Riot police and bulldozers demolished the last Manhattan homeless community in 1997. Since then, the numbers of homeless poor have not diminished, but they have become less visible. Ironically, the city's building boom, which leveled homeless communities and community gardens, has provided temporary shelter for men and women who camp beneath construction scaffolding.
Makeshift bedding is concealed moments before morning construction crews arrive.
Building entrances and church steps still provide protection for the dispossessed, but only after office hours or before Sunday worship. Only early morning joggers, dog walkers, and park employees see homeless men and women bending over water fountains to brush their teeth, shaking dirt from sleeping bags, bundling possessions into backpacks, and moving on. Previous essays will be archived . All rights reserved.