Seventy thousand homeless people in Los Angeles; 36,000 more in San Francisco; over 10,000 in San Diego; 6,000 in San Jose; 3,500 in Oakland… With a total of 160,000 men and women (a third of the US total) sleeping rough, in cars, trailers, churches, assisted living and rehabilitation centers, the state of California is an undisputed global leader in this shameful category. That is why it makes sense that this week it hosts the world football championship for those who lack housing.
There are those who reach this situation due to mental or health problems, or simply bad luck, to lose a job or an accident in a country where tens of millions do not have health insurance, and an operation can take the life savings, and leave you pawned to the bone. How to solve the problem is a subject of intense political debate. Of the annual budget of the city of Los Angeles, a tenth (more than one billion euros) is dedicated to providing housing for the homeless, which, despite this, is increasing. Skid Row, in the center, has the largest concentration in the entire country, 15,000 individuals with their belongings in supermarket carts, endless rows of tents, a city in itself with its own zip code, left out of hand of God
The homeless are on the beaches of Venice, on the sides of the motorways, above and below bridges, at bus stops, parks, car parks… Some are friendly, others more threatening. Going to the subway in Los Angeles is an adventure that requires a certain courage, because the carriages are a real circus: people lying on the floor or sleeping on the seats, people with the radio at full volume or doing gymnastics on the rings designed so that the passengers protect from the vagrants.
The Homeless World Championship aims to increase their self-esteem and confidence. It is about helping them rebuild their lives, facilitating contacts to get a job. From a total of one hundred thousand players integrated into programs of this type worldwide, five hundred compete in the Sacramento championship divided into forty teams and two tournaments, one for women and one for men, and mixed teams. The games are four against four and two fifteen-minute periods, on fields the size of a tennis court. To participate you must have been homeless, in a center for political exiles or refugees, or in rehabilitation, or have been a street newspaper seller at some point in the last two years, although the criteria for what it means to not have ‘a home vary by country. Skill with the ball also counts, but that’s fine.
The initiative came from an Edinburgh philanthropist, and editions of the tournament have been held in Mexico City, Copenhagen, Paris and Cape Town. It is an annual occasion, if an organizer is found, but it was suspended due to the pandemic and had not been held since 2019.
The week that the Homeless World Cup lasts – it will end on Saturday – is a real emotional rollercoaster for the footballers, in which the aim is for them to feel supported in an atmosphere of solidarity, to establish relationships, to get out of the vicious circle of poverty in which have fallen and change their lives in a positive way. In addition to matches, there are talks and symposia. The matches are completely free.
There are 150 million homeless people in the world. In the United States, nearly 600,000, with the highest number per capita in New York, followed by Hawaii and California. But where there is football there is at least a hint of hope.
