EXTRA INFORMATION

2. Suspended Meal Ticket
Every day, homeless groups can go to the social workers and get a meal ticket, which allows them to trade and buy food from specific eateries. This permits homeless individuals to eat when they don't have money to buy food and avoid being hungry for the day. Each meal ticket costs $100, and supporters can purchase them for the homeless to help them live their best lives.

1. Bangka Park
8 0 to 100 homeless individuals sleep in the Bangka Park over night, plenty of activities and social welfare units are located here. Each night security guards would allow them to sleep and each day they would wake them up. The rails on benches are also built for separating homeless individuals and preventing them from sleeping on the benches. Moreover, there’s also some space behind the benches covered in canvas for homeless people to put their belongings.

                                                                                                                    4.   Story of Asen
Asen is a 40-year-old homeless man who rides his bike to send lunch boxes every day as a way of making money and getting back into a house. He has to send 5 to 10 lunch boxes each day throughout the ZhongZheng and Wanhua districts. Although he appears to be in good health, he has severe heart and kidney disease, so every two days he must go to the hospital for kidney dialysis, which takes half a day. With that stated, Asen is unable to accept tasks that require 8 hours of work per day because it is harmful to his health and he requires time for kidney dialysis, therefore he works little jobs each day to make money. Asen left the Homeless Taiwan Association's shelter around a year ago to rent his own home. Our tourist spoke with Asen and learned that Asen will be admitted to the hospital the day following our tour because he fell out of his bicycle due to dizziness and discovered that his heart disease is worsening, necessitating surgery to recover. These funds would be provided by the government and the Department of Social Welfare. As a result of this, we can conclude that a person may appear normal on the surface but have difficulties inside their body, either physically or mentally, therefore the likelihood of homeless individuals becoming homeless due to his laziness to work is low.

5.  Friendly Formitory
Homeless Taiwan Association purchased a ten-year-old structure and renovated it into a welcoming formitory where homeless people can rent at a modest cost. This permits them to live in good health while raising funds for a better living environment. Most houses on Xichang Street have been standing for 60 to 70 years without being renovated, making them weak and dangerous to live in. However, due of this, most housing is inexpensive, with rents ranging from 6000 to 7000 NTD per month being among the lowest in Taipei. With that said, this street is well-known and mostly rented by underprivileged groups and homeless individuals in order for them to acquire a home at a price they can pay right now.

3. Jobs 
Homeless people do work; it is a frequent misconception that homeless people just sit around all day. While they look for a better employment, the government and social workers provides them with possibilities to earn money, such as cleaning the Bangka Park or hanging out food, which can provide them with the financial resources to buy food and save for their own home. Each day homeless people would line up to get a job, easy jobs would give them 800 NT dollars and rough work would earn them from 1000 to 1200 NTD. In the homeless community there’s plenty of individuals with health problems or mental problems, so it’s hard for them to earn jobs like normal people do, so they go homeless and the only way they earn money is by the opportunity social workers and the government provide them with.

6. Wanhua Ping’an Station
Persons can give food and everyday goods to homeless people in need at Wanhua Ping'an Station, which is owned by Zenan Homeless Social Welfare Foundation. They will organize end-of-year celebrations for homeless communities every year. In Ping'an Station, homeless people are permitted to obtain the resources they require. Donors can aid the homeless with genuine actions, and the homeless can get help directly from this location; it's like a headquarters where homeless individuals can get the help they need.

7. Renji Hospital
Renji Hospital has abundant resources, which they have utilised to give back to society by assisting vulnerable communities. This includes medical aid, assisting the Social Welfare Department with outstanding bills, and providing meals. Furthermore, as the virus spreads throughout Taiwan, homeless individuals are at the most danger. They are unable to prevent the infection because they are outside without protection. Renji Hospital will soon provide this service as "Homeless Taiwan" collaborates with "Do you a Flavor" to ask for allowing homeless persons to priority receiving immunizations. You may say that Renji Hospital plays a critical role in assisting the homeless in surviving the epidemic.

