Scanning Homeless People To Make a Donation

People Fixing the World

• Episode: Scanning Homeless People To Make a Donation
• Website: People Fixing the World
• Feed URL: http://podcasts.files.bbci.co.uk/p04grdbc.rss
• Duration: 00:23:06
• Published: 2018-09-04 04:06

Have you ever wanted to donate to a homeless person, but found yourself without any cash, or concerned about how they may spend the money? A potential solution is being proposed in Oxford, England, through a scheme issuing homeless people with barcodes which can be worn around the neck or printed on a sign. Members of the public can scan these barcodes on their smartphones and read the homeless person’s story, before deciding whether or not to donate. Any money pledged goes into a special bank account managed by a support worker, helping the homeless person save towards long-term goals. Some think the project solves a number of problems but others fear the act of scanning someone using a smartphone could be dehumanising. We visit Oxford to meet homeless people using the barcodes, and speak to the people behind the big idea. Presenter: Harriet Noble Reporter: Sam Judah Photo Caption: One of the homeless people helping trial the new system in Oxford Photo Credit: BBC