Friday, July 4, 2014

How the South is becoming a solid band of poverty: One in three live in poor neighborhoods

 

 

 

   

How the South is becoming a solid band of poverty: One in three live in poor neighborhoods

  • More than 25percent of the country - 77million Americans - lives in high poverty areas
  • In the South, more than 30percent live in high poverty areas, which have at least 20percent of residents living below the federal poverty line
  • The number of Americans grew by 45percent between 2000 and 2010
  • The number of Americans living in poor neighborhoods sky-rocketed more than 56percent

The number of Americans living in poor neighborhoods has skyrocketed in the last decade - and nowhere is the trend more prominent than in the South, where more than 30percent of the population is concentrated in an area with high poverty.

A grim new report from the U.S. Census Bureau shows a solid band of high poverty neighborhoods - running from Arizona east to North Carolina. Only Florida and Virginia are spared from the trend.

The data show that poverty in the United States isn't just growing, it's becoming more concentrated - which can exacerbate social problems and lower the chances of social mobility.

The Census report points out that the number of people living under the federal poverty line - less than $24,000 a year for a family of four - has increased between 2000 and 2010. The number of Americans living in poverty climbed 45percent to 45million.

A band of poverty: More than 30percent of Americans living from Arizona to North Carolina live in neighborhoods with at least 20percent poverty

+3

A band of poverty: More than 30percent of Americans living from Arizona to North Carolina live in neighborhoods with at least 20percent poverty

North Carolina and Tennessee had the biggest increase in the number of residents living in poor neighborhoods. Louisiana, West Virginia, Hawaii and Alaska were the only states where the figure decreased

+3

North Carolina and Tennessee had the biggest increase in the number of residents living in poor neighborhoods. Louisiana, West Virginia, Hawaii and Alaska were the only states where the figure decreased

However, the number of Americans living in 'poverty areas' - neighborhoods where more than 20percent of residents are impoverished - has increased even more dramatically.

A quarter of the U.S. population, 77million Americans, lived in poverty areas in 2010 - a shocking 56percent jump from the 2000 census.

In the South, the trend is eve n more dramatic. Nearly 31percent of Southerners live in poor neighborhoods - an increase of 62percent from 2000. The Census report says that people who live in high poverty neighborhoods face an array of problems - even for those are earning decent wages.

'Problems associated with living in poverty areas, such as, higher crime rates, poor housing conditions, and fewer job opportunities are exacerbated when poor families live clustered in high-poverty neighborhoods,' the authors write.

The percentage of residents living in poverty areas increased in every state except Louisiana, Hawaii and Alaska. The rapidly-gentrifying District of Columbia saw a decline of 6.7 percentage points.

North Carolina, Tennessee and Oregon as the biggest jump in percentage of residents in poor neighborhoods. The figure grew 18 percentage points, 16 percentage points and 16 percentage points, respectively.

In some counties of Texas, the Deep South and Kentucky more than 80percent of residents live in poverty area. In many states in the Northeast, there are no counties with more than half the population in poor neighborhoods

+3

In some counties of Texas, the Deep South and Kentucky more than 80percent of residents live in poverty area. In many states in the Northeast, there are no counties with more than half the population in poor neighborhoods

 

 

Forgotten world of Mississippi's hill country unearthed in photos taken 40 years ago

  • In the early 1970s Michael Ford moved from Boston to Oxford, Mississippi to visit some relatives and was so smitten by it he decided to stay
  • Ford found work in a local blacksmith shop, but he also set about documenting as much of the traditional way of life as he could which was dying out
  • In March 2013 The Library of Congress acquired the Michael Ford Mississippi Collection and is honoring it with a retrospective
  • It consists of 16,000 feet of 16mm film, 10.5 hours of recordings of interviews and music, and 1000+ still photographs made during the production of a documentary film Homeplace in 1972-73

The story of rural life in the hill country of North Mississippi is told in an astonishing collection of photographs taken in the early 1970s, which are now being honored with a 40-year retrospective to ensure that these images of a way of life that died out long ago may live on.

The photographs also tell the story of Michael Ford, who captured them after quitting his teaching job in Boston and packing his young family into a cherry-red Volkswagen microbus and making his home in Oxford, Mississippi.

Initially Ford's plan had been just to visit his in-laws in northern Mississippi, but he quickly became so smitten with the place that he decided to stay.

AG Newson and Judge Dean making molasses, near Laws Hill

+18

AG Newson and Judge Dean making molasses, near Laws Hill

Fishing off the Tallahatchie River Bridge. Part of the Illinois Central Line.

+18

Fishing off the Tallahatchie River Bridge. Part of the Illinois Central Line.

Squeaky Robert Lee Gordon, killed with a shotgun, 1980. Mr. Marion Randolph Hall, Blacksmith since 1910, Oxford

Squeaky Robert Lee Gordon, killed with a shotgun, 1980, left, Mr. Marion Randolph Hall, Blacksmith since 1910, Oxford, right

His adventure started one afternoon in 1972 when he escaped from his in-laws and in his own words discovered a world ‘so fragile and evanescent that it had to be captured now before it disappeared.’

‘I knew nothing of the South, or rural America… of cultural anthropology, ethnography, or folklife. But I learned and was given the luck, or grace perhaps, to find… oases where the past was well and alive and welcoming,’ said Ford. Some 62 years after Marion Randolph Hall opened his blacksmith shop in Oxford 1910; Ford found himself apprenticed there as a striker ‘forging metal and building character’ for three years.

‘I’ve used something I learned in that shop almost every day,’ Ford told The New York Times. ‘Lessons in hot metal, how to treat people, resolute endurance, handiness, resourcefulness and fortitude.’

LQ & Annie Mae Cole, Bell Grove Church, Chulahoma, Miss.

+18

LQ & Annie Mae Cole, Bell Grove Church, Chulahoma, Miss.

Kids and dogs, College Hill, Miss

+18

Kids and dogs, College Hill, Miss

 

AG Newson straining molasses juice in evaporating pan   GD Young Keg, Drummer. Gravel Springs File & Drum Band, Como, Miss (1972)    

AG Newson straining molasses juice in evaporating pan, left, GD Young Keg, Drummer. Gravel Springs File & Drum Band, Como, Miss (1972), right

Saturday Afternoon Holly Springs, Miss. (1972)

+18

Saturday Afternoon Holly Springs, Miss. (1972)

Ford's original footage includes highly significant clips including a black man eating lunch at the counter in Mr. Waldrip's general store for the time

In March 2013 The Library of Congress acquired the Michael Ford Mississippi Collection.

The collection consists of 16,000 feet of 16mm film, 10.5 hours of recordings of interviews and music, and 1000+ still photographs made during the production of a documentary film Homeplace in 1972-73.

