How times have changed, especially for the Californian capital, Sacramento. America has long been famed for its affluence and high standard of living, especially in the ‘Golden State’ of California, but all that is rapidly changing and nowhere is this more obvious than in Sacramento’s new suburb – Tent City!
There are 300-400 people living in tents with no sanitation, running water or anything and the number of ‘residents’ is increasing by around 50 a day. We are used to hearing of refugee camps in places like Africa, but the sunny streets of Sacramento? How could this be happening in 21st Century America? Who are these people, dropouts? winos? Afraid not. OK, there will be some, but the majority are middle class Americans who had their own homes and gardens until recently. For these people the recession is a frightening reality, California has been hit harder than anywhere else in the USA and job losses and spiraling debt problems have cost these people their homes! There are families with kids slumming it in Tent City where the lack of sanitation could evolve into a major epidemic of cholera or something equally nasty.
It is truly frightening to see how the mighty are fallen, but it does beg the question as to whether or not it could happen here too so, if you are struggling to make ends meet, seek help with debt management now – I don’t ever want to have to write about Tent City, UK!
