Over 70% of young homeless lost homes for work-related reasons: study

Saturday 04th December, 05:14 AM JST

TOKYO —

More than 70% of homeless men aged younger than 40 said they lost their homes for work-related reasons including job losses, according to a study by a private aid group that became available Friday.

Of 50 men interviewed in Tokyo and Osaka, 28 said they come from financially struggling families while 27 had changed jobs at least five times, said the Big Issue Japan Foundation.

Many young homeless people appear to have been unable to get financial support from their parents, who were themselves financially disadvantaged, and suffered job insecurity, said Michiko Miyamoto, head of a committee formed by the Big Issue Japan Foundation to conduct the survey.

Of the interviewees who come from various parts of Japan and whose average age was 32.3, 15 became homeless after quitting jobs while nine lost homes because their contracts as temporary workers were terminated. Six became homeless because their employers fired them or went bankrupt. Eight ran away from their company dormitories or other facilities.

A total of 43 were formerly regular employees while 33 have experience as temporary workers.

Thirty finished or left high school, while 11 went no further beyond middle schools.

Big Issue interviewed the respondents between autumn 2008 and spring this year.