Living Outside the System

Dozens of Homeless Tennessee Families Have Set up Camp in a Makeshift Community

(CBS)  Tammy and Troy Renault Look like any middle class couple, but someone else is living what used to be their home.

Almost everything they own is in storage, reports CBS News correspondent Seth Doane.

Now, home for the Renaults and their four kids is a campsite - a tent and a borrowed trailer.

Troy said that how they ended up there is Economics 101. When he lost his job with a construction company and had trouble finding work on his own, the bills piled up, and everything else came crashing down.

"You go from 'do you pay your lights and water' or 'do you pay the house payment and sit in the dark'", Troy explained.

"You had a house. How strange does this feel?" Doane asked.

"The first week, when we first moved out, I conditioned my mind that I'm on vacation," Tammy said.

That was four months ago.

It costs about $85 a week to rent a space here. It includes electricity, water and sewage, but some cannot afford even that. So far, the management has been flexible, telling us they believe that they'll get what they're owed once people get back on their feet.

There's a sense of community here - a community bound by loss that's growing by the day. There are 116 campsites and 85 percent of those filled are not folks here on holiday. For them, this has become a permanent home.

Cindy Nunley lost her home when her husband lost his job.

"People don't understand, unless they been in this situation, you know, people don't really understand," Nunley said.

"There's days that make you feel very guilty," Troy said. "Because you want your kids to have better than what you had growing up."

But like so many here, the Renaults haven't lost their faith.

"We trust in the Lord, he's got a plan for our lives," Troy said.

For now, their plan is to stick together and hope things get better before the weather gets worse.

[stevador39]

THE U.S. HAS MONEY FOR REFUGEES, IMMIGRANTS AND ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS. WHY DOESN'T THE U.S. HAVE MONEY FOR AMERICANS.

[stevador39]

THE U.S. GOVERNMENT HAS MONEY TO BRING REFUGEES FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD. REFUGEES GET HOUSING, HEALTH CARE, MONEY AND AFFIRMATIVE ACTION PUTTING REFUGEES A HEAD OF AMERICAN CITIZENS. WHY DON'T WE HAVE MONEY TO HELP AMERICANS. THESE ARE THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE PAID THE TAXES THE REFUGEES ARE SPENDING. IMMIGRATION HAS DESTROYED THE INFRASTRUCTURE OF THIS COUNTRY.

[SHEETPAN]

When people lose thier home and faith in America, it's a sad tragedy. Take a hard look at our nation. Old industrial ares with abandoned buildings exist in and around every city in this country. More ane more business's closing thier doors. There's no question that this is a difficult time for business, but our industrial base as a nation has been dying a slow death for many years now. For any of you who have started a business large or small, you know of the many obstacles you face. From licensing, land use, liability, OSHA, EPA, labor law, accounting, building codes, lawyers, and restrictions and regulations on a local and national level that come with whatever product or service your attempting to provide. It's hard enough in the marketplace to survive and make a profit, and the government rules and regulations make it even harder. The point is of course is that it's about job's. We need to re-invigorate our industries, make government more business freindly and less adversarial. Promote small business opportunities. Teach our students how to start a business. We need to get commerce moving and not apologize for making a profit. A strong and vibrant economy would solve a multitude of problems, especially for the average American. We have the best system of commerce the world has ever known. Let's use that system to the advantage of all of us and maybe then we won't have to read depressing articles like the one above.

[geneonlbk]

Now that poverty has burrowed deep in the WASP blue collar sector of the economy, we don't here so much about welfare being a drag on the whites.

[legacyabq]

Some people dont WANT to be a part of a society that doesnt care about them.
I have known many people who have no interest in contributing to a society that openly rejects them or worse: persecutes them.

Ever get arrested? Your life is OVER. I know many people who, after a youthful mistake, had their lives deteriorate over the years completely because of the inability to work, rent a house, etc. etc. because of an extreme prejudice brought about by Nixon-Reagan war on drugs. Good, smart people. Very sad how an authoritarian STATE can trample its own members in the name of JUSTICE of all things.....

