Blaming the president for their plight, people referred to such places as

The answer is Hoovervilles.

During the early 1930's (the Great Depression era), Americans were fed up with President Herbert Hoover, as they felt he did little to help the American economy. Besides a few public works projects (like the Hoover Dam), president Hoover refused to give direct financial assistance to American citizens. This is due to his belief in a laissez faire system, one in which the government interferes with the economy as little as possible.