This is a first, a new charity in the UK called Action Hunger plans to install a vending machine for the homeless in December. The organization describes itself as a charity with a “new approach to combating homelessness.” The initial plan will be installing a machine in the town of Nottingham in the December time-period, then a second machine in Manchester sometime early 2018. If all goes well, Action Hunger plans to do a full release across the UK in attempt to alleviate poverty and hardships– something the government is having trouble in doing.
Action Hunger is working with Tesco and other partners to stock the machines with water, fresh fruit, energy bars, crisps, chocolate, and sandwiches, as well as socks, sanitary towels, antibacterial lotion, toothbrush and toothpaste combination packs, and books. A majority of the food will be provided by a localized network of regional food vendors who will donate excessive food waste.
The charity has partnered with The Friary, an outreached centre in the city, to oversee the people’s access to the vending machines. The machines will operate 24-hours a day accessed by a special card given out by the Friary and can service up to 100 homeless people per day. Key cards are programmed to permit up to three items per day, which offers a low-cost automated solution in dealing with the poor.
Action Hunger explains how the process works:
According to the Independent, homelessness has increased 34% per cent since the Conservatives came to power in 2010, partly due to benefit cuts and welfare changes. A new study reveals that 300,000 people in Britain are now homeless, with the crisis growing as much as 13 per cent last year alone.
Number of rough sleepers across England on a given night
Number of homelessness applications made to local authorities
Action Hunger is targeting Nottingham and Manchester, two areas where homelessness is out of control.
Across England, housing market affordability is once again above 2006 to 2008 levels— signaling that house prices are once more outpacing income.
Besides the exploding homelessness situation in the UK, there is an even larger market in the United States, where Action Hunger will be installing the vending machines next year in Seattle, New York, and LA.
In August, we reported 1 in 7 New York City Public-School students is homeless. On top of that, NYC shelter officials have admitted a record number of homeless to shelters each night.
In a preview of things to come, automation in the form of vending machines seems to be the short term solution in dealing with the homeless in the UK. The next step for Action Hunger appears to be a multi-city rollout in the United States targeting a much larger homeless population as the middle class deteriorates.
For our American audience, an automated vending machine for the homeless is coming to a town near you. The dying middle class will no longer be able to shop at the Dollar Tree nor Walmart, as they will resort to automated vending machines. The future is bleak.