“Bushvilles” – The Next Step in the Foreclosure Crisis?
During the Great Depression of the early 1930s, shantytowns sprang up around the country for those who were left homeless and/or jobless because of economic hardship. Because many were disappointed with President Hoover's policies and efforts to address the problems, the shantytowns were dubbed "Hoovervilles."
In 2008, it seems the first "Bushville" has appeared in Southern California. According to the Los Angeles Times, a "tent city" in Ontario, CA has grown to nearly 400 residents from just 20 nine months ago.
The area, which was originally set aside for homeless Ontario residents, reportedly has tents, water and bathroom facilities - but not nearly enough for the several hundred people currently making Tent City their home. City officials apparently began the experiment last year, hoping to address the problem of homelessness by reserving an area where homeless people could stay without being harassed.
But, with foreclosures at an all-time high around the country and soaring rent costs, the homeless population has evidently increased in the past year. And, thanks to the opportunity provided by Tent City, people have come from neighboring counties and even from as far away as Florida to take advantage of it, according to sources.
Unfortunately, the city of Ontario doesn't have the resources to provide adequate facilities for homeless people from around the country. Last week, police and code regulation officers allegedly began the process of dismissing non-Ontario residents from Tent City.
If residents were able to present documentation proving they'd lived in Ontario before becoming homeless, they were reportedly given one color wristband. Another color went to those who needed more proof, and a third to those who had no Ontario ties.
So what will happen to those kicked out of Tent City?
The future may be bleak. First of all, sources estimate that only 140 of the nearly 400 people currently living in Tent City will be able to stay there after the purge. And, though the city of Ontario has evidently offered free cab rides to people's home towns, only one person has actually accepted the offer.
Perhaps most disturbing is that no other city in the country has yet provided land and resources like those available in Ontario, according to the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin. In fact, the Bulletin reports, officials in other cities are unlikely to ever provide tent cities of their own.
The strain on Ontario's resources caused by so many choosing to live in Tent City has apparently made other officials wary of similar plans.
But the problem of families displaced by foreclosure remains, and the homeless population of the United States could very well grow in coming months. Economists have predicted that the housing crisis is not yet over; generally accepted estimates put the ultimate foreclosure toll at around 2.2 million.
Ontario's proactive measures offered many without other housing options a place to live where they could avoid the stigma of homelessness. If the nation's foreclosure crisis continues, other cities will likely have to step up to help those struggling to get by.