9.  Pon Pon Bathhouse
As "Homeless Taiwan" continued to investigate the homeless environment, they discovered that there are few locations for them to take a bath. As a result, the social workers devised a new concept, a bathing facility. Pon Pon Bathhouse offers free bathing services to the homeless, allowing them to stay clean and avoid disease transmission. Furthermore, the shelves against the wall stock related items such as quick noodles and shower caps. One noteworthy fact is that the ratio of homeless women to homeless men is 2:8, yet the ratio of bathhouse users is 4:6. We can deduce from this that women frequently have a greater demand for cleaning. Every day, about 50-60 individuals utilize the bathing facility, which is quite a lot for the limited room. On the table in front of the counter, there are two papers for reserve. People will write down the date and time they intend to use the service, which will aid social workers in crowd control. The bathhouse has one bathroom for women and three bathrooms for men. Each individual will have 20 minutes to enjoy a hot bath; when the timer runs out, the bather will be told to finish so the next person can enter. Although "homeless Taiwan" hopes that Pon Pon bathhouse can assist more homeless people, their financing does not allow them to do so.

8.  Wanhua Social Welfare Department
The "homeless Task Force" is a special group within the Wanhua Social Welfare Department. Because the number of homeless people in Wanhua is unusually significant, this little group was formed and is exclusive to Wanhua. The teammates, a group of roughly five, work specifically on the welfare of the homeless. For example, a pending payment, a subsidy application, or frequent care for the homeless. In addition, when the weather in Taipei falls below 12 degrees Celsius, there will be a chilly shelter where the homeless can stay. These protect the rights of the homeless while also advising them on how they can be assisted.

Official (Public)

THE WANENMHUA SOCIAL WELFARE DEPARTMENT

The Wanhua Social Welfare Department, referenced in Hidden Taipei, is one of the government organizations that helps the homeless. To be more specific, the "homeless Task Force" is concerned with providing aid to the homeless. There are numerous laws and governmental organizations that assist homeless individuals. The Public Assistance Act and the Housing Act are two pieces of legislation that protect the homeless. When cops and institutions notice someone who is homeless, they must notify the Department of Sociology. After confirming that person's identity, he or she would be sent to welfare agencies or social welfare organizations for additional assistance. The Department of Social Welfare, police stations, the Department of Health and Welfare, and the Department of Labor are all in charge of supporting a homeless person, making them one of the key entities in care of the homeless.

HEALTH INSURANCE

There is also insurance for the health of the homeless. If a person has a low income, they may be eligible to apply for welfare insurance. They don't have to be concerned about medical bills because they have insurance. However, applying for this is difficult for the homeless, and they also do not have enough money to pay the payment. So, before applying for welfare insurance, the homeless might request "pending bills" from the department's social workers. Homeless people can use this to get medical help at a united hospital. If a homeless individual requests payment for a pending bill, the Social Welfare Department will cover all medical charges. This service was created because many homeless people, due to the exorbitant cost of going to the hospital, had minor ailments progress into major illnesses. To avoid this, the department established the service to urge these people to seek medical attention while their condition is still minor.

Source: Amcham
WORK & EMPLOYMENT

In terms of work and employment, using Taipei as an example, the city government collaborated with the Department of Labor, and after signing up, people had a better chance of getting a valid job. Each winter, the Department of Health and Welfare supplies clothing, sleeping bags, and hot food stations to the homeless in order to keep them healthy. There is also a station where individuals can drop off resources for the homeless. Homeless people who have been identified and verified are eligible for rent subsidies and can remain in institutions and shelters for up to three months. These are all examples of government welfare; while it does assist the homeless, most laws are insufficient to transform the lives of the homeless. Private institutions that raise money for the homeless and have their own ways of linking the homeless to the contemporary world are usually responsible for more in-person and thorough help.

Source: Taiwan News

PRIVATE

SOCIAL ASSISTANCE

Most of the foundations belong to private social assistance, as they don’t directly relate to the government, here are related and private associations that help out with advertising and spreading concepts, helping out homeless communities indirectly and directly

Related Associations

Do you a Flavor (人生百味)

Do You a Flavor is a small team with members from various fields like design, business management, network engineering, psychology, sociology, Chinese, etc. Since 2014, they have continued to launch different projects. Starting on the streets, they employ creative acts to address issues like poverty, homelessness, street vendors, and recycling, and strive to become the "guide" between people and issues. They do not change people, but modify the scenery of the street, making the street a brighter and friendlier place, where people are willing to pay attention and care about the people and things around them, forming a tight social connection.

