Reflections on the Human Condition - Api-fellowships.org

314 SESSION V
Local administrations have played a role in involving the
participation of various parties that are concerned with
homelessness since 1994 by expanding meetings and
seminars to include academics, NGOs, the mass media
and members of the general public. Nevertheless, the
opportunities for the homeless to join these forums to
present their opinions on their problems, ways of life,
needs and the proper way of solving the problem were
still few in spite of the fact that they are the ones who
must directly face these problems. Only occassionally
were they able to join meetings convened to address
some of their more immediate problems.
The Role of NGOs in Solving the Problem of
Homelessness
NGOs that were involved in solving the problem of
homelessness originated from the organizations of daily
workers during the period 1978-1982 in Kanagasaki in
Osaka, Sanya in Tokyo, Kotobuki in Yokohama, and
Nagoya City. The goal of these organizations was to
support the organization of daily workers in order to
solve their problems of unemployment, of receiving no
welfare benefits from the state, and the service charge
they were forced to pay to job providing agencies. Their
task at the beginning was to link up the daily workers’
unions and establish a daily workers’ movement in order
to press the government into issuing a social welfare
law and to set up job-providing centers. Their actions
met with some response on the part of the central
government and local administrations. However, at
that time, there was a great surplus of labor, so more
and more daily workers became jobless and eventually
homeless. As a result, the daily workers’ organizations
eventually had to turn their attention to solving the
problem of homelessness, too. When homelessness
increased in 1989, there were NGOs set up to work
directly with the homeless.
During the last 15 years (1989-2004), more
organizations and groups have been established to
support and help the homeless. Today, there are 50
such groups in Tokyo, 30 in Osaka, and around 20 in
Nagoya, Yokohama, and Kyoto.
Viewed generally, it seems that the aims and roles of
the NGOs are alike—they aim to support and help
the homeless to have a better quality of life, and have
a role in assisting and promoting activities that will
solve the problem of homelessness. However, the study
discovered that the concepts and roles of the NGOs are
both alike and different, and can be divided into three
groups:
Ref lections on the Human Condition: Change, Conflict and Modernity
The Work of the 2004/2005 API Fellows
First, there were groups that emphasized social relief.
Their concrete activities were providing food, health
checks, clothes, legal advice, jobs, temporary shelter, etc.
These groups emphasized the provision of direct services
to the homeless. They could contact all government
and private agencies without being concerned about
conflicts in conceptual approach or working method.
Most were religious groups and groups of the middle
class, such as Star’s House, Yomawari no Kai, Kibou no
Kai, Kamagasaki Christ Kyo-Yu-Kai, and Moyai.
Second, there were groups that emphasized the rights
of the poor as well as service activities. They provided
food, jobs, health care, clothes and night patrols, in
addition to training, seminars, meetings and campaigns.
All activities were connected with organizing, providing
information concerning the lives of the homeless, the
rights of the poor, and other social problems. They
aimed to set up homeless organizations in order to solve
the immediate problems and supported the networking
of the homeless in order to push the authorities to
change policies about welfare, job provision and housing
so that they could solve their problems in a way that
was suited to the real world situation. These concepts
differed from those of the authorities, so they were only
able to coordinate with the authorities in solving some
immediate problems and they received no financial
support from the government. The workers of these
NGOs have to work to earn their own living, while
the funds for running activities are provided by donors.
Organizations of this kind include Sanya Sokidan,
Nonjiren, Asia Worker Network (AWN), Food Bank,
Emergency Shelter (IMA) in Tokyo, Kamagasaki Patrol
no Kai (Kamapato), Kamagasaki Daily Worker Union
in Osaka, and Nagoya Patrol no Kai.
Third, there were groups that called themselves non-profit
organizations (NPOs). They emphasized supporting
the homeless to solve their immediate problems. In
working, they coordinated with the local authorities,
and often proposed their own projects and sought
funding for them from the local government. Their
concrete activities included providing food, clothes,
healthcare and other services. They also did night patrols
and arranged meetings of the homeless, but did not
touch on the issue of the rights of the homeless. They
maintained good relations with the authorities because
of the belief that working with the authorities would
lead to a change of policy. They joined the schemes
of authorities by urging the homeless to join housing
programs, and they organized the homeless to move out
of tents in the parks and into low-priced apartments
or temporary shelters. Some NPOs in Osaka received
budget allocations from the local authorities to build