Summary of Housing Japan's Homeless (Part 3)

00:00:00 - 00:15:00

The Japanese government has put in place a two-tier system to deal with homelessness, which offers temporary shelters as well as programs to get people back into mainstream society. However, some left-wing activists are critical of the way the government deals with homelessness, arguing that it is not doing enough to help people.

• 00:00:00 In Japan, the homeless can be found in many places, including on the streets, in public parks, and in little communities with makeshift wood frames and tarps. The homeless residing at the edges of society are often unnoticed, making it difficult to know the true rate of homelessness in Japan. Emergency shelters and self-reliance support centers try to help homeless people get back on their feet, but there is great variation in how successful these programs are. Rents for apartments can be expensive, and before an apartment can be rented, a deposit and first month's rent must be paid.
• 00:05:00 The professor discussed the various ways in which Japan deals with homelessness, including public housing, poverty businesses, and the existence of homeless shelters that offer protections such as lawyers. He also mentioned that the homeless person is much more likely to be successful in applying for welfare if they have a lawyer present.
• 00:10:00 The housing Japan's homeless problem is compounded by the fact that many homeless people are unresponsive to government and NGO efforts to get them into permanent housing. Sometimes, the Japanese authorities will forcibly remove homeless people's dwellings from public parks. In other cases, they will offer homeless people temporary housing in shelters.
• 00:15:00 The video discusses Japan's homeless population, explaining that there is a two-tier system in place which will eventually get the homeless back into mainstream society. However, once they are in the shelter system, barriers are put up to stop them from returning. Left-wing activists are critical of the way the Japanese government deals with homelessness, but overall, things are moving in a good direction.