Just like during the last economic crisis, homeless encampments are popping up all over the nation as poverty grows at a very alarming rate. According to the Department of Housing and Urban Development, more than half a million people are homeless in America right now, but that figure is increasing by the day. And it isn’t just adults that we are talking about. It has been reported that that the number of homeless children in this country has risen by 60 percent since the last recession, and Poverty USA says that a total of 1.6 million children slept either in a homeless shelter or in some other form of emergency housing at some point last year. Yes, the stock market may have been experiencing a temporary boom for the last couple of years, but for those on the low end of the economic scale things have just continued to deteriorate.
Tonight, countless numbers of homeless people will try to make it through another chilly night in large tent cities that have been established in the heart of major cities such as Seattle, Washington, D.C. and St. Louis. Homelessness has gotten so bad in California that the L.A. City Council has formally asked Governor Jerry Brown to officially declare a state of emergency. And in Portland the city has extended their “homeless emergency” for yet another year, and city officials are really struggling with how to deal with the booming tent cities that have sprung up…
There have always been homeless people in Portland, but last summer Michelle Cardinal noticed a change outside her office doors.
Almost overnight, it seemed, tents popped up in the park that runs like a green carpet past the offices of her national advertising business. She saw assaults, drug deals and prostitution. Every morning, she said, she cleaned human feces off the doorstep and picked up used needles.
“It started in June and by July it was full-blown. The park was mobbed,” she said. “We’ve got a problem here and the question is how we’re going to deal with it.”
But of course it isn’t just Portland that is experiencing this. The following list of major tent cities that have become so well-known and established that they have been given names comes from Wikipedia…
- Camp Hope, Las Cruces, New Mexico [1]
- Camp Quixote, Olympia, Washington State[2]
- Camp Take Notice, Ann Arbor, Michigan[3]
- Dignity Village, Portland, Oregon
- Opportunity Village, Eugene, Oregon
- Maricopa County Sheriff’s Tent City, Phoenix, Arizona
- New Jack City and Little Tijuana, Fresno, California[2]
- Nickelsville, located in Seattle[2][4]
- Right 2 Dream Too, Portland, Oregon[5]
- River Haven,[6] Ventura County, California[7][8]
- Safe Ground, Sacramento, California[2]
- The Jungle, San Jose, California[2]
- Temporary Homeless Service Area (THSA), Ontario, California[2]
- Tent City (100+ residents) of Lakewood, New Jersey[9][10]
- Tent City, Avenue A and 13th Street, Lubbock, Texas[11]
- Tent City, New Jersey forest[12]
- Tent City, Bernalillo County, New Mexico[13]
- Tent City, banks of the American River, Sacramento, California[14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22]
- Tent City 3, Seattle
- Tent City, Chicago, Illinois [1]
- Tent City 4, eastern King County outside of Seattle
- The Point, where the Gunnison River and Colorado River meet[23]
- The Village of Hope and Community of Hope, Fresno, California[2]
- Transition Park, Camden, New Jersey
- Tent City, Fayette County, Tennessee, [2]
- Camp Unity Eastside, Woodinville, WA [3]
- China Hat Road, Bend, Oregon
Most of the time, those that establish tent cities do not want to be discovered because local authorities have a nasty habit of shutting them down and forcing homeless people out of the area. For example, check out what just happened in Elkhart, Indiana…
A group of homeless people in Elkhart has been asked to leave the place they call home. For the last time, residents of ‘Tent City’ packed up camp.
City officials gave residents just over a month to vacate the wooded area; Wednesday being the last day to do so.
The property has been on Mayor Tim Neese’s radar since he took office in January, calling it both a safety and health hazard to its residents and nearby pedestrian traffic.
“This has been their home but you can’t live on public property,” said Mayor Tim Neese, Elkhart.
If they can’t live on “public property”, where are they supposed to go?
They certainly can’t live on somebody’s “private property”.
This is the problem – people don’t want to deal with the human feces, the needles, the crime and the other problems that homeless people often bring with them. So the instinct is often to kick them out and send them away.
Unfortunately, that doesn’t fix the problem. It just passes it on to someone else.
As this new economic downturn continues to accelerate, our homelessness boom is going to spiral out of control. Pretty soon, there will be tent cities in virtually every community in America.
In fact, there are people that are living comfortable middle class lifestyles right at this moment that will end up in tents. We saw this during the last economic crisis, and it will be even worse as this next one unfolds.
Just like last time around, the signs that the middle class is really struggling can be subtle at first, but when you learn to take note of them you will notice that they are all around you. The following comes from an excellent article in the New York Post…
Do you see grocery stores closing? Do you see other retailers, like clothing stores and department stores, going out of business?
Are there shuttered storefronts along your Main Street shopping district, where you bought a tool from the hardware store or dropped off your dry cleaning or bought fruits and vegetables?
Are you making as much money annually as you did 10 years ago?
Do you see homes in neighborhoods becoming run down as the residents either were foreclosed upon, or the owner lost his or her job so he or she can’t afford to cut the grass or paint the house?
Did that same house where the Joneses once lived now become a rental property, where new people come to live every few months?
Do you know one or two people who are looking for work? Maybe professionals, who you thought were safe in their jobs?
Don’t look down on those that are living in tents, because the truth is that many “middle class Americans” will ultimately end up joining them.
The correct response to those that are hurting is love and compassion. We all need help at some point in our lives, and I know that I am certainly grateful to those that have given me a helping hand at various points along my journey.
