Lockers provide help and security for homeless people

Lisbon’s Associação Conversa Amiga’s Solidarity Lockers provide homeless people with a safe place to store belongings and communicate with support workers.

The Portugese charity Associação Conversa Amiga started with the simple concept of providing tea and a chat to people who were likely to feel lonely and excluded. Now running a variety of projects dedicated to helping people transition from homeless, the charity’s latest project, Solidarity Lockers, is providing people sleeping on the streets, and the people trying to help them, with a means of communication. The lockers also enable people without a home to securely store their most important possessions.

Located across the city of Lisbon, Solidarity Lockers are numbered and assigned to people referred to the project. A team consisting of at least one social worker and a psychologist work to establish regular contact with each temporary locker owner. The lockers are frequently used to leave written communication, including service referral letters and follow-up appointments. People interested in supporting the charity are encouraged to contact the team via their website.

From solving the logistics of food donation to employing homeless people for as much or as little work as they can do, projects worldwide are seeking new ways to solve this complex problem. How might location-based technology solutions be adapted to link the many facets of a path someone takes to transition out of homelessness?