Evictions and Foreclosures Result in US Tent Cities

Oct. 17, 2008 Oct. 17- With a massive spike in the number of foreclosures and evictions over the past two years, communities throughout the U.S. have witnessed the sprouting of tent cities -- many of them home to once middle-class citizens fallen victim to the economic downturn.. » read more

ECONOMY-US: No Joy in Hooverville

NEW YORK, Oct 17 (IPS) - With a massive spike in the number of foreclosures and evictions over the past two years, communities throughout the U.S. have witnessed the sprouting of tent cities -- many of them home to once middle-class citizens fallen victim to the economic downturn. A homeless "tent city" in Los Angeles, California. Encampments have formed in or near large urban areas including Reno, Los Angeles, Chattanooga, Columbus, St.. » read more

New Face of Las Vegas Homeless (with video)

Oct. 4, 2008 The struggling economy continues to hit Main Street hard. More and more families are losing their homes, forcing some to live on the streets. News 3's Dan Ball explains why the number of homeless families are dramatically increasing here in Las Vegas. Catholic Charities says they've noticed that within the last several months, the face of the homeless has changed.. » read more

Millions Still Homeless Months After China Quake

July 12, 2008 Two months after a devastating earthquake rocked China's Sichuan province, 46 million people are homeless and in dire need of help rebuilding their lives, says the Canadian leader of the International Red Cross relief effort. Millions of displaced people have been living in donated tents since the 8.0-magnitude quake rocked the southern part of the country on May 12. Now victims need help rebuilding their homes so they can begin returning to normalcy, said Yunhong Zhang, the agency's Asia Program Manager. "As this two-month anniversary approaches, there is still an enormous amount of work to be done," Zhang, who recently returned from five weeks in Sichuan province, told CTV.. » read more

Cold Shoulders

. » read more

Credit Crunch Forcing US Middle Classes To Live In Their Cars

June 26, 2008 Homeless people living in cars and motorhomes across the US are being joined by a new breed: the middle class. As mortgage foreclosures continue to rise, growing numbers of middle-class professionals are losing their homes and downsizing from four bedrooms to four wheels. With numbers rising, New Beginnings, a homeless agency in Santa Barbara, California, has launched a safe parking scheme, whose aim is to provide a refuge of sorts for those who have nowhere to go other than their vehicle. Guy Trevor lost his job as an interior designer when the sector contracted thanks to the foreclosure crisis. With his furniture sold and his belongings in storage, he now lives in his car, spending the nights in one of the 12 gated car parks in Santa Barbara run by New Beginnings.. » read more

Silent Victims of the Iraq War

Friday, June 20, 2008 In honoring World Refugee Day today, we should comprehend the impact that conflict has on the most innocent and vulnerable members of society. Five years after the U.S. invaded Iraq, more than 800,000 children have been forced to flee their homes to escape the violence. According to a report released Tuesday, most are unable to go to school and 60% do not have access to clean drinking water.. » read more

A Wide-Open Battle For Power in Darfur

. » read more

BAGHDAD CALLING

BAGHDAD CALLING is an exceptional photography book. Photojournalist Geert van Kesteren shows how Iraqi refugees are living in Jordan, Syria and Turkey. Besides these professionally shot images, the book reveals everyday life in the Iraq of 2006 and 2007 through the eyes of Iraqis themselves: a team round Van Kesteren amassed hundreds of photos from the mobile phones and digital cameras of Iraqi citizens that reveal places where journalists dare not tread for reasons of personal safety. These present a sequence of exploding grenades, family parties, ethnic cleansing, dancing in the park, demolished infrastructure, and hope of better times to come. The combination of professional photos, amateur snapshots and interviews with refugees, giving their first-hand accounts of the horrors that have befallen them, provides a penetrating insight into the situation in which the Iraqi citizens find themselves.. » read more

The Next Slum?

The subprime crisis is just the tip of the iceberg. Fundamental changes in American life may turn today’s McMansions into tomorrow’s tenements. March 2008 Atlantic Monthly Strange days are upon the residents of many a suburban cul-de-sac. Once-tidy yards have become overgrown, as the houses they front have gone vacant. Signs of physical and social disorder are spreading.. » read more

Section Navigation

• Go Back