Who are the users (general description)?

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Our project focuses primarily on the homeless. We want to focus on them because they live among us and we cannot walk by without being sympathetic to them. So, what does it really mean to be homeless? Homelessness implies that some people do not have a home/designated place to sleep in. Some non-profit organizations (NGOs) provide shelters for those people to stay overnight, but they are still classified as homeless. An example of a homeless individual is someone who sleeps in public areas which are not designed for that purpose (e.g. ATMs near or inside bank premises, underneath bridges, and inside train stations).

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According to a non-profit organization called Arrels there are almost 3,000 homeless people in Barcelona (capital of Catalonia). Some research conducted by Arrels found the following data on homeless people in Barcelona:

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• Only 10% are women

• 54% are Spanish

• 60% have attended secondary school

• Only 12% have higher education credentials

• 50% have children

• 50% are seeking employment

• 79.2% suffer from chronic mental or physical disorder

• 44.5% have not had their own home for over 3 years

• Their life expectancy is 58 years (shocking statistic considering the life expectancy in Catalonia is 82.2 years)

• 50% victims of aggression or crime

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Out of the 3.000 homeless people there are 900 who sleep rough. Moreover 600 people use irregular settlements and the rest depend on public and private resources to spend the night.

Usually people do not become homeless overnight; their situation gradually gets worse over time. Nobody ends up living on a street by accident. The reasons are numerous and diverse. Some people end up on the street due to their physical or mental problems, whilst others were simply the unfortunate victims of economic crises. Homelessness can be linked to:

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• The economic process, the housing market and migration movements.

• Social services, help mechanisms and institutional proceedings.

• The family situation (e.g. a divorce or a relative’s death).

• Education, age, dependence and health.

• Specific situations concerning immigrants and other minorities.

 

It is also important to know that 45% of people on the streets, are there because they lost their job. Moreover, 26% are there because they were unable to pay for their housing and 21% are living on the streets due to separations.

So, what would our be project about?

    

Our idea is simple yet unique. It is designed to help those living on the streets. We would like to create a service that provides free haircuts and showers for the homeless. So what is the motive behind our project? Well, the number of homeless people in Barcelona is continuously rising, especially due to illegal immigration and refugees. We believe our project would bring about positive change in society and directly help these people in some way. Providing them with haircuts and showers will improve their appearance, their smell, their hygiene, as well as their psychological state. We would also like to raise awareness of our project with the help of social networks such as Facebook, Youtube, and Instagram.