[letshelp]

Folks...I think we are missing the point. It is not about who is to blame i.e. government, society, etc. We need to be examining ourselves to determine how we can become more like servants (helping others). Regarding the Renault's situation in particular, we have first hand knowledge. We donated the travel trailer the Renaults are currently using. Troy and his family did not reach out to us but rather we contacted them. Even after the initial meeting of two strangers, it was only after two weeks of torential downpours before Troy reluctantly agreed to use the trailer. The family of seven had been living in two tents during the hottest months of a Tennessee sweltering summer (June/July). Troy has been working and continues to work. He is also working on more permanent housing for his family. So, the reason for my response is not a self righteous plug, but to hopefully inspire someone else to reach out of their comfort zone and help those in need. Ask this, "How can you and I assist families, such as Troy's, who are struggling and in need?" We must not rely on government but examine ourselves and find ways of assisting our fellow man.

[faithfischer]

BY THE WAY...THE TRUCK IS PAID IN FULL. THE 27 FOOT TRAVEL TRAILER IS PAID IN FULL. WE HAVE A DOG AGAIN. WE HAVE TWO FISH TANKS AGAIN. WE HAVE A VERY NICE ELECTRONIC KEYBOARD STILL. WE HOME SCHOOL SINCE '99 STILL. WE HAVE TWO COMPUTERS STILL. VERY RESPONSIBLE AND LIVING WITHIN OUR BUDGET UNTIL THE CAMP GROUND RAISES ITS PRICES. WE HAVE SEWER, WATER, CABLE TV, WIFI, ....32" FOAM MATTRESS...NEW FRIG...I GREW 3 RED TOMATOES AND LETTUCE, PEAS, MINT INDOORS GARDEN IN A CUP!

[curse914]

Look up earthships bother, if you want to be even more independent. You could grow food year round off the grid.

[legacyabq]

Hey dude,
I helped BUILD those things in the 90's here in new mexico..

Goin' off the grid is the waaaay to go!!

[faithfischer]

I was robbed of everything I had paid off because the price of the land I rented went from the contract I agreed upon of $164 a month jumped to $289 per month with an added $40 per month if I did not agree to the increase. Not allowed to work from home. I now, after living on the street with my 6 year old son since 2004, have a disability income of $757 a month. Moving every so many days or month or months was contrary to Dr.s orders in 1996! My credit prevents me from low income housing, land purchase, rent affordability, home ownership. HENCE we live in a '82 travel trailer and '94 gmc truck. We leave behind everything in northern wisconsin due to sub zero temperatures to hurricane alley for the low camp site cost of the coast. I am a high school graduate. College grad with a worthless degree in Marketing. Nerves shot. Faith in Americans gone. Daniel 11:40- 12:2 explains the king of the north and that he comes to an end with no helper at a time when Jesus Christ comes to power. No help from God either. This is the way of the government who outlawed God from government and education. That government has been outlawed by God and Jesus Christ. No longer allowed to practice Democracy on the Theocratic earth. We obey God, not man, and survive! Read the Bible everyday and OBEY GOD'S LAWS!

[curse914]

I feel bad for your situation, but religion is just a larval form of government / organized society. Society is rules upon which we agree to live by. I am no more obligated to believe that a select few well fed, clerics/priests/rabbis had god revealed to them exclusively as I am obligated to believe the words of a politician since laws are written by men just as a the "words of god" were written down by those lucky, fat cheeked men of god.

Our organized societies, be they written 2,000 year ago or by today's politician, must at their core serve the betterment of everyone, not a select few.

[pollroller1]

faithfischer, you need to quit believing in these God, Jesus, fairy tales and start believing in yourself. You would be surprised at what you CAN do if you change your attitude.

[sam-kiley]

bonjour
quelle tristese de voir cela, surtout dans le pays le plus riche au monde
vivre en marge de la société, cela dit c'est le cas dans tous les pays du monde, la pauvreté a atteint le sommet..je leur souhaite du courage au revoir

[legacyabq]

approximate translation:
which sadness to see that, especially in the richest country in the world to live in margin of the company, that known as ??? is the case in all the countries of the world, poverty reached the top. .je wishes them courage goodbye

[pollroller1]

I am going to say one more thing and then I'm done. Most of these super rich people started out with nothing. They had an idea for a product or a business plan. Some started in a garage. I know of a very very rich lady that started by picking up Alum cans and selling them to a recycling center. Now she has one of the biggest recycling centers in the country. I only went as far as the 9th grade and I have done pretty good. I have a friend who is worth millions and only went to the 6th grade. Believe me, you have to believe in yourself, and you can make it too. If you sit around on your a*s feeling sorry for yourself, well you won't get very far.