The material will be used in a 40 year retrospective documentary presently in production. The archive will be housed in the same group as the Alan Lomax and Pete Seeger collection.

Ford recalls spending many months in a remote area north of Sardis Lake researching and photographing.

Doc James and Hal at Waldrip's General Store, Chulahoma

+18

Doc James and Hal at Waldrip's General Store, Chulahoma

 

Rev. Leon Pinson, Blind Gospel singer. Crowder, Miss   Rev. Leon Pinson, Blind Gospel singer, Crowder Miss.    

 

Rev. Leon Pinson, Blind Gospel singer. Crowder, Miss

Gravel Springs File & Drum Band Picnic at Othar Turners

+18

Gravel Springs File & Drum Band Picnic at Othar Turners

Feed and mule collars back of Waldrip's store, Chulahoma

+18

Feed and mule collars back of Waldrip's store, Chulahoma

Some places, like the town of Chulahoma, are now listed as 'an extinct community.'

'When I took these pictures and was with these people I felt I was sharing a way of life that was waving its hand goodbye,' he said.

'There was no doubt that change was charging in and all, both good and bad, would soon be extinguished. I was here in a rural America that was at its end. … But even though all the places and people are gone, we can still call their names.'

Ford is still a blacksmith, using the tools Hall left him. In May, he plans to return to Mississippi to continue a follow-up to Homeplace. The material to be gathered on the three week shoot this spring will be added the Library’s holdings at a later date.

AG Newson, molasses maker, cooking down Doc. James's crop. Jake, the mule.

+18

AG Newson, molasses maker, cooking down Doc. James's crop. Jake, the mule.

 

Keeping the plow in the earth. College Hill, Miss. Folks at home. Out route 310, Marshall County, north of Sardis      

 

Keeping the plow in the earth, College Hill, Miss., left, folks at home. Out route 310, Marshall County, north of Sardis, right

Katie Mae Shaw behind the counter, Waldrip's Store, Chulahooma, Miss.

+18

Katie Mae Shaw behind the counter, Waldrip's Store, Chulahooma, Miss.

     

Guilty of theft and larceny: The Edwardian women forced to pose in police mugshots with chalkboards proclaiming their crimes

We may think of Edwardian women as being demure and withdrawn, but these astonishing mugshots show that this was far from being the case.

They depict 12 women who were arrested in 1903 and 1904 and subsequently brought before North Shields Police Court.

The vintage images are an important reminder that nostalgia about the past is not always accurate - and that previous ages were just as violent and unsettled as our own.

Mugshots: Mabel Smith, who was arrested for larceny in September 1903, in a picture released by Tyne & Wear Archives

Mugshots: Mabel Smith, who was arrested for larceny in September 1903, in a picture released by Tyne & Wear Archives

Haunting: Susan Joice, who was arrested for larceny in August 1903, glowers at the police camera

Haunting: Susan Joice, who was arrested for larceny in August 1903, glowers at the police camera

Respectable: Susannah Adamson is surprisingly well-dressed for an alleged thief in her mugshot

Respectable: Susannah Adamson is surprisingly well-dressed for an alleged thief in her mugshot

All the female criminals were living in the North-East of England more than 100 years ago when they were picked up by police for attempting to steal other people's property.

The 12 were all accused of either theft or larceny, a closely related crime which was abolished in England in 1969.

Most of the women appear surprisingly well-dressed, kitted out in formal-looking dresses as well as hats.

Young: Charlotte Adamson looks no older than 19 in her mugshot after being arrested for larceny

Young: Charlotte Adamson looks no older than 19 in her mugshot after being arrested for larceny

Contrast: Mary Scott (aka Wilson) was a middle-aged woman when she was arrested in December 1903

Contrast: Mary Scott (aka Wilson) was a middle-aged woman when she was arrested in December 1903

Hats: Annie Anderson shows how women's fashions have changed in the 110 years since her arrest

Hats: Annie Anderson shows how women's fashions have changed in the 110 years since her arrest

Susannah Adamson, who was arrested for larceny in February 1904, seems particularly respectable in her elaborate outfit and feathered hat.

But other, like Catherine O'Brien, are covered in rough shaws which would have denoted poverty.

The women cover a wide range of ages, from those who are practically girls to criminals well into middle age.

Charlotte Branney and Mary A. Butts looked like teenagers when they were arrested for larceny, but Mary Scott (aka Wilson) appears to be at least 50 years old.

Upset: Sarah Patterson was accused of being a thief by police in North Shields in 1904

Upset: Sarah Patterson was accused of being a thief by police in North Shields in 1904

Poverty: Catherine O'Brien's rough shawl suggests that she would have been comparably poor

Poverty: Catherine O'Brien's rough shawl suggests that she would have been comparably poor

Change: Alice Caush was another resident of North Shields, a traditional fishing town which was transformed by the Industrial Revolution into a centre of shipbuilding

Change: Alice Caush was another resident of North Shields, a traditional fishing town which was transformed by the Industrial Revolution into a centre of shipbuilding

The evocative mugshots come from the Tyne & Wear Archives, which has posted them online as part of its ongoing mission to share images of historic interest.

They were found in an album of photographs from North Shields Police Court, cataloguing those who had committed crime in the area.

The images 'have really struck a chord with people', according to a spokesman for the archives, who said that the haunting mugshots had captivated members of the public.

Innocent: But mugshots of women like Mary A. Butts are a reminder that Edwardian stereotypes are not always accurate

Innocent: But mugshots of women like Mary A. Butts are a reminder that Edwardian stereotypes are not always accurate

Evocative: The haunting collection has apparently struck a chord with the public

Evocative: The haunting collection has apparently struck a chord with the public

Dark: The images were released by the Tyne & Wear Archives because of their unique nature

Dark: The images were released by the Tyne & Wear Archives because of their unique nature

At the turn of the century North Shields, which is eight miles east of Newcastle, was an important fishing town and shipyard.

It was also crucial to the industry of the North-East, leading to widespread urban poverty which might explain some of the crime documented in these photographs.

The girls of Storyville: Haunting pictures from New Orleans' red-light district reveal how prostitutes lived 100 years ago

From luxurious palaces to decaying shacks, a series of intimate black and white photographs taken in 1912 reveal how New Orleans' prostitutes lived more than a century ago.

With his sunjects in varying states of undress, photographer E. J. Bellocq took dozens of portraits inside the brothels of Storyville - the only legalized red-light district in North America, until it was shut down in 1917.

The haunting images show madams in their finest lace and fur, with several prostitutes completely nude or lounging about playing cards, reclining amongst pillows, or having a drink.

Haunting history: A series of intimate black and white photographs taken in 1912 by E.J. Bellocq reveal how prostitutes in New Orleans' red-light district of Storyville lived more than a century ago

Haunting history: A series of intimate black and white photographs taken in 1912 by E.J. Bellocq reveal how prostitutes in New Orleans' red-light district of Storyville lived more than a century ago

Storyville was a restricted red-light district that covered 16 blocks in its entirety, situated next to New Orleans's famous French Quarter.

