Tent City of Yesterday and Today

Posted on April 6, 2008
Filed Under Great Depression |

Yesterday’s look back at pictures from the Great Depression on Shorpy reminded me of a story I had read recently about a Tent City in Ontario, CA. According to this story posted at the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, the tent city was opened in July, 2007.

Reuters ran a story on it back in December of 2007 about the growth of the city from the original 20 homeless people to more than 200. They attributed the growth to the housing crisis if not directly then indirectly. Foreclosures have caused rental units to be in short supply and the trickle down effect has caused the eviction of these people from apartments and motels.

“They don’t hit the streets immediately,” said activist Jane Mercer. Most families can find transitional housing in a motel or with friends before turning to charity or the streets. “They only hit tent city when they really bottom out.”

Steve, 50, who declined to give his last name, moved to tent city four months ago. He gets social security payments, but cannot work and said rents are too high.

“House prices are going down, but the rentals are sky-high,” said Steve. “If it wasn’t for here, I wouldn’t have a place to go.”

The latest news from the Los Angeles Times on Tent City is that the city of Ontario decided to partially close it down and limit it to only people with ties or family in Ontario. The Ontario police went in at the end of March and evicted the majority of the inhabitants. The city had grown from 20 to 400 in just a few short months, some from as far away as Florida. The 130 people who will be allowed to remain have been issued id cards to allow them access.

“Gina Worges, 47, has family in Ontario and was able to stay, but her boyfriend had to leave.

“I’m staying because I got no place else to go,” said Worges, who was evicted from a house after not being able to pay rent. “My daughter is . . . flying a sign on Citrus Avenue asking for money.”

Worges’ daughter, Nancy McAbee, 21, gave birth last month to a girl whom she put into foster care. McAbee still lives in Tent City.

Worges’ boyfriend, who could not prove an Ontario link, took her two dogs and moved back beneath an overpass along the 10 Freeway in Bloomington.

Robert Zepeda, 22, is also staying in Tent City. His girlfriend is eight months pregnant and lay quietly inside a sweltering tent on Monday.”

News like this is not something that I write on very often but the similarities between these people and the pictures from Shorpey’s of the Great Depression really hit me. There is not much difference between the pictures above and this picture from Shorpey.

What surprises me is that there are people who will look at the pictures, read the article and get angry. They will claim that most of these people are in Tent City because of their own poor planning and mistakes. Frankly, it’s probably true but I would point out that the same might be said for the people in 1936.

I have realized over the past year that sometimes bad things happen to good people. I have also realized how fortunate I have been in the opportunities that I have had in my life and that perhaps these folks didn’t have the same opportunities for education and employment.

How do you feel about Tent City? Do you think it’s a sign of the times or the press sensationalizing something that has been going on for years?

Help keep me awake to write by buying me a cup of coffee! .

The Great Depression

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Comments

3 Responses to “Tent City of Yesterday and Today”

pligg.com on April 6th, 2008 8:14 am

Tent City of Yesterday and Today | Oh My Aching Debts…

A look at a modern day tent city and a tent city from the Great Depression. This article takes a look at the similarities between the homeless of the 1930s and today’s homeless. Is today’s housing crisis different from the Great Depression or is it …
hank (2 comments.) on April 6th, 2008 11:02 am

Tent Cities have been around as long as REGULAR cities; it’s just that they haven’t always had tents. Yes people can look at it as “these people did it to themselves”, but looking at it through my “frugality glasses”, you can’t live much cheaper!
CindyS on April 6th, 2008 11:09 am

I know there has always been a homeless population in America but I have never heard of tent cities. I guess growing up and living in a small town doesn’t lend itself to having visibility to this kind of thing. Even in my hometown, we had “campers” on the riverbanks and a homeless shelter but nothing organized and certainly no where near 400.