Homeless During The Depression

This scene is from 1932 along the waterfront. Our copy of the original news caption from the rear of the photo is incomplete.

Houses of New York’s Homeless
On a gloomy lot surrounded by vacant factory buildings at West and Charlton Streets in New York a strange colony has sprung up. It is populated by homeless, unemployed men who have constructed crude shelters as protection from the weather. ***** In this photo new settlers are *** photo – Acme February 20, 1932

During the Great Depression, many Hoovervilles as they came to be called cropped up not just along the waterfront, but in places all over the city, even in Central Park.

Today the city provides shelters, but many homeless still choose the streets or subways over the shelter system. The city discourages homeless encampments and vacant building lots are surrounded by fences warding off anyone trying to enter.