Social and Pastoral BulletinNo. 89Apr. 15, 1999
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Yuasa Makoto (Homeless Association)
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There are about 400 homeless people living in Shibuya ward (Tokyo) these
days. Their numbers have sharply doubled, as a result of the business slump.
Since a few years back, the presence of homeless people in Shibuya railroad
station has become quite prominent. I usually go through that station everyday
and, though I was aware of their existence I. always, tried to pass by
unnoticed. From December 29, at the end of last year, the homeless themselves
acted together to confront the hardships at the end of the year and the
beginning of the new one. That is the most difficult season for the homeless
because of the lack of work and food, and, together, they keep themselves
alive. Such a common struggle for existence has continued for many years
in towns like Kamagasaki and Sanya, where many daily workers live. When
I heard of the homeless winter struggle this year I wholeheartedly decided
to commit myself also. One of my main motivations to participate in the
winter struggle of the homeless living in Shibuya was occasioned by the
impact I received from an article with photos that appeared in the front
page of an English speaking newspaper last December 29. The article dealt
with the forced eviction of 35 homeless people living by the side of a
school in Kamagasaki. About 220 Osaka city officials conducted the forced
operation.
In my contacts with the homeless - in Tokyo they call themselves companions
- I came to know many things for the first time in my life. For instance,
I was not aware that among them there were so many people even younger
that myself, and that all of them were so earnestly and seriously struggling
to find jobs and to lead more human lives.
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I was much surprised, because that was not the public image I had of them.
And again, talking of their activities in Shibuya, there is no divisory
line between the homeless and their supporters. The homeless, from their
side, are becoming more and more self-supported in such a way that, they
don't seem to be receiving assistance, but, instead, exploiting their own
possibilities, they act as partners to help to build a better society.
On top of this, they truly deal respectfully with each other and are careful
to accept new comers with respect. For instance, my first experience with
them was that when I met them, one "companion", thinking that
I was one of them going to pass the night outside in Shibuya for the first
time, kindly instructed me how to make with cardboard a place to sleep,
and led me around the station so that I could get accustomed to the life
of the homeless there. Up to now I have always experienced that persons
living in comfort try to do things for the less fortunate, out of compassion
and motivated by welfare attitudes, but this was my first experience in
Japan of a different style of action and this was totally new to me. The
fact that such a movement has originated in Japan at a critical moment
when the homeless are so rapidly increasing, gives me the impression of
a new light about to emerge in the middle of so many hardships.
I want to offer Mr. Yuasa the opportunity to explain the situation of the
homeless in Shibuya and his involvement with them. While I am a late comer,
he has been active with the homeless in Shibuya for the last 5 years.
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Nojiren" a New Association of Homeless People in Shibuya
"Give Receive","Call for Be invited" are ways to relate
with people, although without any hopeful vision. Reflecting seriously
on this,"Nojiren" ( Free Association to Secure the lives and
the Right of Residence of the Homeless in Shibuya) was established at the
end of March 1998. Nojiren was not meant to be for fixing guidelines for
groaning action; but because of the urge of change for establishing relationships
of companionship among the homeless, something more basic as a premise
for action was needed. To put it simply, there is a need to be able to
joke with other companions and, according to circumstances, to scold each
other. When it comes to a clear division of tasks, like "give - receive"
it is not so easy to do. A person who scolds others remains with a bitter
aftertaste and the one scolded resents it. When one succeeds in breaking
through - to call and to answer back - in building a relationship with
the other (the alpha and omega of Nojiren's thinking), doubts still arise.
Homeless people are usually oppressed by various forces, like legal and
social discrimination, which means that they are already burdened with
handicaps. To close one's eyes to such a reality and to dream of an abstract
vision of "equal relationship" is by itself an imposition of
new oppression. If I want to build a relationship so that I can act at
ease with a homeless person, I need to transform the social realities which
affect the life of that person; but in order to be able to transform those
social realities I, myself, need to take an attitude of acting in concert
with such a homeless person. The daily activities of "Nojiren"
consist of a process of struggling within such a cycle.
