Reflections on the Human Condition - Api-fellowships.org
Reflections on the Human Condition - Api-fellowships.org
Reflections on the Human Condition - Api-fellowships.org
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temporary shelters for <strong>the</strong> homeless. In additi<strong>on</strong>, <strong>the</strong>y<br />
also ran o<strong>the</strong>r activities with funds provided by <strong>the</strong><br />
authorities, such as job training centers, job-providing<br />
centers, health care centers, and centers for <strong>the</strong> elderly.<br />
NPOs included groups such as Shinjuku Ren rak Kai,<br />
Furusato no Kai in Tokyo, and Kamasaki Shien Kiko in<br />
Osaka.<br />
The relati<strong>on</strong>ship am<strong>on</strong>g <strong>the</strong> NGOs was loosely linked,<br />
with different <strong>org</strong>anizati<strong>on</strong>s joining toge<strong>the</strong>r in some<br />
activities such as <strong>the</strong> Summer Festival and New Year<br />
Festival. The relati<strong>on</strong>ship between <strong>the</strong> groups that<br />
emphasized <strong>the</strong> rights of <strong>the</strong> poor, <strong>on</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>on</strong>e hand, and<br />
<strong>the</strong> NPOs, <strong>on</strong> <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r, was quite aloof owing to <strong>the</strong><br />
different c<strong>on</strong>ceptual approaches, visi<strong>on</strong>s, and working<br />
methods. At <strong>the</strong> same time, <strong>the</strong> relati<strong>on</strong>ships am<strong>on</strong>g <strong>the</strong><br />
NPO groups are quite good, as is coordinati<strong>on</strong> am<strong>on</strong>g<br />
<strong>the</strong> groups that work <strong>on</strong> <strong>the</strong> rights of <strong>the</strong> poor.<br />
Networking of <strong>the</strong> Homeless Organizati<strong>on</strong>s<br />
By nature, <strong>the</strong> homeless are individuals, with each living<br />
his/her own life and being ra<strong>the</strong>r l<strong>on</strong>esome. To get <strong>the</strong>m<br />
involved in joining activities and to <strong>org</strong>anize <strong>the</strong>m—<br />
which has been d<strong>on</strong>e by <strong>the</strong> development <strong>org</strong>anizati<strong>on</strong>s,<br />
both governmental and n<strong>on</strong>-governmental—is not<br />
easy. They have to find suitable activities and c<strong>on</strong>duct<br />
<strong>the</strong>m c<strong>on</strong>tinuously over a l<strong>on</strong>g period of time until<br />
<strong>the</strong>y can gain <strong>the</strong> trust of <strong>the</strong> homeless. Only <strong>the</strong>n can<br />
<strong>org</strong>anizing be d<strong>on</strong>e. From talking with leaders of <strong>the</strong><br />
homeless and NGO workers from various groups, it can<br />
be c<strong>on</strong>cluded that <strong>the</strong> activities at <strong>the</strong> beginning must<br />
be relief services to solve <strong>the</strong> immediate problems, such<br />
as food and clo<strong>the</strong>s. After a period of learning about<br />
each o<strong>the</strong>r, <strong>the</strong>y can <strong>the</strong>n go fur<strong>the</strong>r to identify comm<strong>on</strong><br />
points that can unify <strong>the</strong> homeless, and set about jointly<br />
solving <strong>the</strong>ir problems with initiatives such as job search<br />
services, housing, and heath care. After that, <strong>the</strong>y could<br />
gradually develop to become a group or <strong>org</strong>anizati<strong>on</strong> of<br />
<strong>the</strong> homeless.<br />
The forming of groups am<strong>on</strong>g <strong>the</strong> homeless began since<br />
<strong>the</strong> daily workers’ uni<strong>on</strong>s worked with <strong>the</strong>m, but <strong>the</strong><br />
<strong>org</strong>anizing of homeless groups <strong>on</strong>ly became more clearly<br />
visible in 1990, with <strong>the</strong> support of NGOs. At that<br />
time, <strong>the</strong> government’s policy of removing <strong>the</strong> homeless<br />
from <strong>the</strong> parks, railway stati<strong>on</strong>s and o<strong>the</strong>r public<br />
places turned out to be a factor that c<strong>on</strong>tributed to <strong>the</strong><br />
streng<strong>the</strong>ning of <strong>the</strong> <strong>org</strong>anizing work. Many homeless<br />
groups appeared in different areas, such as <strong>the</strong> homeless<br />
groups of Sumida riverside, Ueno Park, Yoyogi Park<br />
