A: According to Forbes.com, “There are more people living in favelas in Brazil, 11.4 million individuals, than in Portugal, which is home to 10.6 million” (Geromel,1).C: And according to homeless-international.org, “Without action, 1.4 billion people will live in slums by 2020.” (homeless-international.org,1).T: Even if only a few Americans are affected by slums, many of us South American neighbors live our entire lives in one. If we don't act, this problem will only get worse. S: Slums have been a problem for a long time and have affected many different places. In fact, this problem started in the United States. Slums began in New York in the early 1800s. Slums appeared in North America and Europe in the early 1800s. They were normally filled with immigrants. According to nytimes.com, one slum in particular was “occupied by successive waves of freed slaves and Irish, Italian, and Chinese immigrants” (Baker, 1). When countries in North America and Europe developed, most slums had disappeared, but they reappeared during the Great Depression. “Desperate for shelter, homeless citizens have built shantytowns in and around cities across the country” (history.com, 1). In America, these slums, or slums, were called Hoovervilles. According to history.com, “Hooverville cabins were constructed of cardboard, tar paper, glass, wood, tin, and any other materials people could scavenge” (history.com, 1). Once the Great Depression ended and the economy returned to normal, developed countries mostly freed themselves from slums. In developing countries, common in South America, slums are omnipresent. Many slums around the world look similar. A typical slum, or favela as they are called in South America, is in the middle of paper...... The national goal is to provide 17,000 housing units, each with toilets and drinking water, to benefit of 85,000 people. slum dwellers, as well as sanitation and drinking water programs benefiting 170,000 other poor people” (homeless-international.org,1). Slums are a serious problem, but they can be stopped. The first slum was in America. Nowadays, they are found on the outskirts of large cities in less developed countries. Slums have many social, political, environmental and economic effects in South America. The best way to end slums is to support them. With a lot of hard work, support and donations, slums can be stopped. Although slums are not a very significant problem in the United States, they are a major problem in South America. If we end slums, future generations will not have to know what it means to live in unsanitary conditions, in fear and in poverty..