Dream City Building (夢想城鄉)

The Dream City Building hopes to provide an exciting and safe environment through course design, media assistance, one-on-one learning, and small group methods. People from many walks of life accompany and learn from one another. All emotions are expressed here, including happiness, sadness, helplessness, embarrassment, and anger. In 2022, we were inspired by "fairy tales," incorporating the characters, plot development, symbols, and other components into the course. Inviting participants to use a variety of art media to create their own characters and stories, which they will then share with their partners to discuss the meaning and discovery of the works.

We’re not different (貧窮人的台北)

We're Not Different is a grassroots campaign formed by homeless persons, citizens, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) of youth and the urban poor from across the country. The four basic parts of We're Not Different are to learn more about poor conditions, record and listen to the personal stories of persons who live in poverty, and understand from their perspective. We're Not Different hosted an activity called the Carnival of Poverty in 2022 to assist people learn and understand more about poverty. It is an exhibition that tries to educate participants about the lives of the poor through talks and film screenings.

Source : Do you a Flavor

Source : Dream City Building

Source : We're Not different

Be kind and unite

“Homeless Taiwan” to “Be kind and Unite”

Compared to other vulnerable groups, the proportion of homeless people is relatively small, which results in this topic not being taken seriously. Part of the public doesn’t even understand them, leading to misunderstanding and unfriendly treatment. However, this will not improve the community, but instead, make it negative. A better community always forms by collaborating and helping each other, and this is how being kind is so important. While most people ignore the homeless, “The Homeless Taiwan association” instead, reached out to help these people. Passionate social workers not only support silently but also promote activities to the public so that more homeless can be helped. “Homeless Taiwan” made “us” and “homeless” no longer so far away, using kindness to warm their hearts. They provide jobs and support while expecting nothing in return. They show love in society, and let the homeless know their values. The kindness unites our community, it unites Taiwan, and it brings society alive again by injecting warmth. “Homeless Taiwan” is no longer homeless, instead kindness unites all of us.

Stories that improve our community by being kind

Charity itself consists of the kindness and grace of humanity. There are plenty of existing charities in Taiwan helping out people in need, for the ones abandoned, the ones in illness, and the ones homeless. The Taiwan Homeless Association is expressing their kindness to the ones that are homeless, it’s unimaginable that a group of adults chooses to support the ones in need instead of working somewhere they could receive higher wages. As our interviewee suggests, working in a charity association is like choosing a difficult path in life, organizing and helping out other individuals with their challenges in life is a challenge for staff workers in Taiwan Homeless Association. Receiving average income and having silent treatments with family members, staff workers frequently disappoint their families by helping people, but what’s wrong with helping people in need? Everyone has their own random life, they can’t decide who they want to be, the homeless individuals are simply unfortunate and assigned a bad conflict in life. One of the staff members, Guan Guan, suggests that she had been in conflict with her family because of her job and wage, but what motivates her is the kindness in humanity.

Statistics

1. Taiwan adult population: 11.87 million 
2. 2021 Employment population: 11.39 million 
3. 2021 Unemployment Population: 0.48 million 
4. Unemployment rate: 4.11% 
5. Temporarily unemployment rate: 4.15% 
6. Laboral participation rate: 58.82% 
7. Population living below 60 NTD per day: Almost none 
(Comparing to the US with 1.5 million individuals living below 60 NTD per day) 
8. Population living below 300 NTD per day: 0.7% 
(Comparing to South Korea with 4.24 individuals living below 300 NTD per day) 
9. Population living over 1500 NTD per day (high income rate): 33.8% 
10. Population of homeless people in Taiwan (Recorded): 3040 For each 7753 people there is one homeless person 
(Comparing to the US for each 5.5 people there is one homeless person)