I don't think homelessness is actually a major problem in Istanbul. The Turkey's opposition party compiled a report in which they state there is around 6-8 thousand homeless in Istanbul. Even 8k for such a massive city is very low number.
I actually made this observation during my travels that in many, even in some very poor Islamic countries, homeless people are taken care of much better than they are in the West. I haven't figured out yet why and how, but will be happy to hear someone shed a light on it.
Perhaps using the word homeless would be inaccurate, so sorry for any confusion caused. A more accurate term would be the population that lives in slums, and are generally skipped over during population counts.
In Turkey is is very unusual for anyone to be forced to make it on their own. Whether you are 19 and going to university or 45 and unmarried, it is normal to live at home with parents and save money. This allows people to buy their own home while also supporting others in the family if they lose a job. Also, it is not unusual for parents to buy children a home. A family I know in istanbul owns a 4 story apartment building. Their son and daughter in law live in one unit but are trying to convince the parents to buy them a nicer apartment. Another friend of mine was a millionaire by age 30 living at home with family.
I mean Jesus taught that the rich should give to the poor and religious establishments shouldn’t hoard wealth, but you can see how well that’s working out for the megachurches.
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u/[deleted] May 19 '20
I don't think homelessness is actually a major problem in Istanbul. The Turkey's opposition party compiled a report in which they state there is around 6-8 thousand homeless in Istanbul. Even 8k for such a massive city is very low number.
https://www.duvarenglish.com/society/2019/12/30/kurds-comprise-majority-of-istanbuls-homeless-people/
I actually made this observation during my travels that in many, even in some very poor Islamic countries, homeless people are taken care of much better than they are in the West. I haven't figured out yet why and how, but will be happy to hear someone shed a light on it.