"Emergency Assistance Pack" Provided 12 Times Annually, Supporting Homeless Individuals via App [Tokyo/Saitama]

Consumer Co-operative Pal System Tokyo (Headquarters: Okubo, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo; President: Yoko Nishimura) and Consumer Co-operative Pal System Saitama (Headquarters: Kincho, Warabi City, Saitama Prefecture; President: Yoshiko Nishiuchi) distributed 12 "Emergency Assistance Packs" in fiscal year 2025, which were established in collaboration with the NPO Toi Mikke (Headquarters: Higashi-Ikebukuro, Toshima-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Daishiro Sasaki). This set allows people who have lost their homes to register and receive it via a dedicated app, securing emergency accommodation, communication, and transportation.

Providing a Safe Night's Stay
The "Emergency Assistance Pack" can be received at the offices of organizations that support "Sekai Bivouac," a support system for the impoverished jointly operated by Toi Mikke and the General Incorporated Association Tsukuroi Tokyo Fund (Headquarters: Numabukuro, Nakano-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Tsuyoshi Inaba). The A4-sized envelope contains accommodation tickets, emergency food, and mobile phone chargers.

Distribution centers are set up at 66 locations in Tokyo, including bookstores, pharmacies, and civic organization offices, and 1 location in Saitama Prefecture. Individuals wishing to use the service visit a center, complete registration via a dedicated app, and promise to contact public consultation agencies or private support organizations the next day. In fiscal year 2025, 234 people newly registered, leading to a total of 783 consultations. (*Figures are preliminary, including a new user suspension period from July 1 to October 31, 2025.)

Pal System registered 11 locations, including 9 distribution centers and the head office in Tokyo, and the activity facility "Pal★Terrace" in Saitama. In fiscal year 2025, 12 new registrations were accepted at 7 centers. Through subsequent consultations, one teenager was able to move into a share house run by a support organization. A woman who was denied immediate assistance at a public service window was connected to public support the day after securing emergency accommodation, demonstrating how the program has helped "people who have no safe place to sleep tonight" due to various circumstances.

Supporting "Invisible SOS"
"Sekai Bivouac" aims to connect people who have lost their homes due to unstable employment, such as spot work, with support. Many "invisible homeless" individuals lose their workplaces due to suspension of their part-time job app accounts or sudden illness/injury, making it impossible to even secure a place to sleep like an internet cafe.

Like a "bivouac," which means an emergency camp during an accident, it provides a night's accommodation to those who have no one to rely on, securing a safe place to connect them with support. It offers consultations according to each individual's situation, introduces private support organizations, and accompanies individuals through procedures for public support, which everyone has a right to receive, to help them regain a sense of security.

The "Emergency Assistance Pack" can only be used once, but by registering with "Sekai Bivouac," contact can be made again if a difficult situation arises. In the Tokyo metropolitan area, various support organizations are collaborating on activities such as soup kitchens and consultation services. By building a support network using ICT, these organizations cooperate and continuously monitor individuals.

Partnership Triggered by Grant
Pal System's registration of distribution centers was triggered by a financial grant for their activities from the Pal System Tokyo "Citizen Activity Grant Fund" in fiscal year 2023. In response to Mr. Sasaki's call at the award ceremony, they initially registered 9 centers and are expanding the number of locations through coordination with their operations. Pal System Saitama also agreed to the partnership and has become the only distribution center in Saitama Prefecture.

Pal System will continue to work hand-in-hand with people facing various challenges, aiming to create communities where no one is left behind.