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POINT OF VIEW/ Tsuyoshi Inaba: New measures needed to help the homeless

05/10/2007

THE ASAHI SHIMBUN

"I'm happy because I can stretch my legs when I sleep."
"Since I have a roof over my head, I don't have to worry about the weather
anymore."
"Having a place where I can call home, I feel much calmer now."
These are the words of former homeless people who were able to get off the
streets and move into apartments. I came across them while running a program
to help the homeless establish their independence.
Measures to support the homeless have been implemented since the late 1990s
mainly in major urban areas. With the enactment of the homeless independence
support law in 2002, it has become the responsibility of the national
government to provide support measures aimed at promoting the independence
of homeless people.
The law is a temporary statute that expires in 10 years. Before conducting
an interim review of the law, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare
carried out a nationwide survey that looked into the actual situation of
homeless people and released a report of its findings on April 6.
A similar survey was conducted in 2003. The report this time can be likened
to a school report to gauge the government's progress in meeting its
responsibilities since then.
How well did it do? According to the report, the number of homeless people
across the nation dropped 26.6 percent from 25,296 in 2003 to 18,564. (It
should be noted, however, that the figures represent the number of people
who could be counted visually by survey takers.) At the same time, the
average age rose to 57.5 from 55.9 and the ratio of people who have been
homeless for five years or longer grew from 24 percent to 41.4 percent.
The results show the trend that homeless people are getting older and their
period of homelessness is getting longer.
Current support measures focus on having the homeless move into
"independence support centers" and live there for several months during
which time they are given guidance on everyday life and employment support.
For some time, concerned officials have been questioning the effectiveness
of such measures, saying they do little to help people 50 or older land
jobs. According to the survey, people 50 or older accounted for about 85
percent of all homeless. Thus, the results showed the limits of traditional
support systems.
It is true that some people were able to stand on their feet again thanks to
those measures. But at the same time, it is also a fact that many people
remain on the streets with no hope for the future and have no choice but to
try to desperately hang in there just to survive.
The national and local governments are urged to seriously accept the results
of the survey and expedite support programs to meet the needs of middle-aged
and elderly people who have no place to live. Many express a desire to move
into apartments so that they may use them as a base and concentrate on job
hunting.
Already, Tokyo and its 23 wards are supplying low-rent apartments. But the
program is only applicable to people who live in certain parks. It has also
proved difficult for some to make use of. It should be expanded so that more
people who need a place to live can readily apply.
Unemployed people younger than 65 who are regarded as being of working age
can only apply for welfare if they are sick or have disabilities that make
it difficult for them to find employment.
Even though such practice is unlawful, it is actually going on in many local
governments. The elimination of such an unjust "age limit" is also needed.
Traditionally, measures to help the homeless establish their independence
only target those who have already lost their homes. But I think it is time
we re-examined this point as well. In recent years, our group has been
receiving a growing number of inquiries from so-called freeters and
dispatched workers who are not yet sleeping outside but have no choice but
to spend the night in Internet cafes or other establishments that stay open
around the clock.
While the law also spells out measures to prevent such people from becoming
homeless, nothing is actually being done to help them. The government should
hasten to grasp the real situation of "homeless people in the broad sense"
and provide support so that they may find a stable home.
We all need a place, no matter how small, that we can call home, a place
that can serve as a base for our daily activities. What can we do to create
a society in which everyone can have a sense of security like those I quoted
at the start of this commentary? The government and our society are being
put to the test.

* * *

The author heads the nonprofit organization Moyai Independent Life Support
Center. He has been engaged in supporting the homeless in Tokyo's Shinjuku
district since 1994. He also gives lectures at junior and senior high
schools and universities on the subject of homelessness and human
rights.(IHT/Asahi: May 10,2007)