Moyai is an independent, not-for-profit organisation based in Tokyo, Japan, dedicated to supporting the homeless and underprivileged people start a new life in decent housing, and to achieving lasting solutions to poverty.
The double impact of poverty—financial deprivation and social isolation—hinders citisens living on the streets, in parks, hospitals and other temporary shelters, from making a decent, self-sufficient living. Particularly symbolic of social isolation in Japan is the homeless people’s shared difficulty in finding a tenant guarantor.*
Moyai aims to overcome social exclusion by assuming legal obligations as a guarantor of those who seek new homes, and by empowering the communities of people with shared hardships and aspirations. Cooperating with partner organisations with legal, medical, welfare and other expertise, Moyai supports the poverty-stricken people to recover their well-being, and to rebuild the sense of security and belonging in their new neighbourhoods.
We believe that being independent and self-sustaining (“jiritsu” in Japanese) does not mean to live in solitude, but to live as unique, independent individuals in relation to others, relying on one another when we are in trouble.
Our mission is to offer concrete support to the people who find themselves in destitute, and to realise a more inclusive and just society, where every person lives free from exclusion and poverty.
*In Japan, you need to have a guarantor when renting a flat. The guarantor owes the legal obligation to compensate for possible liabilities caused by the tenant, such as delayed rent. Finding a guarantor poses one of the biggest obstacles especially to the homeless and low-income people in Japan when moving into new homes.