QR codes for the homeless - Greater Change

Homelessness is a growing problem in some of our major cities. The problem of donating to the homeless was one of the things I have wondered about recently. Local authorities tend to take the view that people can access available services if they need them, so there are no reasons why someone should be rough-sleeping in the streets. They also urge people not to give cash to the homeless directly, as it will keep rough-sleepers in the streets rather than encouraging homeless people to find help from statutory or voluntary sector services. In reality, the system is far from perfect and it's not always that simple. Without opening a discussion on all the reasons why someone may still end up in the streets, I was wondering about the act of donating cash itself.

How do you distinguish between people that genuinely need your help and the professional beggars? How do you stop your money being spent on cigarettes or drugs? These thoughts usually put me off giving any money at all, I would prefer to volunteer at a homeless shelter. I once gave a loaf of bread to a homeless person and he didn't seem very impressed with my choice of bread.

I also don't carry cash any more, using card payments most of the time. I imagined the feasibility of using card payments for donations, but the idea of rough-sleepers each holding a contact-less card terminal to accept donations seemed ridiculous. Fortunately, someone else obviously had a similar thought and came up with a simpler solution - meet Greater Change.

Greater Change is a social enterprise that match donations with a person's financial goals. In order to offer better support, donations are done by scanning a QR code. The money is then managed by a case worker to make sure it's used for the intended purposes.

I do like the idea and the extra money management support is great. I also like the personal profiles to give you more information about the person that you are helping.

However, I wonder how the homeless people themselves feel about the platform. It seems even more undignifying to ask someone to scan you than it is to ask for cash. Nevertheless, I do think it is an innovation in the right direction and would go some way to address some of the issues. I look forward to seeing how this trend will evolve in a few years' time.

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