As far as people remain homeless, their problems will not change. The issues
they face consist of "bait" and a "site to sleep".
Homeless people ordinarily think that they should, at least, have the most
basic healthy and cultural life, as promised by the Constitution of Japan,
art. 25. It is "food" instead of "bait", and to be
able to sleep on a mattress under a roof. They need money to do that, and
they must work to earn it, but there is no work available now. "But,
what could be done?"... To change such a weak attitude of embarrassment,
by hitting at the administration with strong anger: "What are you
going to do?," is the main action taken by Nojiren.
There are two main issues involved in the activities of the homeless under
the slogan: "what are you going to do?". These are: social security
and jobs. Many homeless people supported the high economic growth of Japan
with their work in the construction sites. Working under poor working conditions
and without proper social insurance they could not afford any savings.
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They have already reached their fifties, and left in an environment which
does not allow them to save any money, they are about to be totally expelled
from the labor market. As a consequence, even if there is some economic
recovery, the labor market open to them is limited to a few fields, like
street cleaning or working as guards. Again here, due to the high proportion
of people of advanced age, such types of work are much sought after. The
ability of the labor market to solve the issues of the homeless, even potentially
speaking, is practically none. What about social security? The hurdle for
going on public relief remains high and the 65 year old mark is a pragmatic
functional element. In short, most homeless people are drop outs from a
severe labor market and social insurance system. And on top of that they
are homeless. "What are they going to do!?"
No magic surprise could be found as a solution to it. The result is that
the homeless continue their homeless life; they struggle every day, hauling
in very thin threads that lead them to obtain a job and public relief.
Nojiren members back the evil struggles of their companions and by that
they have also been able to get some good results. Homeless people are,
by their mere presence, constant violators of the law - no matter where
they sleep it is always "illegal" - and the only big weapon left
to them is the evil-labeled sit-down struggles which produce good results.
After all, is it not a historical fact that, universal rights like sacred
dignity, were at the beginning wonderful evil struggles?
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Action to Meet the Pressing Needs of the Homeless
Let me explain our activities. First, the basis of all our activities is
the meeting once a week on Saturdays and the meal together. To this, the
patrol activities in Yoyogi park on Fridays, should be added. The homeless
gather together on Saturdays to prepare a meal for their companions; they
share together information, discuss current events, and go to meet other
companions who did not show up for the gathering, scattered around Shibuya
town.
On such occasions Nojiren prepares materials and distributes leaflets,
and though it also gives away clothing collected and blankets or pocket
heaters when it is cold, such distribution activities provide an opportunity
to communicate with other companions. This way other homeless start to
listen to us and to form a relationship with us so that, all together,
we can move towards a self-supported solidarity action. This is only a
basis for further action. The distribution of things certainly fulfills
an important task for survival that day, but only that will never be enough
to open the way to the aspirations of homeless people to leave the streets.
Besides that, the welfare marches on Mondays try to pursue the possibilities
of leaving the streets in conformity with each one's situations. On such
a day, many of our homeless companions, burdened with various different
problems, pay a visit to public welfare offices and seek there solutions
to their problems. The sick try to be introduced to hospitals, those unable
to work because of sickness or old age try to apply for public relief and
job-seekers check the information available in those offices to find a
job.
In this way, our homeless companions, confronted with their problems, often
run against walls. The ways how welfare officials deal with them is overpowering;
they do not pay attention to the homeless. And even when relief is granted,
they demand that they receive medical treatment from the streets; those
with a job-offer are asked to get their photographs and a seal for the
documents to be presented. We, members of Nojiren, help them on the spot,
giving them needed information and all kinds of assistance. We have, continually,
negotiated with Public Welfare issues concerning the lives of all homeless
people. This is, really, a simple way of action with the characteristic
that when one thinks that a problem has finally been solved, one finds
out that the next one is waiting ahead.