Set up to limit prostitution to one area of the New Orleans, the authorities were able to successfully monitor and regulate the practice.

Visitors - mainly U.S. Navy Marines - could purchase a 'blue book' that alphabetically listed the names, addresses and races of more than 700 prostitutes; giving house descriptions, prices, particular services, and the 'stock' each brothel offered.

Down time: From luxurious palaces to decaying shacks, the images show several prostitutes lounging about playing cards, reclining amongst pillows, or having a drink

Down time: From luxurious palaces to decaying shacks, the images show several prostitutes lounging about playing cards, reclining amongst pillows, or having a drink

Poker players: Bellocq, who dies in 1949, took dozens of portraits inside the brothels of Storyville - the only legalized red-light district in North America, until it was shut down in 1917

Poker players: Bellocq, who dies in 1949, took dozens of portraits inside the brothels of Storyville - the only legalized red-light district in North America, until it was shut down in 1917

Uninhibited: After they were discovered in the late Sixties, the Storyville images were first shown at the Museum of Modern Art in New York in 1970

Red-light district: Storyville covered 16 blocks in its entirety, and was set up to limit prostitution to one area of New Orleans, so the authorities could monitor and regulate the practice

After 20 years of operation, from 1897 to 1917, the U.S. Army and Navy demanded that Storyville be closed down, with the Secretary of the Navy, Josephus Daniels, labeling the district as a 'bad influence.'

The New Orleans city government strongly opposed closing the legal district. After Storyville was shut down, underground houses of prostitution were subsequently set up around the city.

Decadent: Some of the images show the districts madams in their finest lace and fur

Decadent: Some of the images show the districts madams in their finest lace and fur

Looking in: No information is known about the subjects of Bellocq's Storyville photographs, who posed anonymously

Looking in: No information is known about the subjects of Bellocq's Storyville photographs, who posed anonymously

Red-light district: Storyville covered 16 blocks in its entirety, and was set up to limit prostitution to one area of New Orleans, so the authorities could monitor and regulate the practice

Portraits: After they were discovered in the late Sixties, the Storyville images were first shown at the Museum of Modern Art in New York in 1970

E.J. Bellocq: The French-born photographer's Storyville portraits are his only work that is known to have survived

E.J. Bellocq: The photographer's Storyville portraits are his only work that is known to have survived

No information is known about the subjects of Bellocq's Storyville photographs, who posed anonymously.

More than fifty years had passed before the images were discovered in the late Sixties, by a young photographer named Lee Friedlander who had purchased and developed a collection of the late Bellocq's glass plates.

The Storyville images were then shown at the Museum of Modern Art in New York in 1970.

According to Susan Sontag's introduction in Bellocq: Photographs from Storyville, the New Orleans native, who died in 1949, was 'more or less unknown before that.'

He was mostly known locally as an amateur photographer, before making a living taking photographic records of landmarks, ships and machinery for local companies.

Bellocq's Storyville portraits are his only personal work that is known to have survived.

Sontag wrote: 'His mysterious, hauntingly beautiful portraits reached a wide audience, and Bellocq became a celebrated figure in the history of photography.'

California tops list of states with the highest mortgage debt - as residents owe an average of $313,749 EACH

Citizens in the state of California carry the most mortgage debt than any other state in the United States, it has been revealed.

In California, mortgage debt per person is $313,749, and credit card debt is at $6,434 per person, a report by Credit Karma and published in 24/7 Wall St reveals. The median house income is $57,708.

Other states that made the top ten list of mortgage stress are Hawaii, Washington, Massachusetts and Connecticut.

x

Debt disaster: A 'bank foreclosure sale' sign is posted in front of townhomes in Los Angeles, California. In December alone, one in every 252 homes was foreclosed upon

While most of the residents of the states with the highest mortgage debt have been able to support the massive mortgages despite the fact that their homes have lost significant value, California is a different story, said 24/7 Wall St.

In 2006, California had the most expensive homes in the country, with a median home value of $532,000. By 2010, that value had declined by $164,000  — more than 30 percent.

The effects of this massive decline in home prices had wide-reaching effects on the state economy. Unemployment in California is now the second-highest in the country, and 14.5 percent of the population lives below the poverty line.

The average mortgage debt per person of $313,749 has been too much for thousands of residents. In December alone, one in every 252 homes was foreclosed upon, according to the report.

Most of the states on the list published on 24/7 Wall St have extremely high mortgage debt because of the size of their initial mortgages.

States where citizens carry the most mortgage debt

States such as Connecticut and Massachusetts, which have among the highest median home values in the U.S., also have among the highest mortgage debt.

Hawaii, which has the second-highest average mortgage debt per person, has the highest median home value of $525,400.

Many of the states on the list also experienced the steepest declines in home value during the recession.

x

Help: Housing activists hold signs as they stage a demonstration in front of a home on the verge of being foreclosed in San Francisco in November last year

Home prices in seven of the states with the highest mortgage debt declined during the recession.

In states like California and Nevada, properties lost more than 30 percent of their value. Even in states like New Jersey and Maryland, which fared relatively well during the recession, homes lost between 7 percent and 10 percent of their value.

Sharp declines in home values, coupled with high mortgage debt, should translate to financial disaster. However, while home values dropped more than 7 percent in Maryland, Massachusetts and New Jersey — states where mortgage debt is the highest  — foreclosure rates stayed low.

Meanwhile, states with the lowest median home value and relatively high mortgage debt tend to have the highest foreclosure rates. Illinois, Michigan and Florida all have median home values below the national average and relatively high mortgage debt compared to housing prices in the state.

Nearly HALF of U.S. households live just one crisis from poverty

Nearly half of U.S. households are just one piece of bad luck - such as a job redundancy or a medical emergency - from poverty, it has emerged.

A staggering 43 per cent are 'liquid-asset poor', meaning that they are above the breadline, but don't have the savings to weather an emergency.

It means around 130 million people across the country are just one crisis away from the poverty line - and would fall beneath it within three months.

On the edge: 43 per cent of U.S. households do not have enough savings to last three months following a crisis, such as a medical emergency or redundancy

On the edge: 43 per cent of U.S. households do not have enough savings to last three months following a crisis, such as a medical emergency or redundancy

In addition, 27 per cent of American households are asset poor, the report by the Corporation for Enterprise Development found.

Along with still-high unemployment and few wage rises, the findings are yet another suggestion that the country is struggling to get back on its feet following the recession.

'Growing numbers of families have almost no savings or other assets to see them through if they lose their jobs or face a medical crisis,' said Andrea Levere, president of the advocacy group.'Without savings, few will be able to build a more economically secure future, including buying a home, saving for their children’s college educations or building a retirement nest egg.'

