Lin Cheng-yu (
"I failed interviews with many factories, including 10 printing companies in two years. They wanted young workers and had already hired cheaper foreign laborers," Lin said.
PHOTO: CHEN CHENG-CHANG, TAIPEI TIMES
"I had to eat grass and drink only water for 12 days before finding the soup kitchen," Lin recalled. "Living on the street ... police are seldom nice to us. I was once beaten up during the night because I ignored their warning that hobos should not wander around the Sun Yat-sun Memorial Hall, but I am a decent citizen," Lin said.
PHOTO: CHEN CHENG-CHANG, TAIPEI TIMES
The question of homelessness was first raised in Taiwan in 1988 after the lifting of martial law. It attracted little attention until five years later because of an escalating conflict between Wanhua (
It wasn't until 1995 that the first and only nation-wide survey of homelessness in Taiwan was completed. There is currently no up-to-date survey, said Lin Hun-shun (
The homeless descend on Taipei for the resources that the metropolitan area has to offer. The western part of Taipei near Wanhua has traditionally been their most popular haunt because the harbor created many opportunities for work.
The welfare of the homeless in Taiwan has been substantially ignored due to their stigmatization by Confucian ideals, according to Lin Wan-I (
"Chinese culture emphasizes making an effort to earn one's living, despite all the odds," said Lin, "The homeless are regarded as lazy people, incapable of tackling personal difficulties. That's why these people's cries for help are considered unjustified," Lin said.
Before the homeless issue started attracting public attention, the police would arrest and lock them up in police stations, Lin said.
Ho Chi-sheng (
Pestered by police
Social workers said that although social affairs bureaus currently handle matters relating to the homeless, the police are still involved. For example, they have to introduce them to medical centers or other appropriate organizations if they require medical treatment or risk causing harm to others.
"The police, despite the changed times and the existence of relevant regulations, are still not very friendly to the homeless," said Chen Ding-shun (
"The police maintain this inappropriate mentality because they lack the training to deal with the homeless," Lin said.
Social workers said police often overlook the vulnerability of the homeless.
Many homeless people are encouraged by gangsters to sell their IDs. Their IDs are used to establish and run illegal businesses. Some homeless people are also used by gangsters to marry Chinese or Southeast Asian women to facilitate their illegal entry to Taiwan for prostitution.
"I was asked to marry one for NT$60,000," said one homeless man.
Social workers said such connections with organized crime should be broken. Some homeless people cannot get social welfare because official documents show "they are the boss of a big company or they have a spouse that could support them," said social workers. Moreover, gangsters sometimes gather the homeless together to control them, which hampers the programs of social workers to help these people.
"But the police wouldn't help. I knew that a group of homeless men were to fly to China for fake marriages. But the police said they could do nothing because such an act does not donstitute a crime," said Ho.
Never picked by employers
Social workers said the withering of labor-intensive industry over the last decade had become the major force pulling many aged over 40 down to the very bottom of society. They also cited employers' use of cheap foreign labor as another core issue.
Social workers said these people found it very difficult to find new jobs because they lacked skills and were mostly poorly educated as they came from poor families.
Many also find themselves barred from possible employment because their health has deteriorated during their time on the street, say social workers.
In Taipei, regulations require the police in certain circumstances to send homeless people they encounter to hospitals for health checkups.
"But the doctors have an attitude towards the homeless. They provide crude checkups without careful examinations until the social workers show up to ensure the social affairs bureau will pay for them," Au said.
"Once a homeless man was sent to our shelter immediately after the hospital said he was fine, but that same night we had to send him to intensive care because he was dying," Au recalled.
"But the bureau also has a limited budget and it can't cover health insurance for all the homeless. Besides, the homeless ... hide themselves until social workers find them through their outreach programs," said one social worker.
There are, however, few social workers for such outreach programs. The social affairs bureau in Taipei has only one professional to deal with to every 100 homeless people living outside the shelter.
Politics play a part
Social workers said the welfare of the homeless is a matter which earns little attention because these people are marginalized and their low profile is of no interest to politicians.
That said, some resourceful politicians have used the homeless during their election campaigns.
"A legislator once moved some homeless people to an apartment and gave them food and IDs immediately, using his power as a public representative. He wanted votes from the homeless," said Chen.
Politicians also recruit the homeless to take part in campaign activities as apparent supporters. One homeless man said it was possible to earn about NT$1,000 by taking part in a campaign.
Meanwhile, the social bureau does not have sufficient funds to provide more assistance because politicians are under pressure from community residents to "clear out" these people instead of helping them, said Chen.
Lin said public representatives often understand the least about the plight of the homeless. This is evident, for example, when a representative gives the homeless New Year's couplets written on red paper to be pasted on doors of a house to wish the family good luck.
Lin said he had to take public representatives to see the real lives of the homeless so that they could understand why money should be allocated to these people.
The homeless, after long-term rejection and neglect by society, often develop a very strong defensiveness. Due to a lack of education, training and constant isolation, they often don't know how to interact with people to get a job and need counseling before interviews. But the extent to which such services are provided is woefully inadequate due to the lack of trained personnel, said social workers.
It is difficult to recruit social workers for the homeless because the pay is low and the work is tough, said Ho.
Yang Yun-sheng (
The homeless need a system to help them back to work within half a year of being made homeless, researchers and social workers say, because after this window of opportunity, a return to mainstream life is extremely difficult.
But social workers complain about not receiving enough support from other government agencies in terms of medical services, vocational training, job counseling and other forms of assistance.
"But the issue should earn more attention," said Lin. They said that Taiwan, currently lacking the appropriate infrastructure to help these people, may face increased homelessness due to the relentless transformation of industry and likely ascension to the WTO.
"There are not many opportunities to be taxi drivers or to run street stalls," said Lin, "and many cities are still unaware of how to design programs to help the homeless except by chasing them away."
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