[curse914]

Wrong. Most of them have inherited wealth or acquired it through the labor of others. There are very few innovators; most just repeat the same exploitation model of wealth acquisition.

Does your recycling friend have workers, how well are they paid, do they have health insurance? Would your friends be multimillionaires without their laborers?

You are perpetuating a myth because it is beneficial to create an illusion that wealth is there for everyone. It simply is not; there is a finite pie (wealth, resources) and you have to take from others to increase the size of the pie that you feast from. Tell me I am wrong an why, because this grade school exercise in logic refutes your dogma.

[pollroller1]

I'm sorry cures914, but I think you are wrong. I know too many people that did become very wealthy that started with nothing. Oh sure there are lots of people that inherited there wealth, but lots of people still become wealthy in this country every day that start out with nothing.

[legacyabq]

OK, you know a few people. So what? When the top 20% own the majority of income, there isnt enought left over.
Capitalism CAN work, but this lassez faire BS is NOT working.

[dragon8me]

I lost my home in the mid '90's due to becoming disabled. I've been there and would still if not for family. It suck working hard all your life, making someone else rich, and when they were you out, they throw you away. The working class is the backbone of this country. When your back is broken, the rest of the body is useless. That's the problem with unfettered capitolism. The elete have told us for decades that socialism is communism and evil. That's because of their greed, they only care about getting more and more and screw me and you. They've fixed it so you can't even live off the land without money. Even if you own your own land if you can't pay the taxes you can still lose it. When corporations were given "legal person" status, they ended up with more rights than people.
Don't be afraid of a little socialism. In some areas it is a good thing.

[dontknowitall]

Holy mackerel some of you talk as though this is the end of the world.How old are you twelve? I've heard that the public school system has gone to hell and after some of these posts I'm beginning to believe some of what I hear. Back in the 1930's there was a natural catastrophe called the Dust Bowl (History) and just before that was the financial catastrophe referred to as the Crash of 1929 (oop's History again). Then to top it off Social Security didn't happen until '35. Then the people had NOTHING as compared today.

[stuart-johns]

So what's your point?

[dragon8me]

I don't see people wanting to get rid if socialist programs like Social Security, except the rich, who don't need it but take there share all the same. And of course when it comes to subsidities for corporations, AKA corporate welfare, which is socialism, they don't complain about that, only when we help the poor do they complain.

[dontknowitall]

Sorry Stuart. I was writing this before leaving for work this am and thought I lost it. But evidently I sent it through. The point I was attempting to make was, back in the old days most people made it a point to live within their means. These days people live way beyond their means. Credit card debt, enormous mortgages, new cars, vacations, designer clothes, etc.etc.etc. With no plan for a set back.

[maiingan]

I earned a B.A. in a useful major, but have never been allowed to do even one job requiring a college degree. The best part of my adult life has been ruined by peremptory job discrimination. Early next month I'm going to be laid off from a part-time, temporary, minimum-wage job that is unrelated to my education. A storage space to hold most of my personal property - which includes stuff that can contribute to earning money, not just items like towels and toothpaste which disaster victims can get from the Red Cross - would cost more than the assessment on the undersized co-op apartment, whose mortgage my parents (1 dead, other in nursing home on Public Aid) paid off years ago, that I'm living in now. It's free to camp out in a tent in National Forest or BLM backcountry and keep backpacking around, but that doesn't solve the lack of income. I have all that backpacking equipment, and am a bowhunter, but couldn't even afford a hunting license; Food Stamps won't pay for one. I doubt I'll get an unemployment compensation after this layoff, because there's not enough income in the base period. I wouldn't want a news story about my situation. CBS should focus on the whole problem of long-term unemployment, and the solution I propose: irresistible incentives to employers to hire people who've run out of unemployment compensation, and to keep them long enough to re-qualify with full pay during the base period, and to only receive the incentive after the employee so hired has given his approval. I think tax credits for hiring people off welfare resulted in abuses by employers, because it didn't require employee approval. If long-term unemployment were ended, the pain of unemployment would be distributed more equitably, and Americans could handle it financially. I'm sure modeling by an econometrician would prove my hypothesis. Right now, Social Darwinists who don't even have enough education to know where they're coming from try to justify every case of unemployment as defensible, and people libeling all unemployed Americans in print, saying things like we're "not fine wine".

