How the tent became a symbol of the commodification of poverty in the United States

In the United States, cities no longer know how to manage the homeless crisis and illegal encampments, says the Los Angeles Times. So associations are launching into the niche of emergency accommodation in tents, with more or less success. From Austin, Texas to Portland, Oregon… almost everywhere there are rows of white canvas tents, veritable homeless villages resembling military bases for some, scout camps for others. The concept: villages “to sleep in peace” with meals served three times a day and guards on duty 24 hours a day, all managed by an association Urban Alchemy.

A not really disinterested association

It all started in 2018 thanks to a $35 grant obtained by Urban Alchemy to improve the maintenance of public toilets in the city. To do this, she surrounded herself with a team of street life specialists – initially made up mainly of former prisoners – who knew “understanding people in improbable situations”. A winning strategy since now almost everywhere in California cities, Urban Alchemy agents roam the streets with their black jackets with yellow stripes for marauding operations, replacing the police, making illegal encampments disappear. This “homeless business” is profitable since the association had a turnover of $51 million in 2021.