I really wanted you to help-The new Corona is 33 years old and is in danger of life-May 12, 21:00

“Can you listen to me?”

At the end of April, one email arrived at the reporter's mobile phone. The sender was a 33-year-old man I met during the interview two weeks ago. The cheek of the man who appeared at the meeting place in a suit was squeezed and the expression was completely disappointed. Then he squeezed out his voice with his loose eyes.

"I really wanted you to help me."

In a suit distribution line for food distribution

I first met a man on April 18. I was visiting an NPO "Independent Living Support Center Moyai" for an emergency consultation meeting for the poor.

A consultation meeting held under an elevated railway near the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Office in Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo. Although it was raining heavily from the morning on this day, so-called homeless people were forming a long line in search of groceries to be distributed free of charge.

In the line was a young man in a suit. I cannot hear any plight from my appearance. However, he said that he lost his place and lost his income due to the closure of the Internet cafe due to the emergency declaration. He muttered, "I have only 40 yen in my possession."

Fired after the Great East Japan Earthquake

Why did you start living in an online cafe?

The man is from Kyushu. After graduating from high school, I worked at a restaurant in the Kansai region and returned to my hometown when I was 20 years old. He also worked at the factory as a contract employee while living in his parents' home.

A man said, "The gears of life have started to go crazy," about nine years ago during the Great East Japan Earthquake. Due to the effects of the earthquake, I was unable to procure parts for the factory and was dismissed at the age of 24. He was suddenly dismissed while he was beginning to see hiring as a regular employee.

At that time, my parents divorced. His relationship with his father, who lived with him at his parents' house, got worse and he left home at the age of 26. After working as a temporary worker at an automobile factory in Kanagawa prefecture, he worked at a restaurant in Tokyo and lived in a dormitory for clerk for a while.

But three years ago, there was no dormitory at the new store. He earned about 180,000 yen a month, but it was difficult to rent an apartment because he left home without moving his resident card. After that, I started to live in an internet cafe.

Lost income and whereabouts

"I don't want you to go to work from tomorrow,"

was told by the owner of the restaurant where I work at the beginning of April when the new coronavirus infection spread. And the Internet cafe became unavailable due to the closure request of Tokyo that received the emergency declaration.

Without paying holiday allowances, he lost his income and whereabouts at once, and started his first street life.

Consultation on April 18th. Men were recommended by NPO staff to apply for welfare. There are no savings, little money in hand, and no future income. It was decided that life would be difficult without the support of the national government.

And three days later, I promised to receive a detailed explanation of welfare at the NPO office. The NPO handed in a support fund of 15,000 yen to use it for hotel fees during that period.

Lost contact Resistance to livelihood protection…

April 21, three days later. In order to convey the plight of those who have lost their whereabouts, I told the man, "I'd like you to interview the NPO, and get approval." However, the man did not appear on this day. I sent an email but no reply. I waited for more than 4 hours until the consultation ended, but I did not contact the NPO.

I remembered the man's saying, "I am unwelcome to public assistance. I still can't decide whether or not to apply." A sense of resistance to receiving public welfare at the young age of 30s. The expectation is that once the infection is over, it may be possible to return to the original workplace. However, the amount of time that they can live with the support money of 15,000 yen is limited.

"Is the meal taken?" The days of thinking about a man in one corner of his heart continued.

Sudden email reunion after 2 weeks

"Can you talk to me?" An

email from a man arrived on my mobile phone on the evening of April 30th. Immediately after sending the e-mail, there was a reply saying "I want to meet in Ikebukuro tomorrow".

At 5:30 pm on May 1, the following day, a man arrived at the meeting place in front of JR Ikebukuro Station on time. The same suit as 2 weeks ago. However, his face was pale, his cheeks were soft, and his facial expressions were disappointing.

I haven't eaten for 3 days

How have you been living for two weeks since then?

The man said that he stayed at a business hotel for several days with the help of an NPO. However, his money had quickly run out and he started to live on the streets again.

Many parks in Tokyo have been closed due to the declaration of emergency. It was a park near Ikebukuro Station that I walked around looking for a place to live. It is said that he sits on a block wall surrounding the planted plant and continues to sleep for about two hours while sitting lightly.

When you show me a man's wallet, the contents are empty. I had no money with me. "I haven't eaten anything for three days," he said.

