Sacramento 'Tent City' Gaining New Residents By River - 20 to 50 people a week

[Kadie]

Feb 23, 2009 6:00 pm US/Pacific
Sac. 'Tent City' Gaining New Residents By River


SACRAMENTO (CBS13) ―

Sacramento's homeless rate is rising fast. With more foreclosures, jobs lost and full shelters, all you have to do is walk downtown or cruise the American River and you'll meet people who are homeless for the first time.

The sea of tents along the American River is hard to miss, and their number is growing.

"Anywhere from 20 to 50 people a week is showing up out here that just became homeless," said Steve Kruse, a homeless man. "There are shelters, but they're filling up so fast."

Many of the men and women in the tents lost their jobs and then their home.

snip...
Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson knows the crisis is growing. As foreclosure and unemployment rates skyrocket, the homeless rate is now on the same track. From 2007 to 2008, Sacramento County's "new homeless" rate rose a whopping 15 percent.

snip...
"I'm seeing families out here," Kruse added. "A lady walking down here yesterday with two babies and a stroller, and she asked did anybody know where she could stay."

more...
http://cbs13.com/investigations/tent.city.american.2.942256.html

[gratuitous]

1. Bushville

Well, at least something is growing in this shitty economy Bush left for us to hold.

[Selatius]

2. If things do not reverse, we will find ourselves in a Second Great Depression, and you'll see this:

And this:

[Kadie]

4. .

Very sad, and very scary.

[TBF]

3. K&R. n/t

[bdamomma]

5. the bush legacy lives on unfortunately.

I hope to see some of those wall street thugs on the streets too.

[pnutbutr]

6. low income housing

is needed all over the country but nobody wants to build it. Especially now since governments are strapped for cash and have nothing to spare. At least most areas that have these tent cities are not allowing children to live in them and are instead providing real shelters for the kids and families.

To add a negative in here I despise tent cities. Some of the people who live in them are there voluntarily, they refuse government assistance to help find jobs, housing etc... They are deadbeats who want to live off everyone else. If you want to live on your own and not work find a spot in the woods where you really will have to live on your own, not in a parking lot or in a park down by the river where you can still suck the government teet and live off everyone else.