Father Nathan Monk, author of Chasing The Mouse, describes in his memoir what it was like growing up in poverty. Most of his childhood was spent living in cars, abandoned homes, or rundown motels.
He went on to become a Roman Catholic Priest whose ministry is homelessness, saving people from the streets and prison. I just finished his book and highly recommend it.
Here is his interview with Max Keiser of the Keiser Report. Is homelessness a racket in America? Is it big business? When the rich are getting richer, and the poor are getting poorer, I surmise Nathan Monk is on to something, from someone who experienced poverty and homelessness first hand.