Today in class, we briefly discussed how Hoovervilles, or shanty towns, had sprung up across the nation due to the increasing homeless population. Most of the unemployed could not afford housing, so they created the makeshift towns. Hoover was blamed for leading the country deeper into recession, thus causing the shanty towns to be named after him.
A few years ago, the U.S. was in another economic recession, although not as bad as the Great Depression of the 1930s (the unemployment rate was about 10% rather than 25%). Even in the late 2000's recession, there was still a massive shift of people losing their homes, similar to those in the 1930s. The Today show did a short news clip comparing the Hoovervilles to the modern day "Bushvilles", named after President George W. Bush. The clip focuses on Sacramento, California, where the unemployment and homelessness rate was significantly worse than other parts of the U.S. Although not many of you fully remember the recession in the late 2000s, the high foreclosure rate, stock market crash, and high unemployment rate was very similar to the Great Depression. The clip is only a few minutes long, but the images they use reveal a striking resemblance between the 1930s and today.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yz8LXq1q6iI
Chronic homelessness is actually a major problem in the Bay Area! I remember I first heard about the extent of the encampments over the summer. They've been a thing for a while and they don't show signs of stopping. A few local cities have really been trying to find permanent places for homeless people recently. You could read more about it in these links:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_24573910/san-jose-santa-clara-county-homeless-numbers-among
http://www.mercurynews.com/bay-area-news/ci_26032097/local-homeless-campaign-reaches-6-year-goal
This strongly reminds me of the fact that today, an army of San Jose police and social workers started to dismantle the country's largest homeless encampment, nicknamed "The Jungle.". There were about 200 homeless people left this morning, the deadline that the city had issued for people to leave the encampment. The city has found housing for 144 and is looking for housing for another 55 with housing subsidy vouchers. The situation comes as the result of pressure on public officials from neighbors and water quality regulators to clean up the human and trash waste resulting from the encampment, which lies in the heart of Silicon Valley near several large tech companies.
DeleteYou can read more about the situation here: http://www.mercurynews.com/bay-area-news/ci_27066589/jungle-san-jose-shuts-down-notorious-homeless-encampment
I think it's a truly heartbreaking to force someone to leave what they consider to be their home, but the encampment was violent and unsanitary and the city had to take action. To San Jose's credit, it did approve $4 million to address the issue of housing for these homeless people, which means it is genuinely try to address the problem. However, that did not stop the flood of misery lining the sidewalks outside the 68 acre encampment as those who had been kicked out wept to see their home dismantled and wondered where they would go next.
Great Post. Though homelessness is not quite as bad as back in the Great Depression it is still a problem today. On any given night there around 600,000 people struggling to find a roof over their head. What's worse is that about 9% of the homeless adults who amount to about 60,000, are veterans. It's terrible to think about not having a place to go home to, but it does affect a lot of people.
ReplyDeleteWhat made the Great Depression so terrible wasn't only the sharp increase in unemployment rates, but also its lengthy duration. In class, Mr. Stewarts talked about how, if you look at a graph of the gross domestic product per American through the 20th century, the trend line is still increasing. But to the people living in the Great Depression, life really sucked. I thought your post was a real eye-opener. I feel like this issue is sometimes easily overlooked because the charts still show an increasing trend line in productivity.
ReplyDeleteHere's a link to a GDP chart of the Great Depression:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/da/GDP_depression.svg/2000px-GDP_depression.svg.png
It can be so easy to distance ourselves from the situations of the people living in the Great Depression, but this really gives us a reality check on how everything we think is constant might not be so. The electricity, the internet, even running water, and going to school are not undeniable rights enjoyed by everyone. Although we live in a wealthy area, where it seems like everyone must have what they need, this actually makes it easier to become homeless. The extremely high housing rates and increasing rents in Silicon Valley, as well as the unpredictability of entrepreneurial endeavors, frequently leave families out on the street, when they previously enjoyed all of the amenities that you and I might. It is great that you've taken us closer to understanding the plight of those living during the Great Depression.
ReplyDelete