Sadly, hearts are growing cold all over the nation, and the weather is only going to get colder over the months ahead. Let us pray for health and safety for the hundreds of thousands of Americans that will be sleeping in tents and on the streets this winter.
Source: Tent Cities Full Of Homeless People Are Booming In Cities All Over America As Poverty Spikes
Solution: Ship in hundreds of thousands of illiterate Neanderthals from the MENA; kick our homegrown homeless out of the Tent Cities and send them into the woods to die. The MENA Neanderthals need a decent place to live.
MENA=Middle East North Africa
It is interesting to note that our city was grappling with this problem a few months ago as well, and the local government finally ponied up 21 million to purchase 3 unused seniors multi purpose dwellings to house the homeless. No point in having these unused facilities rot away, when a homeless person could use them……
Problem is….. what happens to me when I will ultimately need these seniors units?
Thought so………
Like it or not – too many useless breeders / breathers / eaters.
While you are correct, you are also missing the fact that jobs really are disappearing, and the quality of the remaining jobs declines year to year.
I don’t know a modern professional that doesn’t have at least one side business, typically several.
Over the last six months I’ve done consulting work, handyman work, gathered legal evidence, and taught college courses, all one the side because even though the cost of living keeps going up my pay stays the same. If you don’t have a side-hustle you aren’t a modern “Middle-class” American.
A lot of those people are desperate. In this country the vast majority are one short problem away from homelessness, and that includes a gigantic portion of this websites viewer-base.
Greetings,
You are correct. I am one of those modern day professionals and it is absolutely imperative to have two or more side income streams just to maintain current living standards. I am constantly open to new opportunities and I’m always thinking about ways to earn extra cash.
Finally, I live in S. California and the weather here is perfect to provide for a sea of homeless people – they are everywhere. Most are middle aged to elderly and many appear to be crazy. I do see some young men but zero young women which tells me that a working vagina can still put a roof over your head. I can not imagine what society can do with these people as I see no productive outlet for semi-crazy middle aged zombies.
This problem cant be new to us. What did societies do in the past when faced with this problem?
What did societies do in the past when faced with this problem? War.
Wars solve problems.
Big wars solve big problems.
We have big problems, really big problems.
No disrespect to anyone or their situation…… California is as my Dutch Grandma used to call it “The big warm and easy.” It’s a cancer on the US of A. People living there will put up with any amount of shit – just to live in the big warm and easy. Hawaii is right up there also.
We have too many people. We don’t need agrarian people. We don’t need everyday labors. We don’t need the mentally ill, drugged, stoned, drunk, psychotic males.
Someone said a ‘war’. However I don’t see these folks going to war.
Is this michael synder the famous mitch synder of the DC homeless sagas of a few years ago? Also the lady who picks up used needles on the doorstep each morning: could they be the key as to why the other disgustimg material is also on the doorstep? The listing of homeless camps are except for the one in Tennesee(probably Trump) and Texas( possibly Trump) are in states that Hitlery will carry by 10 to 15 percent and have been democrat strongholds for more than 30 years.
Soylent Green
When the EBT cards stop working and the Just-in-Time deliveries become Cash First or No Delivery, the homeless from the camps and the FSA will compete to see who can destroy what remains of civilization in their areas first. That Johnny Cash song will become prophetic!
Obama is such an incredible fuckup.
Portland, OR is full of homeless. The weather is good here part of the year but the rest is wet, rainy, and stormy. The weather is not so much the draw as is the Portland politicians who roll out the red carpet for them. Every handout known to man is given out and there are absolutely no restrictions on them. They are free to lie and sleep on the sidewalks, pile everywhere in nooks, crannies, doorways or where ever, and leave trash, used needles, and excrement to their heart’s desire. As can be imagined, it’s great for business…..you know, the ones trying to make a living and pay the taxes.
“This is the problem – people don’t want to deal with the human feces, the needles, the crime and the other problems that homeless people often bring with them. So the instinct is often to kick them out and send them away.”
I hear tell that there are a number of empty FEMA camps spread throughout the land waiting to serve a purpose.
Are the drugs they inject free? My point is, most drugs are expensive…..really expensive , so how do they afford to buy these drugs? Seems to me that if you have a $1000, $2000 per month habit (which is not that pricey in the world of heavy drugs) you could better spend your money on housing and food.
If indeed the drugs are free to these people, that is a real tip off that the owners are using one of their tools in their toolbox to make sure they exit the planet early and lessen the population. But then you have to volunteer to be a drug addict living in a tent.
Survival of the fittest has been replaced by the lowest common denominator. This is just one example of a result of foolishly not understanding the difference between equal opportunity and equal outcomes. I don’t think it will stop until we are all equal and living in tents. Of course by we, I mean all of us everyday sort of folks, I don’t mean the Wall St. titans or DC power brokers. They will have what they want at that point.
This is not for the public at this time. If Trump makes it into the WH, then they can trot out the homeless problem every night and rub it in for all its worth. Or if H made it in they could point out the small amount of homeless there are and how we need a war on homelessness to the tune of $$$$$$$$$$. winwin.
Homeless people are generally victims of fate , some due to a series of bad luck others from a series of bad decisions and still others are just BAT SHIT CRAZY or fucking stupid and also drug addicts , yes rock bottom . Tell me as I hang by my own thread now after doing the right thing my working life of 42 years having had retirement plans jerked away and my IRA earnings eaten by inflation my government tells me does not exist , I help my family and after that the rest must sink or swim there are sadly no more seats in my life boat that my wife and I pump as much as we can to keep afloat
If I had a city, it would look like a tent city….