World We Dare to Imagine Part 3

 

Community Connection: Fighting Homelessness One Step at a Time

Our mission, beyond providing necessities to the homeless population in Hong Kong, is to establish a human connection with the people we serve

Hong Kong faces many problems, but one that is becoming increasingly prominent, and not getting the attention it deserves, is that of homelessness. To illustrate how seriously overlooked this problem is, let me introduce you the the term: McRefugee. This term was coined by Hong Kongers as a result of the high number of homeless people living in 24-hour McDonald restaurants due to astronomical rent prices and lack of resources being provided by the government for homeless people. 

There is a saying for students in Hong Kong that you must “study hard or end up as a beggar”. I know it sounds wrong, but I never thought of it as anything more than a way to encourage students to remain diligent in school. In hindsight, I see a big problem with this statement. While it may not have been their intention to do so, my parents, along with many others, are projecting a negative image on homeless people by insinuating that they ended up on the streets because of laziness. As a child, I took the adult’s word for it. As I’ve grown and learned more about the homeless situation in Hong Kong, my perspective began to shift. Over years of experience, I’ve discovered that each and every homeless person has his/her own unique story. Since becoming aware of this, I have begun rejecting stigmas associated with homelessness that are based on the false premise that homeless people always had a choice. I hope that I can also persuade others to look at the homeless situation in a different light as a result of my work with this organization.

There are many policies and organizations that are aimed at providing food, clothing, and other necessities for homeless people in Hong Kong. However, what I believe to be the biggest commonality shared among all homeless people, and also what is missing from other relief efforts, is the restoration of human interaction and connections these individuals have lost on the way to becoming homeless. Being homeless often means being ousted by society, and many of these individuals have lost faith in the government and other people for help as a result. Many don’t even have a friend or family member to talk to anymore. Providing necessities is a must, but Community Connection takes efforts one step further by providing a meaningful human connection with these individuals. To gain their trust and friendship, our organization will be committed to hosting events on a daily and/or weekly basis, as opposed to the once a month format that many other charities are doing. This is important because frequent visits are necessary in order to become a regular, kind presence in these individual’s lives. In addition, Community Connections will also take a more holistic approach to take care of these individuals. Our organization is committed to offering personal guidance in financial literacy, mental and physical health, and a plethora of other areas. We understand that solving homelessness is more than putting roofs over heads. It also means equipping these people with the skills necessary to succeed in society.

Our organization is currently seeking for support from Anima Mundi Development Partners. We believe there is a real opportunity to expand our unique framework to areas outside of Hong Kong in the future. As you may know, this problem is not regional or exclusive to any one city. Hong Kong, though small, is a strategically advantageous place to start given the flexibility to then expand operations into the neighboring cities in China and eventually into the rest of Southeast Asia. By investing into Community Connection, your company is not helping to not only make a positive impact on the homeless community, but also to destigmatize homelessness in general.