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Think, for instance, of how to help people find a job. Up to last year,
public welfare offices in Shibuya did not move a finger on this, although
they publicly claimed that, "we do not spare efforts to assist in
job seeking." As a first step, we made them place in their offices
leaflets for job-offers inserted in the newspapers. Then, we made them
lend telephone cards for calling companies to apply for a job. The next
step was to make them prepare the application documents and the cost of
photos and seals, once the interviews had been fixed. We are now negotiating
the transport costs to the places of interviews and how much assistance
can they receive, before their first salary is paid, depending on the basis
of weekly or monthly salaries.
Proceeding by simple stages, all we get are tiny results. But in case that
one small stage in the whole process falls off on the way, the homeless
will never be able to get a job nor to break away from the streets. There
is no practical or magic remedy at hand.
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Evictions From Public Places Have Empowered the Homeless
Apart from such simple but desperate action of homeless people, the administration
conducts sometimes senseless and unreasonable evictions of the homeless.
Their thinking is always the same: "Those places are public for everybody.
Neighbors have complained." Last December Shibuya ward, based on such
a way of thinking, started public works around the Children's Hall, with
a clear purpose of eviction of the homeless there.
But, if there is any other place to go people will do it. Since there is
no place to go, the homeless select public places, because that way they
do not disturb people so much. About 6 years ago UN's Human Rights Commission
(1993/77) approved the decision that, the problems of homeless people are
not the result of their own responsibility, but it is the countries that
produce such a social situation are the ones responsible for it and the
ones that should remedy it. Japan has also agreed to it. People may say
that such a decision is nothing but a scrap of paper. Nevertheless, we
can not agree with a move to retreat from results snatched away by the
action of many people from all over the world.
And yet, we have now to give even thanks to Shibuya's Children Hall for
the public works conducted to evict us. In other words, the group camping
around the Children's Hall that was started as a free expression of protest
of the homeless against evictions has already produced real results in
Shibuya that have, by far, exceeded normal protests and, needless to say,
the blocking of eviction.
The group camping changed our homeless companions. Situations in which
a few homeless people have to carry all the burden for many works disappear
and each one, personally, took by himself the tasks s/he could bear. Right
now, the homeless manage all by themselves, from the establishment of the
encamp to clearing it away. Communication among the homeless flows smoothly
now, and one of our slogans, "the life of our companions should be
protected by all together" is about to become a natural reality in
their daily activities. The fact that, strong links among our companions
are producing real effects, builds up confidence and, as a result, the
activities of Nojiren, in quality as well as in quantity, are widely extended.
At present, lots of homeless companions participate in our meetings, so
many that our narrow office can not accommodate all.
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As a result of our group camping, Nojiren was able, last winter, to transform
its most important pending problems into the most effective results so
far. The evil fighting produced fruitful results.
Nojiren has started its second year of activities on the basis of the results
of the group camp. The issues of homeless people continue to intensify
to a serious extent every year. There is no visible change in a situation
in which there appears to be more issues coming up that possible solutions.
On the other hand, the direction taken by Nojiren, trying to act in concert
with the homeless, though simple is producing clear results.
The awareness that the stage has arrived to think seriously and concretely
of measures to breakaway from a homeless type of life is already starting
to obtain social recognition. Some people have, realistically, started
to offer the homeless chances of jobs, instead of material goods. Even
from homeless companions one can start to hear courageous opinions on ways
to create jobs, at meetings held by Nojiren.
Without stopping at job seeking, Nojiren should, itself, look ahead for
creating jobs. Without stopping at seeking public life relief, Nojiren
must look ahead for shelters. At Nojiren these days lots of dream stories
are swirling around, from realistic and concrete action plans to lucky
dreams, in preparation for a scheme for action in its second year of existence.
Nevertheless, Nojiren is a small organization proceeding ahead with still
uncertain steps. Confronted by financial difficulties, the things we can
do by ourselves are very limited indeed. This is why we are, at all times,
expecting people, no matter how few, to relate with us in ways that fit
each other. This is, of course, true of all readers of this clumsy article
of mine. It is so that in the midst of misfortune our evil struggling can
produce wonderful fruits.
[Homeless Association "NOJIREN"] http://www.jca.apc.org/nojukusha/nojiren/ e-mail: pmshimo@aa.mbn.or.jp Peter Masatsugu Shimokawa ************************************ |
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