IDEAS FOR GOODHomes are a starting point in peoples’ lives. So it’s an admirable thing to create a business model that solves both issues of supporting single mothers and vacant houses.
There are over 1.2 million single mothers and fathers in Japan. That means 1 out of 10 families are single-parent households. Recently, family structures have become more diverse and society has come to accept them. Unfortunately, single mothers and fathers are still finding it hard to get by.
One major concern that single parents have is finding a home; rent is high in the city so there are very few affordable houses. Moreover, even if they find a reasonable house they can live in, they often fail to pass guarantee companies vetting process. In addition, the environment of low-rent residences are often run down and sometimes dangerous. They are certainly unsuitable for raising children.
Because of these circumstances, a non-profit organization called Little Ones, based in Tokyo’s Suginami Ward, has launched a unique approach to provide vacant houses to single mothers and fathers by cooperating with real estate companies and the government.
We asked Mr. Koyama, Little Ones’ spokesperson for the board of directors, how they connecty single-parent households and vacant houses.
Supporting supporting single parents while filling vacant houses
Japan’s issue of vacant houses is serious. Japan’s ratio of vacant dwellings (ratio of vacant houses to number of households) is 13.5 percent and this number is increasing every year. It is said that in 2030, this number will raise to 30 percent. If the number of vacant houses continue to increase, the neighboring environment will not improve. The local landscape and the safety of the neighborhood will go to ruin. We shouldn’t neglect this issue.
The issue of single parents is serious too. The government provides support to single parents by offering public housing estates. However, getting an apartment is extremely competitive because demand is higher than what is available. Furthermore, the department that provides residential support and the department that provides welfare support are separated within the government. Miscommunications between the two departments often fail the efficacy of the support.
Therefore, Little Ones created a social business model that solves both the issue of supporting single parents and the issue of vacant houses simultaneously. It also does this successfully by meeting the needs of single parents, real estate agents and the government.
A social business model where everyone is happy
At the core of Little One’s business model is matching single parents with real estate. Some vacant house owners leave their house unattended because the cost for renovation is too expensive.
On the other hand, there is a huge merit for owners of vacant houses if they use Little Ones’ framework. They can seek grants and subsidies from the government to renovate their houses. Moreover, they can promote safety and deter crime with proper renovations so single parents and their children can live securely.
Moreover, the support program of Little Ones solves the issue of single parents not being able to find a guarantor. They have found a few solutions, including using the owner’s guarantee company, Japan Guarantee Association. Guarantee companies that are close with the government also available as alternatives.
The outcome of the program
Thanks to Little Ones’ support, single parents are able to find a home within two days. It is an improvement to the long period of time it usually takes for others. A single mother, who found a home through the service, made a special manga comic as gratitude for Little Ones and their swift action. Another owner who left his property unattended for over a year, was glad to have a new resident living in it, feeling as though he now has a new grandchild added to his family.
The group has succeeded in matching 30 pairs between January and 23rd July. Last year that number was 68, and the year before was 82.
Little Ones’ values don’t only lie in matching single parents to vacant houses. Even if single-parent households are able to find a home, they cannot stay there for long unless they have an income to pay the rent. Little Ones not only find homes for single parents but also support their lives, including education, work, independence and communication. This is why the matching is so meaningful.
Child poverty: an invisible issue in Japan
To begin with, why is it so important to support single-parent households?
This is because it is closely related to the poverty issue, or the relative poverty of children in Japan — a country with the third largest economy in the world.
“The ratio of relative poverty of children” is the rate of children of 17 years old and under, who live under the country’s poverty line (50% of equivalent disposable income). In Japan’s case, people who are defined as in relative poverty are people who have a monthly income of 140,000 yen and under (including public benefit).
The ratio of relative poverty of children is 54 percent, among the 1.2 million single parent households. 12 percent are households with two adults raising a child. The ratio of single-parent households is extremely high. Japan is the only country among major developed countries that belongs to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), that exceeds a ratio of 50 percent. It is apparent that children raised in single-parent households face disadvantages in opportunities, including attending schools, consuming food and receiving medicine.
How we structure our living environment, an essential foundation of life, is not only important for single parents but also for children.
The role of Little Ones is to match people with different roles
While doing this work, Mr Koyama noticed that real estate agents and owners of vacant houses lack information and have many misunderstandings.
Real estate owners don’t know how to make the best out of their homes. Meanwhile, real estate companies worry that single parents won’t be able to pay the rent properly. One of the important roles of Little Ones is to remove these kinds of misunderstandings and provide information to close the gaps.
It’s not merely single parents who are finding it hard to find a home. Foreigners too are finding it hard to find a place to stay in Japan for a long-term stay. Little Ones already applies this structure of housing support for single parents to LGBTs, people from orphanages and foreigners. Little Ones is spreading their know-how to solve social problems.
Mr Koyama shares, “Everything beings in a home. It’s the starting point of life.” Just as he says, homes form the base of peoples’ lives, therefore everyone should have a place where they feel at ease.
More spotlight should be placed on Little Ones, an organization challenging two current issues at the same time, that of supporting single parents and the issue of vacant houses, both which have become serious social problems in Japan today.
This article was originally published on IDEAS FOR GOOD.
Translated by Ayako Karino.
