The 3rd Asia-Pacific CBR Congress

Nowami Consultation Center

Nowami Consultation Center originally started its activities in 1995. It is our 21st year, and 10th year in Ichinomiya City. Ichinomiya City is the major city in Western Aichi region. We have 7 shelters within the city.

Major community issues are poverty, social isolation and rapid increasing of aged population. People in difficulties, including the homeless, victims of domestic violence, the needy and socially vulnerable are to be referred to our centers by local government, other citizens’ groups and organizations, or community people. 　We conduct outreach services by our volunteer staff. Clients can also visit our center, when they can avail the counseling and consultation services.

Our centers are largely operated by our clients together with two paid staff and volunteers. Our clients are not merely recipients of services, but are much engaged in our operation. They form their own group called Kyu Sei No Kai(Save Life Group) and organizes study meeting twice a month. They are involved in distribution of foods and other commodities. Nowami is open 7 days a week. It provides consultation services and operates shelters. It provides free or cheap meals to our clients and also distribute food in collaboration with Food Bank. We operate small businesses, such as cheap restaurant, recycle shop, utility man shop and lunch box shop for our income generation. We have started support program for PWDs. In collaboration with business sector, we provide our clients with job assistance for their future employment.

In the fiscal year 2013, 72% of the revenue is business income, 11% is grant income, and the rest 17% comes from donation. We have networking with local government, medical institutions, social welfare corporations, and Non Profit Organizations. Our networking includes different local or community leaders such as community social worker, probation officer, and others. We also receive much cooperation from community people.

We try to empower people with all kinds of difficulties, including the homeless, the needy, DV victims, foreigners, people with difficulty for employment, people who stay at home people because of psychosocial problems, people with disability, welfare recipients, people who have under-paid pension.

In 1998-1999, our activities were limited. Clients formed their own self-help group. We set up the shelters and conduct consultation, and organized sports programs time to time.

Now different people are cooperative. Hospitals and doctors now conduct as a volunteer free health check-up, health consultation and health education classes as volunteers. We organize different social programs including cooking classes, personal computer classes, drawing and craft making, singing classes, etc. We also provide OJT vocational training in the recycle shop and the restaurant. Our lunch box business is going well. At present 29 staff members are working.

In 2007, we opened a small shelter for 7 persons in Ichiomiya. In 2008, we started women’s shelter for 6 rooms, and added one by one every year since then. We currently operate 7 shelters, where a total of 40 people regularly stay. Most of people who live in those shelters have very complicated problems. 30-40% of them suffer from mental diseases. We do not limit the duration of stay, because most of them need to be secured and supported. Shelters run by government usually set the limit of 6 months. We think that 6 months is not enough for their independence. In Nowami, we offer support which is most relevant and suitable to each of clients. There are some people who stay in the shelter for more than two years. Living in the shelter costs twenty ? thirty thousand yen per month. It includes heating and lighting expenses and two meals(lunch and supper). We try to keep the expenses in collaboration with Second Harvest Nagoya, local supermarkets, food companies, donation materials(clothes, household goods, electric appliances, etc). Therefore our clients can receive cheap accommodation, and save money by working in Nowami shops and receive job training as well towards their own independence.

In 2011, we set up a non profit organization Nowami Support Center, where we focus job creation. We have started the restaurant, utility man shop, recycle shop, lunch box business, support center for PWDs. All these new businesses and programs were thought out by our clients, and are managed by them. In result, 70-80% of Nowami users do not rely on public welfare assistance, but live on their own by being paid in those businesses. They become independence and then assist our activities for independence of others.

Apartment owners of good will have offered us 70 rooms, which do not require guarantors. This makes us much easier for apartment arrangement when our clients move out from the shelters.

As a personal assistance, Nowami volunteers accompany with and watch for clients. We encourage them having peer sharing. We encourage them to get married and have family. Several couples already married and now have their children. They enjoy cultural or artistic activities as their hobbies. Support center for PWDs organize cultural programs such as piano or guitar lessons, drawing classes or craft making. Recreation and sports are encouraged according the seasons.

For the people like DV victims, people who have multiple debts and other complicated problems. Personal assistance to attend lawyers or judicial scriveners is available, and we have the system to avail their advices.

Study meetings twice a month and other meetings can facilitate advocacy and communication.

When we were going to start support program for PWDs, we visited neighboring houses one by one for their understanding, when we found no one who opposed the plan. Some Buddhist temple offered us the place for a collective cemetery and people donated for its construction. Now 8 Buddhist memorial tablets and 12 sets of cremains are installed there. Our clients now feel easier as they do not need to worry about their final places. Nowami now keep the testaments of more than 50 clients.

We have linkage with other social programs. Food from Food Bank can be shared with other groups who organize programs for the old people. It helps us to have more interactions with aged people in our own areas, which leads new orders to lunch box business and utility man shop.

All these our experiences could show community mobilization.

The local politician who is a member of parliament and city councilor shared Nowami’s activities and experiences in political settings. Those promoted recognition to us. In the meetings with city councilors and local government officers of welfare section, we always request public shelter. It has not yet been realized due to limited budget. This shows some of political participation.

The above mentioned Kyuu Sei No Kai, as a Self Help group, is organized twice a month on the first and the third Sunday. Everytime 50 -60 participants get together. They introduce themselves and share what is new with them. Participants can be people who live in the shelters, and also those who “graduated” from it. This is an opportunity of safety confirmation and sharing. They also share different information, and set the specific topic for discussion. When difficulties arises, they themselves have meeting and think of how to cope with the problem. System for self-help and mutual help are already established among them.

Nowami is now well known and recognized among Ichinomiya people. The city government has the system to support Non Profit Organizations according to the votes of citizens. Every year Nowami comes the top group among 70 organizations who receive the fund from the city government.

We also receive donations. Some of them are in kind. Monetary and in-kind donations are more than 2000 cases in a year. Now if people see the homeless or someone who need help, they call up Nowami. They see Nowami as an important social resource, as they know that Nowami do certainly help to them.

Our evolution has been created by our clients. They used to be supported, but now they are the ones who support others. We started support to provide shelters and meals, clothes and house goods, comfortable space to PWDs, job assistance, health consultation and finally collective cemetery. All these have become possible because those who become independent come to us and support others.

We promote comprehensive support including shelter, food, clothing, health, job and learning opportunity, and accordingly do not rely on public welfare assistance for the economic, social and psychological independence of our clients. Those of alcoholism and Gambling addiction are not able to manage their own finance and yet not prepared to accept being addicted. It is very difficult to find how to help those people and include them in our activities. We continue to set up shelters to increase our capacity of inclusion. We continue to work toward an inclusive society where people can see themselves in supportive social network.