I lived in Wanhua District for a few months. Homelessness isn’t rare there. Especially around Lonshan Temple, and under the bridges along riverside park.
Not to sound horrible, but compared to LA the homelesse here have it great. we used to run charity for homeless people.in the south but became so saddening seeing how much they had and just wasted we decided to .change ton evironmental efforts.
People.here are.fairly generous in giving, but perhaps lacking jn actually wanting.to.help solve problems. Again, LA has no right pointing the finger on this issue, especially at taiwan.
It’s not.
Sorry. LA Times*
It didn’t seem like a finger-pointing exercise though. Good journalism.
Actually I enjoyed the article as well. It’s hard not to feel sorry for people in a country that has almost zero security and welfare net. It’s seen as their families problem if they are homeless and not societies issue.
That thinking may have worked 30 years ago but now with western style influence of personal independence becoming more persuasive, family seems to mean less and less as the article points out. (Brother not picking up the phone, hiding homelessness from family)
OTOH I have been told through that there are many fake homeless that collect money for gangs and not to offer money. It’s hard to know when to give and when not to.
Taiwan growing homeless it feels, still die early
This homeless man, was cared by his Girlfriend for a long time, still dies not so old
Compared to Europe or even Japan, services for elders and homeless still quite poor in super rich Taiwan.
I lived there too for a year ten years ago and also saw lots of homeless, but I lived closer to Ximen, but yeah, walking around in other parts of the district it was more noticeable. There was one guy in particular that I found quite interesting. He would always be at the lottery shop and he had this binder with pages and numbers, and he’d be poring over it all the time, sometimes talking to others about it, pointing and speaking vehemently. In my imagination I think he believes he has some sort of system for winning the lottery and has gone all in on it, sacrificing everything to make sure he wins big some day. I’ve been living in northern Taipei for about the last six years and I swear, I now see the same guy hanging around the Shilin night market area. Same guy, looks a little older, still got the binders with the numbers in them. There are also a handful of other homeless people around the Shilin night market area… probably an easy place to beg and get cheap food?
and let’s not forget, there are definitely a good number of homeless around Taipei Main station.