Guest appearance on ABEMA Prime: applications are rising, so why are recipient numbers falling? The reality of public assistance
We appeared as a guest on “Applications are rising, so why are recipient numbers falling? The reality of public assistance,” broadcast from 21:00 to 21:30 on October 16.
As usual, nerves got the better of us on air. But here is what we see on the ground: every day we meet people in their twenties to forties who are working spot-work shifts at around the minimum cost of living while living in internet cafés. Most earn just around the threshold for public assistance (seikatsu hogo) and are, somehow, “able to work again today” — and yet cannot break out of living day to day.
The options that keep growing are all of the “just barely survivable” kind. And the people we meet almost all say they want to work properly and become self-reliant through work. We think this growing group — people who never reach the point of using public assistance — is part of what the statistics reflect.
Personally, these are exactly the people we encourage and help: consult early, before pushing yourself until your health breaks; use public assistance; secure your own apartment; and from that stable base, rethink your working life. We want people to reach somewhere stable before the cold really sets in.