Speaking to the Huffington Post, the CED's Jennifer Brooks added: 'The resources that people have - they are using up those resources,'

'They're living off their savings. They're at the end of their rope.'

Shocking statistic: It means around 130 million Americans - many who are unaware of their precarious situation - are just one crisis away from the breadline

Shocking statistic: It means around 130 million Americans - many who are unaware of their precarious situation - are just one crisis away from the breadline

She added: 'A family that loses its job, that was maybe solidly middle class, in a state where they have restrictive asset tests, is going to have to liquidate all their assets, all their savings for the future' in order to qualify for benefits.

THE GROWTH OF POVERTY

The report by the Corporation for Enterprise Development found:

  • 27% of U.S households are 'asset poor'
  • 43% are 'liquid-asset poor'
  • The number of asset poor families has increased from one in five to one in four since 2010
  • 44% of non-white households are asset poor compared to 20% of white households
  • 65% of non-white households are liquid-asset poor compared to 34% white
  • Asset poverty highest in Nevada (45%) and lowest in Vermont (15.7%)
  • Liquid-asset poverty highest in Alabama (64.5%) and lowest in Hawaii (22.8%)

But the group warned that many of the liquid-asset poor are unaware of how delicate their situation is because they are still receiving paychecks.

'They don't necessarily realise how close people can be to one interruption to income or one interruption to health benefits,' said David Rothstein from Policy Matters Ohio, a non-profit group.

'They're one paycheck away from being in debt.'

Speaking to the Huffington Post, Rothstein said people often turn to payday lenders to cover an unexpected payout - but it can be a slippery slope.

'People say things like, it's just one mechanical problem with their car,' said Rothstein. Before they know it, he said, 'every other week, they're back at the payday lending shop'.

Recent studies have found many Americans are unprepared for emergencies due to the high cost of medical treatment and the drop in the value of house prices.

The report added that there are measures that could help liquid asset poverty, such as making greater assistance available to first-time home buyers.

Currently, 15 per cent of Americans - around 46 million people - are at or below the poverty line.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Valley of poverty: The desperate pictures of rural America that show 1930s-style depression actually lasted until the SIXTIES

60% of families fell below poverty level with the average family income of $841 a third lower than national average. These bleak pictures appear to show America in the grip of the 1920s Great Depression. The reality is that they were taken in the 1960s, in a lonely valley in Eastern Kentucky long forgotten by affluent America. For generations, poets and musicians like Patsy Cline were inspired by the beauty of a land that covers 13 states and where towns are called 'Lovely,' 'Beauty' and 'Kingdom Come.' But the harsh reality, as these pictures taken by John Dominis show, was that the people of Appalachia sustained themselves on a bare government subsistence, were ridden with diseases and lived in shacks.

Plight of Appalachia

An Appalachian mother clutches her sleeping child while staring into the distance as her other children play around her

Plight of Appalachia

Father and son work on the railway track to earn money to feed their family.  60 per cent of families in Appalachian Kentucky were living below the poverty line

Plight of Appalachia

The average Appalachian family income of $841 was more than a third lower than the national average. Here a mother looks anxiously as her children eat dinner

The wet climate of the Appalachian Mountains caused rot to set into their wooden homes and made repairs virtually impossible because the old wood couldn't support new wood.

As a result families would watch their homes gradually fall into a state of dilapidation.

At the time Robert F. Kennedy travelled to Appalachia to shine a light on a part of the country that desperately needed help and appeared to have fallen by the wayside as America's economy steamrolled into the 70s. Almost 60 per cent of families in Appalachian Kentucky fell below the poverty level with the average family income of $841 per year coming in at more than a third lower than the national average.

Appalachia stretches from northern Alabama to southern Pennsylvania. In the late 19th century, expansion of the country's railroads brought an increased demand for coal.

Mining operations opened up in huge numbers across Appalachia and hundreds of thousands of workers flooded into the region from across the United States and overseas.

Plight of Appalachia

An Appalachian man leans against a shelf clutching a cup. The men had little work after the region's mining industry collapsed

Appalachia: Photos From a 'Valley of Poverty,' 1964

A woman hanging out her family's washing during the harsh winter in eastern Kentucky

Appalachia: Photos From a 'Valley of Poverty,' 1964

Dominis’ photos appeared as a 12-page feature in a 1964 issue of LIFE magazine, titled 'The Valley of Poverty'

Both lumbering and coal mining industries flourished during this period and along with it came decent salaries and living standards.

By the 1960s, however, logging companies decided to move elsewhere having become frustrated at the poor infrastructure in the region, while competition from oil and gas companies led to a sharp decline in mining operations.

Men were left without jobs and children grew up with no prospects.

Dominis’ photos appeared as a 12-page feature in a 1964, issue of LIFE, titled 'The Valley of Poverty'. It was one of the very first in-depth critiques on President Lyndon Johnson’s 'war on poverty.'

Appalachia

A woman and her family trudging across a rickety suspension bridge over a sewage-polluted stream towards their two-room shack with its two outhouses in this poverty-stricken area of Appalachia

v

The wet climate of the Appalachian Mountains caused rot to set into the wooden homes (pictured) and made repairs virtually impossible because the old wood couldn't support new wood

A young boy being washed in a metal tub by his mother

A young boy being washed in a metal tub by his mother

The article that accompanied the pictures said: 'Their homes are shacks without plumbing or sanitation.

'Their landscape is a man-made desolation of corrugated hills and hollows laced with polluted streams.

'The people, themselves often disease-ridden and unschooled, are without jobs and even without hope. Government relief and handouts of surplus food have sustained them on a bare subsistence level for so many years that idleness and relief are now their accepted way of life.'

Appalachia

Appalachia stretches from northern Alabama to southern Pennsylvania. In the late 19th century, expansion of the country's railroads brought an increased demand for coal to fuel the trains. Entire communities became dependent on the industry which disappeared as fast as it arrived

Appalachia

In the original LIFE article in 1964, words that accompanied the pictures included: 'Their homes are shacks without plumbing or sanitation. Their landscape is a man-made desolation of corrugated hills and hollows laced with polluted streams'

A man being baptised in a stream in Appalachia

A man being baptised in a stream in Appalachia. He can be seen covering his mouth as the water was heavily polluted

Throughout the region drinking water was toxic and families were often forced to live with congenital issues caused by the coal and strip mining in the area

As a result of its bleak history, Appalachia has given rise to a sterotype which was played on by early 20th century writers and to this day endures.

The isolation, temperament, and traditions have often led Appalachia to be portrayed as a culturally backwards region famous for moon shining and uneducated inhabitants prone to unpredictable acts of violence.

