CGTN
09-Feb-2021
As Beijing goes through one of the coldest winters this century, one group of people are having it particularly rough – the city's homeless population. Nicole Ng reports on how they are coping this season and the impact the pandemic has had on them.
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Sleeping Rough: How Beijing's homeless population is coping this winter amid a resurgence of COVID-19
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As Beijing goes through one of the coldest winters this century, one group of people are having it particularly rough – the city's homeless population. Nicole Ng reports on how they are coping this season and the impact the pandemic has had on them.
This is Zhang.
Zhang has spent 26 years on the streets.
What began as a way of trying to save money, ended up being how he would spend nearly half his life.
ZHANG Homeless person "I'm 58 this year. My lunar calendar age will be 58. I'll be 58 in August."
ZHANG Homeless person "If I had money… If they made the apartments cheaper for me, I wouldn't be comfortable accepting that."
For those sleeping rough, wintertime is especially tough. Caipiao remembers working through the night, and napping in the sun.
But Caipiao no longer lives on the streets. In January, he was able to move into a flat of his own with a little help.
For 8 years, Hefeng's social workers have been getting to know those roaming the streets.
The organization says that since 2018, the number of homeless people in central Beijing has come down from as high as 3,000 to under 300.
ZHANG XIAO Social Worker, Hefeng "Every district in Beijing has its own aid station. They offer temporary help between 7 to 10 days, like buying train tickets home. When people fall sick, they also take them to hospital for treatment."
Organizations like Hefeng see their role as filling in the gaps to these solutions.
ZHANG XIAO Social Worker, Hefeng "Going from being homeless to being a normal resident in society is a big change. We see that homeless people sometimes lose their social skills. So we help them build a network – we give them physical and mental support."
They've helped hundreds turn their lives around. Often that starts with just a conversation.
But the reasons behind homelessness are often so complex, it can take years before those turned out in the cold finally get off the streets.
NICOLE NG Beijing "Of course, this winter has also been difficult in another way. The virus has made many public spaces less accessible. I need to wear a mask nearly everywhere I go. I need to scan a code with a phone to enter a building. This has had a big impact on those who are homeless."
ZHANG Homeless person "Health codes… this and that… phones… I don't have any of that. I only have a mask to wear. That's all I can do."
CAIPIAO Formerly homeless person "Of course it has an impact on me, on homeless people. I can't get into any residential compounds. We're left on the side of the street with nothing."
From nothing to a place he can call home.
Nicole Ng, CGTN.