'Tent cities' of homeless rise across USA
Homeless encampments dubbed "tent cities" are springing up across the US, partly in response to soaring numbers of home repossessions, the credit crunch and rising unemployment, according to a report.
In Reno, Nevada, the state with the nation's highest repossessions rate, a tent city recently sprung up on the city's outskirts and quickly filled up with about 150 people
Robert Scott Cook, originally from Alaska, walks his dog Tramp through the tent city that sprung up next to the homeless shelter in downtown Reno, Nevada Photo: AP
Nearly 61 per cent of local and state homeless organisations say they have witnessed an increase in homelessness since the foreclosure crisis began in 2007, the Washington DC-based National Coalition for the Homeless study says.
And the problem has intensified since the report was produced in April, along with rising repossessions, soaring energy and food prices and job losses, the group says.
"It's clear that poverty and homelessness have increased," Michael Stoops, acting executive director of the coalition, said.
"The economy is in chaos, we're in an unofficial recession and Americans are worried, from the homeless to the middle class, about their future."
Homeless groups and government agencies from Seattle, in Washington state, to Athens in Georgia, report the most visible increase in homeless encampments in a generation.
"What you're seeing is encampments that I haven't seen since the '80s," said Paul Boden, executive director of the Western Regional Advocacy Project, an umbrella group of homeless groups in west coast cities.
In Reno, Nevada, the state with the nation's highest repossessions rate, a tent city recently sprung up on the city's outskirts and quickly filled up with about 150 people. Many, such as Sylvia Flynn, 51, who came from northern California, ended up homeless after losing their jobs and home.
Officials say they do not know how many homeless the city has. "But we do know that the soup kitchens are serving hundreds more meals a day and that we have more people who are homeless than we can remember," Jodi Royal-Goodwin, the city's redevelopment agency director, said.
In California, the upmarket city of Santa Barbara is housing homeless people who live in their cars in city car parks while Fresno, has several tent cities. Others have sprung up in Portland in Oregon, and Seattle, where homeless activists have set up mock tent cities at city hall to draw attention to the problem.
Meanwhile, new encampments have appeared, or existing ones grown, in San Diego, Chattanooga in Tennessee, and Columbus, Ohio.
A recent report by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development noted a 12 per cent drop in homelessness across the nation, but the latest figures – from 2007 – predates the current housing and economic crisis.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1058601/Apocalypse-Now--New-world-order-devastating-implications-Western-nations.html .
Its a little dramatic in places but theres some truthful stuff in it and plenty to think about.
I recall now.. Sorry, old age is a terrible thing..:)
This was in today's paper...Latest figures released..
http://www.zawya.com/story.cfm/sidZAWYA20080907035257/Resisting%20Pressure
Abu, the "Import Partners" for Qatar originate from Europe at about 38 % of all imports. They are paid in Euro. That's one reason why Qatar suffered from the low Dollar.
Ah, QL...can't live with it, can't live without it. The drama, the contradictions, the conspiracies.... :-D
Yep, it's a global problem and demonizing one country or another not only is not fair but shows a tainted bias no matter how fashionable it is at the moment. I really don't think depegging from the dollar is going to change much...look at Kuwait...it didn't help at all. It is just a matter of the overheated economy in oil and gas producing countries coupled with excessive greed. Speaking of greed, it appears that the UAE is coming down hard on those that have been taking advantage of the market...I don't know how many of these "executives" have landed in jail so far but it is more than a handful.
Abu, you mean everything in America ISN'T peachy fine? ((gasp)) Who knew?????
I observed a similar trend in Qatar, too. Lots of tents on the weekends.
Long time no see...how have you been? I don't know what type of post it was...I was just trying to ensure a more balanced and unbiased view of a world problem. People need to learn to look in their own backyards before peeking at their neighbor's and condemning what they see. Don't you agree?
The latest national statistics on Statutory Homelessness for the second quarter (April to June) 2008 were released on 11 September 2008 under arrangements approved by the UK Statistics Authority.
The key points from the latest release are:
Household acceptances
* 15,680 applicants were accepted as owed a main homelessness duty during the April to June quarter, 2 per cent lower than during the same period in 2007.
* On a seasonally-adjusted basis, there were 15,750 acceptances, 2 per cent higher than the previous quarter.
* The quarterly level of acceptances has more than halved compared to the same period during 2003, the year of the most recent peak in acceptances.
Households in temporary accommodation
* 74,690 households were in temporary accommodation on 30 June 2008, 4 per cent lower than at the end of the previous quarter, and 12 per cent lower than the same date last year.
* Temporary accommodation has now fallen for eleven consecutive quarters, and is 26 per cent lower than the peak during 2004.
* 87 per cent of households were in self-contained accommodation. 5 per cent were in bed and breakfast hotels.
The full statistical release and accompanying tables,..., are available...
http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/corporate/statistics/homelessnessQ22008
Of course the above information and link is in reference to the "official" homeless. For additional information about those that have fallen between the cracks in the UK welfare systems do some research or for some light reading follow these links:
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/shocking-rise-in-homelessness-among-women-883769.html
http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/6631
http://www.homeless.org.au/statistics/#UK
http://www.crisis.org.uk/policywatch/pages/homelessness_statistics.html