and Shinjuku Park in Tokyo; <strong>the</strong> homeless of Kotobuki<br />
at Yokohama Railway in Yokohama; <strong>the</strong> homeless<br />
group at Kamagasaki, Nishinari Park, Ogimachi Park,<br />
THE EMPOWERING THE POOR AND VULNERABLE<br />
315<br />
Osaka Castle Park and Nagai Park in Osaka; <strong>the</strong><br />
homeless group at Kamo riverside and Kyoto Railway<br />
in Kyoto; and <strong>the</strong> homeless group in Nagoya. After<br />
that, <strong>the</strong>se homeless groups began to establish c<strong>on</strong>tact<br />
with each o<strong>the</strong>r and run activities toge<strong>the</strong>r. Meetings<br />
were arranged in z<strong>on</strong>es, such as <strong>the</strong> homeless group in<br />
Shinjuku, which c<strong>on</strong>sisted of <strong>the</strong> homeless groups at<br />
Shinjuku Railway Stati<strong>on</strong>, Shinjuku Park and Toyama<br />
Park; homeless group at Sanya, c<strong>on</strong>sisting of <strong>the</strong> groups<br />
at Sumida riverside and Ueno Park; and <strong>the</strong> Minowa<br />
group. The NGOs supported this coordinati<strong>on</strong>.<br />
After 1996, <strong>the</strong> local administrati<strong>on</strong>s began to adjust<br />
<strong>the</strong> directi<strong>on</strong> and policy in solving <strong>the</strong> problem of<br />
homelessness by running welfare programs such as<br />
job-providing centers and housing programs. The<br />
adopti<strong>on</strong> of <strong>the</strong>se new policies affected <strong>the</strong> coordinati<strong>on</strong><br />
of homeless groups. On <strong>the</strong> <strong>on</strong>e hand, homeless<br />
groups began to develop differing opini<strong>on</strong>s about <strong>the</strong><br />
government programs, with some supporting <strong>the</strong>m and<br />
o<strong>the</strong>rs not; <strong>on</strong> <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r hand, even though differing<br />
opini<strong>on</strong>s emerged, <strong>the</strong> various groups began to engage in<br />
discussi<strong>on</strong> am<strong>on</strong>g <strong>the</strong>mselves to c<strong>on</strong>sider <strong>the</strong> programs.<br />
As an overall result, discussi<strong>on</strong>s about programs in <strong>the</strong><br />
various towns led to <strong>the</strong> coordinati<strong>on</strong> of <strong>the</strong> homeless<br />
groups between towns in order to share experience in<br />
solving <strong>the</strong> problem and c<strong>on</strong>sider <strong>the</strong> programs of <strong>the</strong><br />
authorities in each town. The homeless groups from<br />
Tokyo, Osaka, Yokohama, Nagoya and Kyoto began to<br />
arrange meetings supported by <strong>the</strong> NGOs.<br />
The change in local government policy, particularly<br />
<strong>the</strong> designing of cheap apartments and temporary<br />
shelter schemes, caused differing opini<strong>on</strong>s to emerge,<br />
both am<strong>on</strong>g <strong>the</strong> homeless and <strong>the</strong> NGOs. After 2000,<br />
<strong>the</strong> differences between <strong>the</strong> NPOs and <strong>org</strong>anizati<strong>on</strong>s<br />
c<strong>on</strong>cerned with <strong>the</strong> rights of <strong>the</strong> poor affected <strong>the</strong><br />
coordinati<strong>on</strong> of homeless groups. The groups that<br />
joined <strong>the</strong> state programs began to distance <strong>the</strong>mselves<br />
from <strong>the</strong> groups that did not join. Finally, <strong>the</strong>y stopped<br />
participating in <strong>the</strong> activities of homeless groups<br />
altoge<strong>the</strong>r.<br />
At <strong>the</strong> time of <strong>the</strong> study, <strong>the</strong> homeless groups from Tokyo,<br />
Yokohama, Osaka and Kyoto were linked toge<strong>the</strong>r. The<br />
link was still loose, but <strong>the</strong>re were attempts to mutually<br />
c<strong>on</strong>tact and give informati<strong>on</strong>, encouragement, and<br />
support when any <strong>on</strong>e faced problems.<br />
There were three factors that obstructed <strong>the</strong> networking<br />
of <strong>the</strong> homeless:<br />
1. The policy of <strong>the</strong> local administrati<strong>on</strong> in each<br />
case was too rigid and inflexible, and offered no<br />
Ref lecti<strong>on</strong>s <strong>on</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>Human</strong> C<strong>on</strong>diti<strong>on</strong>: Change, C<strong>on</strong>flict and Modernity<br />
The Work of <strong>the</strong> 2004/2005 API Fellows