The conditions aren't sanitary; they're unhygienic at best. But those who have been unable to maintain a job or those who simply can't make enough to afford rent have resorted to these uncomfortable living conditions.
Poverty has become a painful reality for those hit hard with the economic downturn over the past couple of years.
If you've passed through the town of Ann Abor, Michigan, perhaps you also noticed an untidy mini-housing establishment of about 30 tents in the woods nearby.
Those woods have become home for local residents who can no longer afford the cost of rent due to joblessness or extreme wage-cuts.
Black mould plagues these people on a regular basis, tainting their bodies, clothes, and bedding.
For at least 5,000 desperate Americans – out of the 47 million living below the poverty level – this is the best home they can get in these tough times; singles, couples, and families alike.
According to Panorama, the latest tent-city trend has popped up in at least 55 cities throughout the United States.
One of the largest tent-homes houses approximately 300 individuals in sunny Florida. New Jersey and Portland now harbor some sizable tent communities as well.
With recent budget cuts affecting a great deal of some of America's poorest residents, there has been too much pressure on homeless shelters to let everyone in.
Because of the increase in homelessness, city residents generally run these tent camps with help from a local charity group.
Census data reveals that America hasn't seen poverty like this in more than 50 years. Years of high unemployment has caught up with ordinary Americans all over the nation.
Right now, there are at least 13 million unemployed Americans.
The scariest part of this story is that many of these desperate, homeless tent-dwellers were very recently living comfortable lives as part of America's middle-class...they were good, honest, hard-working people.
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