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At this time, there are over 177 tent cities in the United States with a developing expansion rate estimated at 40%. Unfortunately, homeless "sweeps" are being prepared by local governments in areas such as Nashville and Savannah, destroying temporary shelters by the hundreds of homeless people who have lost everything else—with a final straw the act of losing their "homeless home". Existing tent cities exist in area such as Athens, Georgia; Seattle Washington; Savannah, Georgia; Nashville, Tennessee; Providence, Rhode Island; San Francisco, California; Portland, Oregon; Reno, Nevada; and Los Angeles, California, all involving not only future models for upcoming tent cities but all have a chance of being bulldozed down, forcing the homeless to set up residence in another unknown area.  In the blink of an eye

Individuals and families who end up in such developments are the result of our nation's economic crisis, losing their jobs, housing, food sources, and most of all their dignity. Forced to live in tents, mobile homes, vehicles, and scrap wood housing, many are not accepted by neighborhoods or local governments—with many having their shelters destroyed or dispersed due to public complaints and safety concerns. Yet other neighborhoods such as St. Petersburg, Florida, involves the protesting of locals regarding the bulldozing of a nearby homeless community out of compassion and concern for the homeless inhabitants.

RISING ECONOMIC FALL

Many inhabitants of tent cities involve CEOs and college graduates, along with families who have lost their homes due to increasing job layoffs.  They consist of the citizens of this country and need help from those who still have a job, still have a roof over their head, and have the time to volunteer or the sources to donate. We need to ask ourselves how we cannot justify being part of this tremendous need to provide shelter, food and assistance for our very own to survive. Presently, national services cannot keep up with the homeless problems, struggling on a day by day basis to provide food, shelter, clothing and medical care with donation of at least $5 or one item eventually adding up for someone's survival.

It is documented that those who live from paycheck to paycheck are one step away from being homeless themselves. This means anyone and everyone has a chance of living on the streets, following in the same steps as those who are already homeless for many reasons: lost jobs; lost homes and forced to move into a cheaper establishment; losing this and forced to move into a trailer or vehicle. When the vehicle is lost or quits, tents or shelters are the next step. When this cannot be found---living on the streets in cardboard boxes or paper are next if the homeless are lucky. This involves moving from shelter to shelter or corner to corner, depending on the "homeless sweeps" or where the tent city is located.

CHANGEOVER IN HOMELESS TREATMENT IN SOME CITIES

Not all cities turn the other way or destroy their tent cities. In California, Santa Monica's city officials are working with the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority with over 250 community volunteers to focus on an accurate count of their homeless. Since 2007, they have seen an 8% drop in homelessness due to successful practices borrowed from New York, San Francisco, and Denver—opposite of their previous homeless practices. Their "Father Dollar" gives a dollar to the homeless and offers prayer every Wednesday to them. It is the same city where the developer of the EDAR tent, or tent on wheels, is being given to the homeless as a temporary "permanent shelter" of their very own.

Portland, Oregon, has developed a 10-year plan to eliminate homelessness or face the chance of having a permanent homeless population developing. Last year one of their homeless organizations by the name of JOIN had placed 436 homeless people into permanent housing with 90% still here, which involves providing housing as a first step of the battle to prevent homelessness---emergency shelters, to short-term shelters, to transitional housing, and then to permanent housing. This is a process which many respond to, but not all. Some end up back onto the streets for one reason or another which develops into chronic homelessness, with only 30% of the total numbers of Portland's homeless receiving permanent shelter. The city is working on providing medical care, mental health services, rent assistance, and social/clinical services for homelessness.

REFERENCES

Ending Homelessness in Portland. Website: http://www.portlandonline.com/shared/cfm/image.cfm?id=130590

Know the Lies. Website: http://www.knowthelies.com/?q=node/3763

USA Today. Website: http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-10-17-parkingmeters_N.htm

Wandering Vets. Website: http://wanderingvets.com/2008/09/21/177-tent-cities-rise-in-usour-dirty-little-secret/

DONATING TO THE HOMELESS

Change.Org. Website: http://homelessness.change.org/actions/view/donate_one_item_to_a_local_homeless_shelter

CNN. "Tents on Wheels Give Homeless People Roof and Pride." EDAR housing. Website: http://www.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/wayoflife/03/10/homeless.tents/

Donating T-Shirts. Website: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Denver-CO/Donating-T-Shirts-to-the-HomelessGive-something-that-will-be-useful/26782998512

Help USA. Website: http://www.helpusa.org/site/PageServer?pagename=HELP_GetInvolved_Donations

National Coalition for the Homeless. Website: http://www.nationalhomeless.org/