The disputed reign of President Herbert Hoover brought along with it the presence of poverty and homelessness. To succomb this time, U.S. citizens were forced to take drastic measures in order to survive. Many people lost their homes due to the loss of money during this memorable era. The great depression is very directly linked in our country's history to what we call "Hoovervilles". These were small man-made towns that were created by many of the povertised people who were in desperate need of shelter. Most of the "houses" of the towns were made of cardboard and scraps of metal.
Today, it is argued that we are living in a depression, and as because of this, our own present-day Hoovervilles have been created. They are called tent cities because most of the inhabitants live in tents. or in tool sheds as is shown in this photo:
(Here is a great New York Times Article!)
The tent cities are growing rapidly right along with the economic crisis. people are losing their jobs and unable to find work which causes them to lose their homes. some of the inhabitants of these modern hoovervilles earn a few dollars a day by collecting and recycling empty bottles. This money is needed and used to buy food for their survival which only helps them to continue on to the next day where they will do the exact same thing just to eat.
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