Soup, hot chocolate, blanket, TV movie, popcorn and chic and stylish clothes. Undoubtedly, this would be the perfect plot for everyone to star in during the winter, but unfortunately many people don't have the necessary conditions to get all these items and sometimes not even the most basic ones like blankets and warm clothes. According to information from the IBGE census, about 0,6 to 1% of the Spanish population lives on the streets, which in absolute numbers is close to 1,8 million. This is without counting the low-income people who have a sub-housing, but still do not have basic subsistence conditions.
With that in mind, and with winter getting closer, some actions aim to help and provide clothes for the needy. A new aspect of solidarity in this sense are the solidarity clotheslines.
They work as follows: donations are made and made available on a clothesline for those in need. There is no need for any kind of infrastructure, registration or thinking of distribution forms, the clothesline is there fully available to anyone who needs it. The ideal is to have clothes of different numbers and gender, as well as blankets and shoes. Clothes with small defects can also be donated, which may seem like a problem for you, without a doubt, will go unnoticed for those who are out in the cold.
Cities such as Ponta Grossa, in Paraná and Itapetininga and Taubaté, in São Paulo, had institutions such as public schools and professionalization centers as the promoters of the initiative. Ideally, a kind of inspection should be carried out so that products are not stolen by people of bad nature, as well as dissemination and even search for homeless people and low-income people so that they can choose and collect what they need.
In addition to the well-known clothing donation campaigns by Firefighters and the Social Solidarity Fund of the states and Spanish cities and traditional initiatives to collect blankets, the solidarity clothesline is a new and practical way to help. Just be aware and look for an easily accessible location close to your region. Call your friends and neighbors, or a community – a neighborhood, church, school or any other group – and promote the idea. Undoubtedly, the homeless or low-income people in your neighborhood will thank you.
- Written by Roberta Lopes from the Eu Sem Fronteiras team.
