A common term for shacktowns and homeless encampments during the Great Depression was a “Hooverville.” With large quantities in the state of Washington and hundreds throughout the entire country, the housing crisis was present to be a result of the employment of the beginning of the 1930s.
The term Hooverville itself was a name specifically created with a name presenting something deliberate behind it. It was the emphasis of the blame being centered behind the Republican Party and President Herbert and Hoover. Seattle also had an extremely large Hooverville, one of the largest in fact, and longest to last. Standing for 10 years, the Hooverville existed between 1931 all the way through 1941.
In fact, until the brink of World War 2 when the area was needed for shipping facilities, the land grew to be covering nine acres of public land. It held a population of 1,200 and it was claimed to have its own “government” with an unofficial mayor and government.
Similarly, when the economy started to crumble in the early 1930’s, homeowners lost their property when they could not pay their mortgages and taxes resulting in unfortunate but inevitable homelessness. It was determined that by 1932, millions of Americans were living outside the normal rent paying housing market. Hundreds upon thousands of Americans roamed the streets looking for shelter. Bridges, alleys, abandoned shelters, and homemade small homes were just a fraction of the places people went to seek a place to stay. While this was going on, others relied on their family members with houses to shelter them. This lead to an overpopulation in houses throughout the country leading to unsafe living conditions within those houses.
City officials were in fact very selfish during this time period as they would keep valuable resources to themselves since they were corrupt rather than giving these resources to the sick, hungry, and homeless. This was one of the several causes to exist regarding their living conditions.
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