Amy Reinink recently reported about, no kidding, using soccer to solve homelessness. I include an excerpt:
The teams are built upon the premise that physical activity can help alcoholics and other substance-abusers stay sober, and that the structure of team practices and the accomplishment of working toward a goal can give a life new shape – a concept Lyons said deserves a shot in Gainesville.
[…]
Success stories from homeless soccer programs abound. After the 2005 Homeless World Cup, 77 percent of the players reported making life improvements through employment, housing, education and drug or alcohol treatment programs, according to the organizers. Twelve players went on to become semi-professional or professional soccer players or coaches.
What a great idea! We need this type of originality to fight homelessness and poverty in general. Like I have often said before, the old ways have not worked. With number of homeless families on the rise, we need to come up with new ways to fight homelessness and poverty.
I bet they could maximize the potential of the soccer program by partnering it with helpful services. For example, they could bring in recruiters for addiction groups and job placement organizations.