VICTORIAN SLUM HOUSE

With no safety nets available, the threat of homelessness, debt and hunger are constant companions. All quickly learn that putting food on the table and paying the rent involves hours of hard labor, even by the children. The residents begin in the tough 1860s, have to deal with a dire economic depression and increased competition for jobs in the 1870s and 1880s, gain a glimmer of hope in the 1890s with the advent of mass manufacturing and social reform, and, finally, in the early years of the 20th century some are able to benefit considerably from progressive social change. Through the years, the various families differ in their prospects and abilities to overcome the harsh conditions they encounter. The series sheds light on the brutal realities of the past that eventually led to much-needed welfare reform.