Abstract
Kotobuki, Yokohama is a lower-income urban community in Japan that has recently experienced a noticeable increase in welfare needs. With the inception of a new public program designed to encourage the homeless to find employment, previous forms of support for those in need, especially the homeless, have ended, with a negative impact on aid recipients. In addition, the increasing number of people on welfare in Kotobuki has affected the balance of power between local organizations and activist groups. Greater emphasis is now placed on welfare services to the elderly and the disabled, whereas living conditions in Kotobuki have become much more difficult for people who are homeless and able to work only occasionally. New developments in the town have effectively excluded people of low income, particularly the homeless, who are increasingly losing their access to public support.
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Notes
- 1.
We cannot see the situation mentioned in the town now, because of the decreasing number of migrants. With the long-term recession of the 1990s and intensified crackdown of the Immigration Service, some migrants moved to other areas in Japan to obtain a better chance to earn a living while others went back to their home countries.
- 2.
The number of homeless people was 20,451 in 132 municipalities as of October 1999 and 24,090 in 420 municipalities as of January 2001, according to the national homeless count.
- 3.
This estimate was provided in an interview with a self-support facility staff member in September 2010.
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Yamamoto, K. (2023). The Impact of Increasing Welfare Needs and Exclusion of Homeless People in the Urban Underclass Communities of Kotobuki, Yokohama. In: Mizuuchi, T., Kornatowski, G., Fukumoto, T. (eds) Diversity of Urban Inclusivity. International Perspectives in Geography, vol 20. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-8528-7_8
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