Over the past 5 years, the number of people sleeping on McDonalds has dropped 6fps. They are called McRefugees.
A study organized by non-governmental organization Junior Chamber International, Tai Ping Shan, interviewed 334 people who spent the night at McDonald's restaurants from June to July, a number many times older than 57 homeless people enrolled in 2013.
The study testified that not everyone who slept at McDonalds at night was homeless. 70% of the respondents said they had no other place to sleep, for example. social centers or social apartments and most of them worked full-time or part-time.
"These have where to sleep, but they do not go home." One of the interviewers, Hung.
The main reason for this massive influx in McDonalds, links to socio-economic challenges such as high wages or high electricity bills. Hung recounts that a man was unable to afford the price of air conditioning and had no windows for ventilation in one of the social apartments. Instead of paying the owner for the cold air, he decided to spend the nights in McDonalds's fresh premises.
Wifi free of charge, free meals and baths are options that are appreciated by people who sleep in these restaurants.
Hongo Kong is one of the most expensive real-estate markets. According to a 2017 study, the purchase price of an apartment has risen from $ 770 in 1997 to $ 1,700 per sqm in 2018.
Another reason for this "homeless" rise in the night is also personal or family conflict. A construction worker did not want to stay at home where he only had problems with his parents. A 55-year-old woman slept at McDonalds to avoid her husband's violence.
Some did not want to sleep at home even when there were no conflicts - an elderly woman, widowed and childless, felt very lonely and decided to share the night with others like her. "We realized that people are not just financially poor, but many of those who sleep here are poor in their lives, in their souls." Hung said.
The JCI organization has recommended a number of measures to the Hong Kong government, but most importantly, Hung says "must change social behavior towards each other. Nowadays we do not talk to strangers, do not care, and do not think about each other. We want to encourage citizens to show more care to others around.
SOURCE: CNN
