Homeless camps are slowly springing up around some American cities. California, which has seen a huge number of home foreclosures, seems to be the center of problems with the homeless. An article in today's Los Angeles Times, describes how Ontario, California, is trying to remove non-residents from a homeless tent city.
Los Angeles Times:
Dozens of Ontario police and code enforcement officers descended upon the homeless encampment known as Tent City early Monday, separating those who could stay from those to be evicted....
.....Many who had taken shelter at the camp -- which had grown from 20 to more than 400 residents in nine months -- lacked paperwork, bills or birth certificates proving they were once Ontario residents....
....Officials believe the local homeless number about 140, less than half of those currently in residence. Schultz wants to reduce Tent City to 170 people in a regulated, fenced-off area rather than the sprawling open-air campsite it has become....
What are people to do when they've lost their homes? Will other cities begin to eliminate non-residents from these homeless camps? Are there other communities across the country that are providing better solutions for helping people? What can we do, as individuals, to assist people who find themselves in these dire situations?
