Due to the changing status of the economy, there had been an increase of homeless people. One certain culture that had always been maintained was the creation of a small community living on land that doesn't legally belong to them. This small community live in tents and rely on donations as a source of receiving food and various resources. This small community is called "Tent City."
*This week's documentary covers the lives of the homeless living in Tent City. Many of the "residences" of Tent City are culturally diverse. I say residence because these individuals create a sense of belonging as they situate themselves in tents with their belongings. Not to say that all are new to living in Tent City. There are some individuals that have lived there for years. Many have their own story of how they ended up being homeless.
Not All Are/Were Drug Addicts
In the documentary, a couple of people will state that not all had a history of drug addiction which led to them becoming homeless. During the recent years, there had been an increase of homeless individuals to the increase of standard of living like rent and food. Because their jobs couldn't financially keep up with the daily living costs, they ended up moving to Tent City. The minister who runs Tent City states that it takes 3 minimum wage jobs to afford basic necessities of life for an individual.
**Others were laid of from their job due to a change of the job company such as outsourcing labor to another country. One couple interviewed stated that they had spent thousands of dollars rescuing birds which caused them to become homeless.
Go Get A Job, You Bum?
Not all homeless people living in Tent City are unemployed. One individual in the documentary shares his current status living in Tent City. This individual works a full-time job. His pay isn't worth enough to purchase a home or rent an apartment. Yet, his income is considered to be too rich to be applicable for government assistance. He can qualify for food stamps worth about $42/month. There are others who are in the same similar situation as this individual. They are working at jobs that can't keep up with the high costs of standard living. This segment of the documentary really showed how difficult it is for people to keep up in the current economy.
***A Culture Of Their Own
Tent City does bring a culture of its own. As stated earlier, a majority of the population are culturally, ethnically mixed. It's not a perfect world where everyone loves each other. The minister says that the number one rule in Tent City is to respect each other. Being homeless with limited resources can possibly bring out the best of anyone. The documentary does show a few instances of a few homeless people arguing about getting some certain food items. The film eventually shows them resolving the issue peacefully.
****As I watched the film myself, I felt that the community formed their own social system of doing things. People were given responsibilities to contribute to helping the community. They would also talk among each other how is this person doing or is what his/her current situation is. I feel that "talk" showed that the community had a sense of feeling together no matter what. The sense of feeling together was well bonded by their situation, helping each other, and being hopeful together that things wills get better.
Hits Home Cause It's At Home
Tent City from this documentary resides in Lakewood, New Jersey. It's not the only one. There are many across the United States. Some may argue that the economy is getting better. One can beg to differ if will be an increase of tent cities all over the country. If that were to happen, then I feel that society should strive to do something about it. Not all the time that the government can be relied on to solve social/economic issues. Those who have become financially successful could not just lend a helping hand but also share advise/strategy the homeless can benefit from to better their situation. Until then, check out the video yourself and see what you think should be a solution for this matter.
Video Link:
Picture References:
*: http://media.mlive.com/newsnow_impact/photo/tent-city-05jpg-01ce4af3af4c5088.jpg
**: http://cbscharlotte.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/pinkslip.jpg?w=594&h=349&crop=1
***: http://smartasset.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/3110849717_6cb00cc147_z.jpg
****: http://www.chhny.org/wp-content/uploads/helping-hands.jpg
No comments:
Post a Comment