Homelessness and Poverty Group

Group Members
Research Assignments

Goup Members

Cordinators	Amanda Le Stanford U.	Judy Trieu Stanford U.	Risako Takeo Chuo U.
Participants	Steven Haung Yuan Ze U.	Josh Liu Waseda U.	Kanako Ouchi Chuo U.
	Kazuma Tani Chuo U.	Mizuki Tashiro Ritsumeikan U.	Yuko Toda Waseda U.
	Haruka Wakuda Toyo Eiwa U.	Alex Xu Lingnan U.	Machi Zama Chuo U.

Research Assignments

Overview of Research Assignment:

• Familiarize participants with homelessness and poverty issues in their own country.
• Enrich AUSL discussions by giving participants greater ability to compare and contrast how different countries address environmental issues.
• Prepare participants for their final project.

Research Schedule:

May-July: Independent research
July 27:  Email Bina (bina@viaprograms.org) your research paper.
August:  You will share your research for assignment 2 with the rest of your group and the group will compare your research to the topics discussed in the discussion session (this is not a presentation). You will have about 10-15 minutes to share your research.

Assignment #1: Please answer these questions about homelessness and poverty in your country:

• What is the definition of a homeless person in your country?
• What are some reasons why people are homeless and in poverty?
• How does your society view homelessness and poverty?
• About how many homeless people are there in your country?
• What is the definition of someone in poverty in your country?
• What is the minimum wage (the lowest amount someone can be paid) in your country?  What is the life style of someone living on minimum wage? What can they afford?

Assignment #2: Social Stigmas

• What are some stereotypes of homeless people in your country?
• Do you see homeless people in the media? If so, are they shown in a positive or negative way? How does the media show them in that way?
• How do your friends and family talk about homeless people?
• How does the public generally treat homeless people? Do people talk to them? Do homeless people talk to the general public?
• Have there been reports of crimes against the homeless? What are some examples?

Assignment #2: Education

• Are there any courses about homelessness and/or poverty at your school or any others in your country?
• Maybe Professors talk about it in history classes or sociology classes. If so, what do they talk about? This could be for any grade level.
• Are there any student groups that try to help the homeless or impoverish communities? If so, what do they do? How often do they contribute to these communities?
• Are there any programs for children in poverty to help with their education (scholarships, after school help, etc)?

Assignment #2: Housing and Food

• How do the homeless and impoverished communities get housing and food in their lives?
• Are there NPOs that help with housing and/or food? Which organizations and how do they give?
• What about the government? Are there government-sponsored programs that help? How do they work?

Assignment #2: Health Care

• What percentage of the population in your country is not insured?
• How do these people get health care?
• What are the most common health care needs for people who are homeless or in poverty?
• What are services that are provided for people with out insurance? How does the government help this community? How do NPOs help this community (please share an example of an NPO)?