Camden homeless survived the massive storm using tents

    While Delaware Valley residents are still digging out of a record-breaking snowfall, challenges are greater for those who live on the streets.
    Camden’s Tent City, also known as Transition Park started four years ago. The homeless encampment is next to the police station.

     Shelter at Tent City
    Shelter at Tent City

    While Delaware Valley residents are still digging out of a record-breaking snowfall, challenges are greater for those who live on the streets [audio:100212LFHOMELESS.mp3]

    Camden’s Tent City, also known as Transition Park started four years ago.  The homeless encampment is next to the police station.

    James Boggs says the back-to-back storms made life even harder for him and the other 35 people who live here.

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    Resident James Boggs
    Resident James Boggs

    Boggs: These storms for us, are really monster storms.

    His tent collapsed the other day, and now there’s little wood or propane for fuel.

    Boggs: Whatever the difficulties people have in their rigid structure homes, multiple it by ten – those are the problems that we have.  We’re constantly fighting the battle of not being overcome by the snow, fighting the battle of finding the food.  Finding the clothing.  Finding the heat sources.

    An outreach worker from Project HOME points out that those in tent cities at least have the benefit of rudimentary shelter and a stable community resources not available to those who sleep on street grates and in other exposed locations.

    The sense of community here is clear. Boggs has been clearing snow off the tent of a friend who’s in the hospital and he greets just about everybody who walks by.

    Suddenly, the inviting smell of barbecue floats through the cold winter air.

    Boggs explains that one of the women used her food stamps to buy food and now the group huddled nearby is grilling ribs.

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