A poverty-stricken family in Appalachia

A young baby member of a poverty-stricken family in Appalachia

A mother caring for her daugther (left) and a child with its bottle in the poverty-stricken region of Appalachia

Part of a poverty stricken family in Appalachia

A poverty-stricken family at home in Appalachia

Children looking scruffy but relatively happy outside their home (left), while a mothers feeds her baby by a roaring fire as her husband looks on (right)

Thornton grade school in a poverty-stricken coal mining area Appalachia

Appalachia

Children learning at an Appalachian school in the 1960s

A North and South still divided: New data reveals the poorest counties in America, where household incomes are up to $35,000 lower than their states' average

  • New figures based on five-year estimated median annual household incomes in America from US Census Bureau
  • Reveal that McCreary County in Kentucky is most impoverished county with a household income of just $20,972
  • This is a staggering $22,064 below the state's average of $43,036 - and less than the national average of $53,891
  • Other counties making up the top ten poorest include Lee County in Arkansas and Madison Parish in Louisiana
  • Findings also show that majority of impoverished counties have predominantly (even, wholly) rural populations
  • But other states' poorest counties are mostly urban, including the Bronx, New York (household income: $34,388)
  • In many regions, residents were found to struggle with low educational attainment and limited job opportunities

Have you ever wondered how your county's wealth ranks in your state - or, indeed, the US as a whole?

If so, look no further - because new figures have revealed the poorest county in each of the nation's 50 states.

The figures, based on estimated median annual household incomes, show that McCreary County in Kentucky is the most impoverished in America.

The region has a median household income of just $20,972 - a staggering $22,064 below the state's average of $43,036.

It is also nearly $33,000 lower than the national average household income of an estimated $53,891.

Poverty-stricken: This graphic, based on estimated median annual household incomes, reveals the top ten poorest counties in the US

+9

Poverty-stricken: This graphic, based on estimated median annual household incomes, reveals the top ten poorest counties in the US

Sumter County in Alabama was found to be the second poorest county in the US, with a median household income of $22,186.

This is $21,067 below the state's average of $43,253 - and $31,705 less than the amount typically earned by families across the country.

Meanwhile, McDowell County in West Virginia was ranked the third poorest (with a $22,252 median household income, compared to the state's norm of $41,043), Holmes County in Mississippi was found to be the fourth ($22,325/$39,031) and Starr County in Texas was rated fifth ($24,927/$51,900).

Lee County in Arkansas was determined to be the sixth poorest US county with an average household income of $25,034 (compared to the state's average of $40,768), while Allendale County in South Carolina - which as a population of around 10,500 - was ranked seventh ($25,252/$44,779).

Madison Parish in Louisiana made eighth place ($25,498/$44,874) and Shannon County in South Dakota was rated ninth poorest ($25,648/$49,495).

The final county to be ranked in the top ten poorest in America was Telfair County in Georgia with a median household income of $26,634.

Impoverished: Holmes County (pictured) in Mississippi was found to be the fourth poorest county with a median household income of $22,325. This is a huge $16,706 below the state's average of $39,031 - and $31,566 lower than the national average of an estimated $53,891

+9

Impoverished: Holmes County (pictured) in Mississippi was found to be the fourth poorest county with a median household income of $22,325. This is a huge $16,706 below the state's average of $39,031 - and $31,566 lower than the national average of an estimated $53,891

Low income: McDowell County (pictured) in West Virginia was ranked the third poorest (with a $22,252 median household income, compared to the state's norm of $41,043). Meanwhile, McCreary County in Kentucky was rated the most impoverished in the US

+9

Low income: McDowell County (pictured) in West Virginia was ranked the third poorest (with a $22,252 median household income, compared to the state's norm of $41,043). Meanwhile, McCreary County in Kentucky was rated the most impoverished in the US

Poor: Lee County (pictured) in Arkansas was determined to be the sixth poorest US county with an average household income of $25,034

+9

Poor: Lee County (pictured) in Arkansas was determined to be the sixth poorest US county with an average household income of $25,034

This is more than $22,000 less than the state's average of $49,179.

The figures were published by 24/7 Wall St last Wednesday following a review of five-year estimated median household incomes from 2009 to 2013.

The estimated incomes - measured annually - were based on data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS).

The findings reveal that the majority of the poorest counties in America - a total of 24 - have predominantly (or even, wholly) rural populations.

However, other states' poorest counties are mostly urban, including the Bronx in New York, which has a median household income of $34,388.

In a state of disrepair: Sumter County (pictured) in Alabama was found to be the second poorest county in the US, with a median household income of $22,186. This is $21,067 below the state's average of $43,253 - and $31,705 less than the national average

+9

In a state of disrepair: Sumter County (pictured) in Alabama was found to be the second poorest county in the US, with a median household income of $22,186. This is $21,067 below the state's average of $43,253 - and $31,705 less than the national average

Abandoned: Meanwhile, Starr County (pictured) in Texas was rated the fifth poorest county in America ($24,927 county/$51,900 state)

+9

Abandoned: Meanwhile, Starr County (pictured) in Texas was rated the fifth poorest county in America ($24,927 county/$51,900 state)

Although this figure is noticeably higher than those of the counties named in the top ten, it is still far lower than the state's average of $58,003.

Meanwhile, Virginia and Maryland were found to have counties with median incomes more than $35,000 lower than that of their state.

Indeed, Martinsville in Virginia has a median household income of $28,116, compared to the state's much higher average of $63,907.

And families in Somerset County in Maryland typically take home $38,447 annually - a lot less than the $73,538 earned by people state-wide.

Desolate: Another shot of McDowell County in West Virginia - the third poorest US county - shows an abandoned green turkey shop

+9

Desolate: Another shot of McDowell County in West Virginia - the third poorest US county - shows an abandoned green turkey shop

New York's poorest county: The findings reveal that the majority of the poorest counties in America - a total of 24 - have predominantly (or even, wholly) rural populations.However, other states' poorest counties are mostly urban, including the Bronx (pictured) in New York

+9

New York's poorest county: The findings reveal that the majority of the poorest counties in America - a total of 24 - have predominantly (or even, wholly) rural populations.However, other states' poorest counties are mostly urban, including the Bronx (pictured) in New York

In many of America's poorest counties, residents were found to struggle with low educational attainment and limited job opportunities.

From 2009 to 2013, the percentage of adults who had attained at least a bachelor’s degree was below the national average of 28.8 per cent in a whopping 45 of the 50 counties, according to five-year estimated educational attainment rates from the Census Bureau, also obtained by 24/7 Wall St.

However, in Washington and Wyoming's poorest counties - Whitman County and Albany County - nearly half of the residents had achieved this.

Meanwhile, the unemployment rate of 36 of the poorest counties was found to be above the national rate of 7.4 per cent in 2013.

