Of a population of 106 million people in the Philippines, about 4.5 million are homeless; there are about 3 million homeless people in Manila alone, possibly the most of any other city in the world.
After studying the issue, I am convinced that the government has barely scratched the surface in combating the issue. According to the people I listened to, the only anti-poverty scheme of the government, the 4 Ps (Pantawid Pamilyang, Pilipino Program — a conditional cash transfer program of the Philippines) hardly benefited the extreme poor and homeless.
Many of the homeless are scavengers, rag pickers, construction workers, jasmine flower sellers, car park attendants, jeepney barkers, or tricycle drivers. About 250,000 Filipino children are living on the street, and parents use their children for begging.
solution:
Increase minimum wage and social assistance rates and ultimately we need a basic/minimum income (by the way, we could and should do that tomorrow, easy!), and;
Create truly affordable, quality housing whether through de-commodification of housing, rent controls, refurb/retrofit/maintenance, or new public housing builds (by the way, creating jobs in the process).
Income and housing are the foundation from which we begin to support individuals as part of the community. People must be supported in their physical, mental and social well-being to maintain stability and achieve belonging, both as recovery from the trauma of homelessness and prevention against a constant cycle of new people.
Answers & Comments
Answer:
Of a population of 106 million people in the Philippines, about 4.5 million are homeless; there are about 3 million homeless people in Manila alone, possibly the most of any other city in the world.
After studying the issue, I am convinced that the government has barely scratched the surface in combating the issue. According to the people I listened to, the only anti-poverty scheme of the government, the 4 Ps (Pantawid Pamilyang, Pilipino Program — a conditional cash transfer program of the Philippines) hardly benefited the extreme poor and homeless.
Many of the homeless are scavengers, rag pickers, construction workers, jasmine flower sellers, car park attendants, jeepney barkers, or tricycle drivers. About 250,000 Filipino children are living on the street, and parents use their children for begging.
solution:
Increase minimum wage and social assistance rates and ultimately we need a basic/minimum income (by the way, we could and should do that tomorrow, easy!), and;
Create truly affordable, quality housing whether through de-commodification of housing, rent controls, refurb/retrofit/maintenance, or new public housing builds (by the way, creating jobs in the process).
Income and housing are the foundation from which we begin to support individuals as part of the community. People must be supported in their physical, mental and social well-being to maintain stability and achieve belonging, both as recovery from the trauma of homelessness and prevention against a constant cycle of new people.