(Men)
"It's my first time, this kind of street life. It's tough. I can't even eat, so I think I'll really fall. When I'm alone in the park, I'm mentally hunted down and jump off. I also thought that I might die because of that. I feel that I have reached the limit. I have only anxiety for the future. It is pitch black, ahead. ”

No support

The national and local governments are taking various measures to support those who are in need of living. For example, an "emergency petty fund" that allows people who are forced to take leave or lose work to borrow up to 200,000 yen without interest. However, it is difficult to obtain a loan because there is no resident card required for application. The application form for the 100,000 yen benefit does not reach men without an address.

A week ago, I came to the ward office window because I learned that Tokyo provided free business hotel rooms for those who lost their places due to the closure of internet cafes. However, many people flooded the window. The person in charge told me that today was the deadline and gave up using it.

I couldn't even pay for my smartphone, and I couldn't use the phone. He searched around for restaurants that could be recharged and sent an email to the reporter using free Wi-Fi. However, it was not easy to find a chargeable store, and the power was off this day.

(Men)
"Because I can't recharge, I sometimes can't see my cell phone for a whole day. I didn't have any information and I didn't know where to go to get help. I emailed you because I wanted you to hear it. I really wanted to help. "

A harsh reality that was far beyond my imagination. No support arrived, and one man was isolated in one corner of the city.

"If you keep going this way, you may really die." I was frustrated and felt my heart beating faster.

Reporter's guide to the business hotel

How can we help men? The first thing that came to my mind was how to support the city, which men had given up on, and how to connect it to a business hotel.

According to the metropolitan area, the number of people who live and sleep at internet cafes is estimated at about 4,000 per day. I heard that the Metropolitan area has enough business hotel rooms as temporary accommodation for these people. The number of users is about 750 as of the end of April. Men should be able to stay.

Those who are in need of assistance should apply at the welfare window of the local government, and those who want to live independently without receiving welfare should apply at the city window. For men who do not have money, it is necessary to apply at the window of the local government, but tomorrow is Saturday, the window of the ward office is not open.

For this reason, I called the department in charge of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government to explain the situation of men. Then, the person in charge judged that there was a high degree of urgency and promised that "we will be able to stay at a business hotel during the long holidays."

On May 2nd, the next day, I was able to go with the man to the counter in the city and receive an application form to replace the hotel voucher. Street life that lasted about 3 weeks. The man, with a slightly rested look, said:

"It was tough. It was really tough both mentally and physically. I feel relieved. I think I have saved my life. I could only sleep for about two hours every day. First, I would like to take a rest at the hotel. "

Decided to apply for welfare due to extension of emergency declaration

I had something I wanted to ask a man. Why didn't you come to the welfare consultation you had promised?

The man confessed about the reason, "Maybe it was my biggest obstacle to contact my parents."

When receiving welfare, the local government may contact family members for a dependent survey. However, the man's relationship with his family deteriorated and he has not been in contact for more than 7 years. He said he didn't want his parents to know about his / her life-affected situation.

However, the extension of the emergency declaration changed the mental state of men.

(Male)
“I am in my thirties and still working, so I felt reluctant if I could do without relying on public assistance. The feeling of refusal was really strong. I was wondering if I could do something yet. There was an extension of the emergency declaration, and I despaired when I could work in the store. I thought that I could not help it alone, so I had to rely on the support of the country. ”

"Independence Life Support Center Moyai" that men consulted. Last month, we held an extraordinary counseling meeting twice a week while an emergency was announced.

The number of consultations during the interview was 163 in one month. There are many urgent consultations such as men who can not live without applying for welfare, such as "I have only a few hundred yen in my money" and "I lost my house or whereabouts."

(Moyai Onishi, President)
“There are very many cases where people who used to work normally suddenly lose their jobs and run out of money, so they come to us for consultation. There is a feeling that it is difficult to say that you can help only yourself because it spreads over the whole area and everyone is suffering.It is embarrassing to use welfare, and there are values ​​that people do not want to be known to others. People are hesitant. I don't have a life first. I want people to feel free to use the welfare system as a means to protect their lives, and I hope that society will understand it more. "

Step by step

On the 5th of this month, a man visited “Moyai” and was told about welfare. Then, three days later, apply for welfare at the ward window. For the time being, he will be able to stay at the business hotel during the period when the state of emergency is announced and the living expenses are paid. After the application, I talked to a man in a park where the sunlight was calm.

(Male)
First of all, I'm relieved. But I don't want to use much welfare, so I would like to rent an apartment, find a proper job, and live an independent life as quickly as possible. This Coronavirus As a result, I realized the importance of living a proper life. I am worried about the future, but I will move forward one step at a time. "

I felt that my eyes were coming back to life.
(Yu Yokoi, correspondent, Social Affairs Department)