Graffiti: The Bronx (pictured) has a median household income of $34,388. Although this figure is noticeably higher than those of the counties named in the top ten, it is still far lower than New York's average of $58,003. It is also undoubtedly lower than that of Manhattan

+9

Graffiti: The Bronx (pictured) has a median household income of $34,388. Although this figure is noticeably higher than those of the counties named in the top ten, it is still far lower than New York's average of $58,003. It is also undoubtedly lower than that of Manhattan

THE POOREST COUNTIES IN EACH US STATE (LISTED IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER)

1. Sumter County, Alabama 

County median household income: $22,186

State median household income: $43,253

Poverty rate: 38.0% (of the population)

Unemployment: 9.9% (of the population)

2. Bethel Census Area, Alaska

County median household income: $51,689

State median household income: $70,760

Poverty rate: 22.8%

Unemployment: 15.4%

3. Apache County, Arizona

County median household income: $31,476

State median household income: $49,774

Poverty rate: 36.2%

Unemployment: 19.8%

4. Lee County, Arkansas

County median household income: $25,034

State median household income: $40,768

Poverty rate: 31.5%

Unemployment: 11.2%

5. Lake County, California

County median household income: $36,548

State median household income: $61,094

Poverty rate: 25.0%

Unemployment: 11.9%

6. Otero County, Colorado

County median household income: $33,848

State median household income: $58,433

Poverty rate: 25.2%

Unemployment: 8.8%

7. Windham County, Connecticut

County median household income: $59,333

State median household income: $69,461

Poverty rate: 11.4%

Unemployment: 8.7%

8. Sussex County, Delaware

County median household income: $52,710

State median household income: $59,878

Poverty rate: 13.4%

Unemployment: 6.7%

9. Putnam County, Florida

County median household income: $32,497

State median household income: $46,956

Poverty rate: 26.4%

Unemployment: 9.4%

10. Telfair County, Georgia

County median household income: $26,634

State median household income: $49,179

Poverty rate: 30.5%

Unemployment: 15.6%

11. Hawaii County, Hawaii

County median household income: $51,250

State median household income: $67,402

Poverty rate: 18.3%

Unemployment: 6.8%

12. Madison County, Idaho

County median household income: $32,059

State median household income: $46,767

Poverty rate: 35.8%

Unemployment: 4.6%

13. Jackson County, Illinois

County median household income: $33,479

State median household income: $56,797

Poverty rate: 30.4%

Unemployment: 7.9%

14. Fayette County, Indiana

County median household income: $37,391

State median household income: $48,248

Poverty rate: 23.0%

Unemployment: 10.3%

15. Appanoose County, Iowa

County median household income: $39,208

State median household income: $51,843

Poverty rate: 15.2%

Unemployment: 6.4%

16. Crawford County, Kansas

County median household income: $37,378

State median household income: $51,332

Poverty rate: 20.6%

Unemployment: 5.6%

17. McCreary County, Kentucky

County median household income: $20,972

State median household income: $43,036

Poverty rate: 30.3%

Unemployment: 13.5%

18. Madison Parish, Louisiana

County median household income: $25,498

State median household income: $44,874

Poverty rate: 40.3%

Unemployment: 9.7

19. Piscataquis County, Maine

County median household income: $36,646

State median household income: $48,453

Poverty rate: 18.5%

Unemployment: 9.6%

20. Somerset County, Maryland

County median household income: $38,447

State median household income: $73,538

Poverty rate: 23.4%

Unemployment: 9.9%

21. Berkshire County, Massachusetts

County median household income: $48,450

State median household income: $66,866

Poverty rate: 12.8%

Unemployment: 7.1%

22. Lake County, Michigan

County median household income: $29,379

State median household income: $48,411

Poverty rate: 27.9%

Unemployment: 13.1%

23. Wadena County, Minnesota

County median household income: $36,928

State median household income: $59,836

Poverty rate: 16.9%

Unemployment: 7.1%

24. Holmes County, Mississippi

County median household income: $22,325

State median household income: $39,031

Poverty rate: 43.5%

Unemployment: 16.5%

25. Oregon County, Missouri

County median household income: $27,743

State median household income: $47,380

Poverty rate: 27.7%

Unemployment: 6.6%

26. Sanders County, Montana

County median household income: $32,881

State median household income: $46,230

Poverty rate: 22.0%

Unemployment: 12.6%

27. Red Willow County, Nebraska

County median household income: $42,345

State median household income:$51,672

Poverty rate: 12.7%

Unemployment: 3.1%

28. Nye County, Nevada

County median household income: $39,876

State median household income: $52,800

Poverty rate: 18

Unemployment: 11.9%

29. Coos County, New Hampshire

County median household income: $41,985

State median household income: $64,916

Poverty rate: 13.4%

Unemployment: 6.4%

30. Cumberland County, New Jersey

County median household income: $50,750

State median household income: $71,629

Poverty rate: 17.5%

Unemployment: 12.2%

31. Sierra County, New Mexico

County median household income: $27,430

State median household income: $44,927

Poverty rate: 22.6%

Unemployment: 6.2%

32. Bronx County, New York

County median household income: $34,388

State median household income: $58,003

Poverty rate: 29.8%

Unemployment: 11.8%

33. Scotland County, North Carolina

County median household income: $29,592

State median household income: $46,334

Poverty rate: 32.3%

Unemployment: 14.6%

34. Rolette County, North Dakota

County median household income: $31,336

State median household income: $53,741

Poverty rate: 36.0%

Unemployment: 12.9%

35. Athens County, Ohio

County median household income: $33,823

State median household income: $48,308

Poverty rate: 31.7%

Unemployment: 8.4%

36. Pushmataha County, Oklahoma

County median household income: $29,897

State median household income: $45,339

Poverty rate: 26.5%

Unemployment: 7.6%

37. Malheur County, Oregon

County median household income: $35,578

State median household income: $50,229

Poverty rate: 27.4%

Unemployment: 8.7%

38. Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania

County median household income: $37,192

State median household income: $52,548

Poverty rate: 26.5%

Unemployment: 10.0%

39. Providence County, Rhode Island

County median household income: $49,297

State median household income: $56,361

Poverty rate: 17.1%

Unemployment: 10.2%

40. Allendale County, South Carolina

County median household income: $25,252

State median household income: $44,779

Poverty rate: 36.0%

Unemployment: 14.0%

41. Shannon County, South Dakota

County median household income: $25,648

State median household income: $49,495

Poverty rate: 53.2%

Unemployment: 12.9%

42. Grundy County, Tennessee

County median household income: $26,814

State median household income: $44,298

Poverty rate: 29.7%

Unemployment: 9.5%

43. Starr County, Texas

County median household income: $24,927

State median household income: $51,900

Poverty rate: 39.2%

Unemployment: 15.4%

44. San Juan County, Utah

County median household income: $40,492

State median household income: $58,821

Poverty rate: 27.1%

Unemployment: 9.3%

45. Orleans County, Vermont

County median household income: $41,953

State median household income: $54,267

Poverty rate: 15.4%

Unemployment: 6.2%

46. Martinsville, Virginia

County median household income: $28,116

State median household income: $63,907

Poverty rate: 27.2%

Unemployment: 12.1%

47. Whitman County, Washington

County median household income: $36,257

State median household income: $59,478

Poverty rate: 32.6%

Unemployment: 6.2%

48. McDowell County, West Virginia

County median household income: $22,252

State median household income: $41,043

Poverty rate: 36.3%

Unemployment: 10.0%

49. Ashland County, Wisconsin

County median household income: $38,550

State median household income: $52,413

Poverty rate: 18.8%

Unemployment: 9.0%

50. Albany County, Wyoming

County median household income: $42,774

State median household income: $57,406

Poverty rate: 26.0%

Unemployment: 4.0%

 

