Analysis Of Scott Bransford's Article 'Camping For Their Lives'

In 2009, Scott Bransford wrote an article called “Camping for Their Lives”. In this article, Mr. Bransford talks about tent cities and the homeless situation in the western states of the U.S. The author does not give many detailed descriptions of how the homeless come to be in their financial and living situations. Mr. Bransford appears to feel sad for the homeless in his article. He gives several examples of similar scenarios throughout the country, as well as in Canada. Although the article has a somber tone, there is only one side to the story that is given. Mr. Bransford has a few strengths but just as many weaknesses in his article.
First, during the Great Depression there were several “Hoovervilles” throughout the west that

arose (Bransford, 2009, p. 387). Many people lived in these communities due to loss of work and the inability to afford appropriate housing. History has started to repeat itself, as Scott Bransford explains. The author paints a picture of these “tent cities” that thousands of people currently live in. The homeless have resorted to making their own little towns from tents and shacks, rather than hopping from shelter to shelter. Many of the homeless community are hopeful that one day they will have their own home. However, with housing being almost completely unaffordable for people in poverty, these hopes appear unrealistic. One example used several times in the article is the economy and the lack of work availability for people in this area. Many of the people in “Taco Flat”, the tent camp the author prominently refers to, are poor whites and migrant workers (Bransford, 2009, p. 387). With farms drying up due to climate change farmers do not need as many helpers to tend to their land. This reasoning is a strength in the article because many people understand that unemployment is a serious problem in the United States.
Secondly, Mr. Bransford states that in Fresno, California, an estimated 41 percent of the homeless have been incarcerated (Bransford, 2009, p.388). Without any credible sources to this statement, it leaves a reader wondering how he came up with such an implication. The author refers to a 2005 census, stating that Fresno was listed as having the greatest concentration of poverty (Bransford, 2009, p. 387). He also states that poverty is an epidemic in Fresno. However, a study from 2005, which was four years old at the time this article was written, may not accurately represent the current poverty statistics in Fresno. Although, Mr. Bransford mentions that housing is unaffordable, he does not give any statistics on the average costs of housing. The author also does not give any statistics on unemployment rates in the western states of the U.S. This creates an opposition of some bias.
Finally, Mr. Bransford portrays these communities as a terrible living situation. However, the author never gives any reasoning’s other than economic to explain the tent cities booming expansion. Without adequate references for his argument of the economy being to blame, he appears bias. Throughout this article Mr. Bransford seems empathetic to the homeless and their situation. The possibility that there is more to explain with the homeless situation is apparent. Although completely resolving homelessness seems unrealistic, there are endless possibilities to what future generations can do to help stop such a rampant scenario.