As an indicator of the worsening housing problem in the U.S., more shanty towns were observed to have risen in major American cities the past few months.

Among the cities which are grappling with an increasing number of tent city residents are Fresno, Sacramento and Los Angeles in California, New York City, Seattle and Olympia in Washington, and St. Petersburg in Florida.

On Wednesday, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger announced on Wednesday the transfer of the Sacramento tent city with 125 persons to a nearby fairground.

The tent city in Fresno has about 2,000 people spread in three major camps near downtown and two highways. New appointed Fresno homeless prevention and policy manager Gregory Barfield said the city will conduct surveys in the three camps to find out how many dwellers need services and permanent housing.

According to Michael Stoops, executive director of the National Coalition for the Homeless, majority of the people living in these shanty towns were minimum wage earners whose income used to be provide a roof over their head. Included in the numbers are children of the workers.

A report released early this month by the coalition estimated there are 1.5 million homeless children in the U.S. Together with their families 75 percent of the number were concentrated in 11 states during the period 2005 to 2006. The report reckons 2.4 million to 3.5 million Americans will experience becoming homeless at least once a year.

Among the measures that the coalition has proposed to the Obama administration is to set aside $10 billion in the next two years as capital for the National Housing Trust Fund which will rehabilitate or construct 100,000 rental units for the lowest income households. Another is the release of $3.6 billion new Housing Voucher totaling 400,000 over the next 24 months.

On Tuesday, U.S. President Barack Obama at his press conference was asked to comment on the coalition's report that one in 50 American children are homeless. Obama said he is "heartbroken that any child in America is homeless." He added one of the changes in attitude he wants to see in Washington and across the nation is for U.S. residents to hold on to the belief "that it is not acceptable for children and families to be without a roof over their heads in a country as wealthy as our."