'Stirring' photos depict the 1950s lives of slave descendants living on a remote island cut off from the U.S. mainland

  • Daufuskie Island is just three miles from U.S. mainland, but there is no bridge and the island did not have electricity until the 1950s
  • The photos were taken by Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe, the wife of late tennis player Arthur Ashe, who visited the island between 1977 and 1981
  • The 'time capsule' of photos has now been donated to the Smithsonian Institute, where they will sit in the African-American history museum

These black-and-white photographs show the residents of a long-isolated island off the east coast of the United States.

Inhabited by the descendants of slaves, Daufuskie Island is just three miles from the U.S. mainland, but the island has no bridge and had no electricity until the 1950s.

The pictures were taken by Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe, the wife of the late tennis player Arthur Ashe, during visits to the island between 1977 and 1981.

This is one of the photos taken by Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe on visits to the long-isolated Daufuskie Island

+11

This is one of the photos taken by Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe on visits to the long-isolated Daufuskie Island

This photograph, titled 'Blossom', is in the collection of photographs donated to the Smithsonian Institute The 'time capsule' of 61 photographs has now been donated to the Smithsonian Institution

The 'time capsule' of 61 photographs has now been donated to the Smithsonian Institution

The isolated island, which does not have a bridge to the mainland, had no electricity until 1953 and telephones came to the island in 1972

+11

The isolated island, which does not have a bridge to the mainland, had no electricity until 1953 and telephones came to the island in 1972

The ‘time capsule’ of 61 photographs has now been donated to the Smithsonian Institution, where they will sit in the African-American history museum.

At the time the photographs were taken, 84 Gullah/Geechee people lived in isolation on Daufuskie Island near Savannah, Georgia, and Hilton Head, South Carolina.

The island had a co-op store, a two-room schoolhouse and a church, and inhabitants supported themselves by catching oysters and growing cotton. Ms Moutoussamy-Ashe said she observed a pure and simple life.

At first, she didn't pick up her camera because she wanted to get to know the people, and she developed a strong connection with them at a time before new development began to creep in.

‘My intent at 25 was to photograph what I saw as a dying culture, but at 62 now, I really see it was probably quite presumptuous of me to think that people wanted that,’ she said.

It was an honour, she said, to give these direct descendants of slaves a place in an African-American museum.

'A shrimper and his son' is one of the photographs included in the collection, taken between 1977 and 1981

+11

'A shrimper and his son' is one of the photographs included in the collection, taken between 1977 and 1981

The island, inhabited by the descendants of slaves, has no bridge to the mainland and did not have electricity until the 1950s. There were 84 people living on the island when Ms Moutoussamy-Ashe visited

+11

The island, inhabited by the descendants of slaves, has no bridge to the mainland and did not have electricity until the 1950s. There were 84 people living on the island when Ms Moutoussamy-Ashe visited

This photograph shows a modern-day Daufuskie Island located just three miles off the U.S. mainland

+11

This photograph shows a modern-day Daufuskie Island located just three miles off the U.S. mainland

THE ISOLATED ISLAND WHICH HAD NO ELECTRICITY UNTIL THE 1950s

Prior to the arrival of European explorers in the 16th century, native Indians lived on Daufuskie Island.

The island was occupied by Union soldiers during the civil war and freed slaves (Gullah people) then inhabited the island.

The isolated island, which does not have a bridge to the mainland, had no electricity until 1953 and telephones came to the island in 1972.

According to the island’s museum, the population shrank to below 100.

In the 1980s, land facing the Atlantic was purchased and development began on the island.

‘To give this just incredible, warm, giving, nurturing community of people recognition that they were able to thrive as long as they did, that to me is a testament to them and to our culture,’ she said.

Museum director Lonnie Bunch said the donation, from the Bank of America, builds on a growing collection of photographs in the museum's collection, which also includes early images of Frederick Douglass and the work of South African photographer Gordon Clark.

‘Daufuskie Island is one of those places that was almost a time capsule,’ Mr Bunch said.

‘It was very important to capture that. That's what these photographs do.’

Merrill Lynch, now part of Bank of America, purchased the Daufuskie Island collection in 2007, and the images have been exhibited at museums in New York, Atlanta, Houston, Charleston, South Carolina, and Los Angeles.

‘This is a very special culture, one that has kind of stayed intact, captured by Jeanne as it was in the '70s,' said Rena DeSisto, the bank's head of global arts and culture.

‘But what she's captured is what it also looked like in the 1870s.’

The island had a co-op store, a two-room schoolhouse and a church, and inhabitants supported themselves by catching oysters and growing cotton when these black-and-white photographs were taken

+11

The island had a co-op store, a two-room schoolhouse and a church, and inhabitants supported themselves by catching oysters and growing cotton when these black-and-white photographs were taken

Daufuskie Island, pictured here in modern times, had fewer than 100 inhabitants when Ms Moutoussamy-Ashe visited

+11

Daufuskie Island, pictured here in modern times, had fewer than 100 inhabitants when Ms Moutoussamy-Ashe visited

The bank has an art collection of about 10,000 works and lends items free of charge to museums for about ten to 12 shows a year.

The bank has been supporting the Smithsonian's black history museum since its earliest stages of development, Ms DeSisto said.

After years of planning, about 30 per cent of the museum building is now completed on the National Mall. Exhibits have been designed, and curators are narrowing down what will be put on display first.

The museum is also working to create about 130 media pieces, including video installations.

So far, $410 million has been raised for the $500 million project, with Congress contributing half the funds. Oprah Winfrey is the project's largest individual donor, contributing $13 million.

The Smithsonian's goal is to open the museum in November 2015. But trouble with water in an underground structure took additional time and could push the completion date into early 2016, Smithsonian officials have said.

