This documentary takes viewers inside one of the largest tent cities in the country. Profiling several members of the tent community and calling into question societal attitudes towards homelessness, Tent City provides a humanizing perspective on the plight of those living nomadically in an elaborate homeless community within the woods of Lakewood, NJ.
The Lakewood compound is an impressive feat of organization and cooperation. Tents range from slap-dash lean-tos to elaborate, personalized shelters. Camp amenities include showers, numerous grills, stoves, picnic tables, a piano, domestic pets and chickens. One resident even administers a web page dedicated to the Lakewood community, working from a laptop set up within a small trailer on-site. It is common for local restaurants and warehouses to donate food supplies that are too close to their expiry date to sell, but still fresh enough to consume.