Emergency Counseling at Shinjuku Station : Year-end support for the homeless

The One-stop Group, made up by people involved in the 2008 Yearend Tent City for the Jobless, organized a counseling service for the homeless workers in Shinjuku Station West exit from December 29 to 30. The workers who came to the counseling received advice from experts and were able to get accommodation and food during the year end and the beginning of the next year from Hello Work. 50 people came on the 29th and since the counseling service was reported on Mainichi and Tokyo Newspaper, a lot more came on the 30th. The organizer said that many workers have lost their homes due to the two-year-long recession. By the proposal from YUASA Makoto, a year-end SOS hotline was set up to cope with the dire situation. The hotline will be opened from December 31 to January 3 and the applicants living in Tokyo can receive money for accommodation and food up to the morning of January 4. (M)
Photo: Shinjuku Station west exit

住まいのない人に年越し支援～新宿駅西口で緊急相談会
「年越し派遣村」に関わった人々で構成する「ワンストップの会」は、住まいのない困窮者を支援しようと12月29～30日、東京・新宿西口にテントを張り、相談活動を行った。相談者は、専門家のアドバイスをもとに、ハローワークの提供する宿泊と食事の世話を年末年始に受けることができる。29日は50人だったが、30日には「東京」「毎日」の各紙の報道もあり、相談者が続々と詰めかけた。「この2年の不況で失業が長く家を失ったケースなどが多い」と主催者はいう。また深刻な事態を受け、湯浅誠氏らの呼びかけで＜年越しSOS電話相談＞が急遽開設された。東京都内の困窮者を対象に年越し支援（1月4日朝までの宿泊費・食費）が実施される。相談は、12/31～1/3までで受け付ける。（M） 写真（新宿西口）