Helping the homeless around the world
As temperatures fall, there are still thousands of homeless people living on the streets. Here's how people in the U.S., France, and Hungary are helping.
The homeless crisis can feel overwhelming, but here are people finding extraordinary ways to make a difference
Jakes Heart
Meanwhile, in Frisco, Texas, 9-year-old Jake has been distributing toiletries, sleeping bags and blankets to the homeless living in his town and surrounding areas. At only 4 years old, he created "Jake's heart", an association to help the homeless. Every year, the association helps 4,000 people. It receives donations from across the country but also from Canada. According to the US government, in 2018, more than 550,000 people were homeless in the country.
Une couverture pour l’hiver (A Blanket for Winter)
The association operates thanks to donations. The distribution of resources for the homeless costs between 500 and 1000 euros an outing. President of the organization Clara every week, roams the streets of Paris to give blankets, sleeping bags and toiletries to the homeless during the winter. For Clara, it is also, and most importantly, a way to break the permanent isolation of the homeless. In one year, the association has helped more than 1,250 homeless people.
Budapest Bike Maffia
Zoltán Havasi is the founder of the Hungarian civil society organization "Budapest Bike Maffia". A group of cyclists who pedal through the streets of Budapest to distribute hot meals and blankets to the homeless. The idea came to him 8 years ago during the Christmas period. Since then, Zoltan and the organization's 150 volunteers have been cooking meals and raising funds thanks to donations. Bike Maffia distributed more than 4,000 meals throughout the capital. In 2018, the Hungarian government passed a law prohibiting the homeless from sleeping in public spaces. Today, there are reportedly more than 15,000 homeless people across the country and only 11,000 places available in emergency shelters.
Brut.