[midlclass]

excellent Post! ever consider running for public office? this maybe a good place to use the degree and because you've gone through the down side people could relate and you to them! not being sarcastic just a though the verbage and presentation in your post was pretty good.

[legacyabq]

Dont worry in another week armed park rangers will show up and make mathem leave. Its AGAINST federal LAW to make a permenant residence in the national forests, trailer or no trailer..
Isnt that so sweet and just? Gotta love the obsession with laws.
CONTROL CONTROL CONTROL
OBEY OBEY OBEY

Sick

[formrusmcsgt]

"We trust in the Lord, he's got a plan for our lives," Troy said.
---

Well then,it would appear that God wants them to live in a tent.

[veteran71]

I wonder how many of these people voted for Shrub and Darth....twice...
and wonder how things went so terribly wrong......Duuuurrrrrr....

[sandy19731]

"We trust in the Lord, he's got a plan for our lives," Troy said.

It's too bad they can't reject the plan, it seems pretty nasty. Maybe try a new idea.

[yeeoflittlefaith]

I bet they all vote straight Republican :)

[yeeoflittlefaith]

I bet they all vote straight Republican :)

[pollroller1]

When My wife and I first got married, we rented a 20 foot by 8 foot trailer. That was all we could afford. We survived, and I'm sure these folks will too.

[raskal_2]

I bet that the government wasn't calling you or your parents Anti-American while you lived in your trailer.That was your choice. The difference being is that Americans have had better and because of greed lost their honorable life style through no fault of their own. STpd.

[reveal5]

Who the heck is calling these folks in the trailer anti American?

[raskal_2]

Any one want to enforce the new proposals on mandatory health care with enforced penalties on these families? Or is the government going to take away their humanity and name them villains and anti-American like those 60 somethings that have protested recently? As Shakespeare wrote, "Tempt not a desperate man."

[reveal5]

Enforced penalties in proposed healthcare legislation under the Baucus bill will not affect these folks. Get a clue, raskal! Unless a family or individual makes 3 to 4 times the poverty level in wages and income, there will be no penalty. These folks could surely use healthcare reform.

[decotoguy]

the same people that damaged this country are still in control of this country...I think they want to burn this country to the ground,and say it was do to the democrats,those no-ball _________ (fill in the blank.)
I say spend another hundred billon on these WARS will do the job....
good luck folks....

[reveal5]

It is clear that the fringe Republican types who daily spew their intolerance and venom and misinformation, and paranoia, and delusion are simply not even noticing this story or offering any comment. This sums up the fringe in a clear and obvious way. The fringe is so narcissistic that they do not even allow themselves to think about or respond to this very real story of human suffering. They are simply, completely, and unerringly focused on themselves. They are simply, completely, and unerringly dispassionate and uncompassionate and lacking in basic common decency and humanity. These are the tenets of sociopathy and narcissism. This is the fundamental underlying psychology of the fringe.

[midlclass]

yes. this looks to be true! Were are all the wealthy have more's that own a corperation to offer these people work and benefits to go along with it. Here's a guy with a family willing to work, get off what ever social program if any he's on. so all the posts about extending unemployment benefits and health care for all that these are the lazy system useres and how they will destroy america is B.S. this is what will destroy america. when we all drop to this low of standards of living to survive it only makes our society more for the worse. I ask some conservitve. to tell me how well of an education the kids will get . or for that much how is mom and dad going to be able to get educated. tell us all the answers. oh yea CBS what about starting a fund for this and all the other families at this camp site? there was a time when local and national tv news stations did things like that.