Written by Marley Diligent

This is insane and a big issue in the world we are living in today. According to the Borgen Project, there are around 23,000 and 35,000 homeless people living in Spain, which makes up about .07% of the population in total. When conducting research regarding what individuals should do if they are facing inadequate and insecure homelessness, I experienced much difficulty finding helpful resources. According to the World Institute of Global Homelessness, there are a total of 1.6 billion people experiencing homelessness and about 100 million of those people have no housing at all. I had the idea to research a more direct question “How do I survive homelessness?” and I was shocked by the results. If I was one of those 1.6 billion homeless individuals the answers I would be the following: get a rucksack to hold my belongings, hide your sleeping bag in a safe place, have a change of clothes, and keep food in a tin to keep rats and squirrels out. These answers are unacceptable. Resources need to be easily available and straightforward for someone who is actively motivated to escape the cycle of homelesness.

            Andrew Funk, who is the founder of the Homeless Entrepreneur, experienced homelessness himself. I was curious to see if he did any research to find solutions and what initiated positive change in his life. He explained that he never searched for typical resources, for example; a homeless shelter or access to free food. He utilized his network through social media outlets, actively searching for work he could get paid for. Along with that, he began researching, studying and getting to know the people who were in similar situations as him. He stated “people” were the most useful resources because they could give him access to opportunities and later earn well deserved money.

He was able to network with the right people in order to gain access to a brighter future. He is now running a successful career, has incredible connections, and is married with two children. Hearing about Andrew’s experience of life changing resources reinforces how important having direct access to opportunities for motivated individuals truly is. 

One of Homeless Entrepreneur’s main programs is ¡called Homeless Voices, which is the first step in initiating positive changes for an individual experiencing homelessness. The Homeless Voices Program allows individuals to connect with their community and then leads to the possibility of entering the HELP Program, which provides various housing and employment opportunities. It gives people the chance to grow their income, build assets, and develop a stable job and life.

An individual named Micheal contacted the Homeless Helpline via WhatsApp from Germany and participated in the Homeless Voices program. Doing so allowed him to gather the support of Homeless Entrepreneur’s community network, which consequently helped him in the process of getting back to Peru. If Michael never became  aware of this program his future could have gone in many other directions or, even worse, none at all. Individuals in similar situations should be able to access this resource without having to search online for months or hear about it from a friend when it could be too late. 

I also got the chance to talk to Larry Adesuyi who is currently in the HELP Program. I asked where he looked for resources when he started experiencing homelessness along with how he learned about Homeless Entrepreneur. He explained he searched for resources everywhere online, but was unsuccessful. He finally found out about Homeless Entrepreneur through a connection he had made on LinkedIn.

Larry was a motivated individual looking everywhere online for support to help improve his quality of life. He exemplifies another reason why direct support has to be easily accessible when someone is actively trying to make a positive change happen in their life.

The HELP program, which provides a support pathway of independence in a year, is an opportunity for participants in the Homeless Voices program, who apply for it and are accepted in the program. HELP is an empowerment-based program that mainly focuses on professional development, training, health, housing, finance, legal and communication opportunities. It also addresses poverty and may lead to the Launchpad Housing Program, while promoting active citizenship and well-being in a holistic sense. Larry provides a clear example of someone who is actively working hard physically, mentally, and emotionally to improve his life with the resources the Homeless Entrepreneur can provide as well as the ones he finds on his own.

Individuals having access to Homeless Entrepreneur’s programs can create meaningful impacts for a person, but in order to do that a person experiencing homelessness needs to be well known and his or her story needs to be communicated properly. It's unacceptable that nothing appears when searching for “Solutions if I am homeless in Spain.” Every time we communicating online, with our partners, donors, volunteers, and current Homeless Entrepreneurs, we are also hoping to attract more candidates who fit the screening requirements for our programs. We, as a society, need to be proactive about creating positive change to end homelessness, and there is no reason why accessing resources should be difficult and vague for people who truly want a better quality of life.

A donation of just as little as twelve euros can go a long way towards someone entering Homeless Entrepreneur’s programs, which open up opportunities that will leave an impact on those being helped and those helping because everyone learns along the way. If you are currently struggling with homelesness, hear, or know someone struggling, we invite you to apply to become a Homeless Entrepreneur. Do not hesitate to reach out to us and begin the change you want to see in yourself and in the community you live in or want to support.

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