The photographer said it was an honour to give these direct descendants of slaves a place in an African-American museum

+11

The photographer said it was an honour to give these direct descendants of slaves a place in an African-American museum

This photograph shows the union baptist church as it stood between 1977 and 1981

+11

This photograph shows the union baptist church as it stood between 1977 and 1981

 

The faces of poverty, despair and addiction inside 'New York's Red Light District' captured by an ex-Wall Street banker

The men and women Chris Arnade photographs are trapped.

They are prostitutes and pimps, drug dealers and addicts and nearly all of them wish they could get out of Hunts Point - an impoverished, desperate neighborhood in the Bronx called 'New York City's Red Light District.'

All of them want to get out or are trying to get out and find a better life, away from the drugs, violence and sex. But most cannot.

Haunting: This is Vanessa, 35, a homeless prostitute who has worked the streets of Hunts Point in the Bronx, New York. She is one of the few success stories from the neighborhood. She got out and is currently off heroin and trying to get clean

Haunting: This is Vanessa, 35, a homeless prostitute who has worked the streets of Hunts Point in the Bronx, New York. She is one of the few success stories from the neighborhood. She got out and is currently off heroin and trying to get clean

Dreams: Beauty, 21, says her johns tell her she's pretty enough to be a model. She says she has had nine pimps since she arrived in New York from Oklahoma - and many of them have been abusive

Dreams: Beauty, 21, says her johns tell her she's pretty enough to be a model. She says she has had nine pimps since she arrived in New York from Oklahoma - and many of them have been abusive.'I want to get out of this stuff, but I am scared. I guess I could stop at any time. Some of the guys tell me I could be a model,' Beauty, a 21-year-old homeless prostitute says. 'Money wise it's good, but otherwise, f*** Hunts Point. Maybe I can become an RN, or go into childcare.' Mr Arnade was a Wall Street banker with a passion for photography when he wandered into Hunts Point four years ago. It is one of the most impoverished neighborhoods in the city, situation inside the poorest Congressional district in the country. He began shooting photographs of the characters he found on the street and found that he could not tear himself away from his neighborhood.

Denial: Diana and John are crack cocaine addicts. The pair had six baggies of crack and methodically smoked all of them at once.

Denial: Diana and John are crack cocaine addicts. The pair had six baggies of crack and methodically smoked all of them at once. Then, Diana proceeded to put on a wig and go out to work the streets. Despite this, she claims she's not a 'crackhead.'

Cast out: Michael, 35, has been living on the streets has a hustler for 20 years. His parents blamed him for being sexually abused when he was a child and he left home when he was 15

Cast out: Michael, 35, has been living on the streets has a hustler for 20 years. His parents blamed him for being sexually abused when he was a child and he left home when he was 15

Eventually, his desire to document the neighborhood became an irresistible draw.

He quit his high-paying job at Citibank and now wanders the neighborhood with his camera full time. 

Not all the stories he documents end badly. Not all the characters meet tragic ends.

Vanessa, a 35-year-old homeless prostitute, spiraled into the depths of heroin addiction after years of sexual abuse by family members. She spent ten years working the streets of Hunts Point.

Then, one day, she disappeared. After weeks of research, Mr Arnade found that she had gotten out - at least for now.

She has a boyfriend, now, and he takes care of her - giving her a place to live.

She's on methadone to kick her heroin addiction and seeing a drug counselor. And she's finally starting to look forward in her life - to a place past Hunts Point.

'I want to get my GED. My dream at this point is not to go back where I was. I would like to do some artwork, to help people, some charity work. Given where I have been, I can help them understand,' she told Mr Arnade.

Violence: Takeesha was pregnant when she was beaten by her boyfriend. She went back to him because 'he got some anger issues, but I live him.' When he threw her down the stairs, she lost the baby and she kicked him out

Violence: Takeesha was pregnant when she was beaten by her boyfriend. She went back to him because 'he got some anger issues, but I live him.' When he threw her down the stairs, she lost the baby and she kicked him out

Back at it: Even though she lost the baby, Takeesha still works the streets

Back at it: Even though she lost the baby, Takeesha still works the streets as a prostitute. She needs to feed her addiction, she says. She is seen here before going out to look for johns

Relapse: Neecy was clean, she had found the Lord and was addicted only to cigarettes.

Relapse: Neecy was clean, she had found the Lord and was addicted only to cigarettes. Then she returned to Hunts Point to pass out some pamphlets about salvation to her old friends. Two weeks later she was back on the streets - homeless, shooting heroin and selling her body.

Sickened: Jennifer, 21, says she is disgusted by her work as a prostitute

Sickened: Jennifer, 21, says she is disgusted by her work as a prostitute - but she doesn't know what else to do. She's homeless and addicted to drugs. After years of sex abuse by her foster families, she is not sure how else to live

Hangover: Egypt is 'dope sick' and needs a fix

Hangover: Egypt is 'dope sick' and needs a fix. Her addiction to heroin means that her body revolts against her if she doesn't get at least one hit a day. 'Everything hurts. I wake up, I throw up and poop all day,' she says

Defending herself: Brenda, 45, said she once stabbed her husband, the father of her two children, when he beat her

Defending herself: Brenda, 45, said she once stabbed her husband, the father of her two children, when he beat her. She says it was the only thing she could do to stop the abuse. Now, working the street, she says she won't let any johns abuse her

Disease: Sonia, 46, says her addiction rules everything about her. She sells her body for sex and immediately uses the money to buy crack

Disease: Sonia, 46, says her addiction rules everything about her. She sells her body for sex and immediately uses the money to buy crack. She says her addiction is a disease. 'If I had all the money in the world, I would buy all the crack in the world'

Loathing: Michael (left) and Pam (right) live in a small crawlspace under the expressway that runs through Hunts Point.

Loathing: Michael (left) and Pam (right) live in a small crawlspace under the expressway that runs through Hunts Point. Pam says she is addicted to the money that working the streets brings her because she is addicted to drugs. She 'hates' the sex, though, she says

Led into evil: Camille, 27, had only been in Hunts Point one month when this picture was taken

Led into evil: Camille, 27, had only been in Hunts Point one month when this picture was taken. She starting using heroin when she was 23 after he boyfriend introduced her to it. She isn't sure how she ended up in Hunts Point, but she says it's 'hell'

Sick: Tiffany is HIV-positive and she is still working the streets. She said she started having sex for money at age 12 after years of sexual abuse.

Sick: Tiffany is HIV-positive and she is still working the streets. She said she started having sex for money at age 12 after years of sexual abuse. The father of her children gave her the virus, she says. She wants to go back to her native South Carolina, but she doesn't know how to leave the bad life of Hunts Point

Thankful: Jennifer said she cleaned up for Thanksgiving.

Thankful: Jennifer said she cleaned up for Thanksgiving. She was on the street working extra hard so she would have money to make Thanksgiving dinner for her family

 

 

 

No comments:

Post a Comment