times)
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