London's Homeless Serve As Tour Guides To The City

If you're interested in seeing a different side of London, consider booking a guided walking tour with members of the city's homeless community.

Unseen Tours offers visitors an alternative glimpse of England's capital through the eyes of residents who truly know the city, according to The Guardian.

Lidija Marva, co-organizer of Unseen Tours, told the paper:

"[We] present [homeless people] in a very different light so that people can see them as having something to offer. We tend to have this very doom and gloom version of homeless people."

TakePart reports that the four tour guides who currently work for the group are out of work, and out of a home.

TakePart wrote about one:

Before becoming homeless, Henri was married, owned a home and worked as an artist. After his marriage fell apart, he lost everything, including a fixed address.

Read more about the alternative tours at The Guardian.

Comments

[oilfield]

12:18 PM on 01/11/2011

no permits needed from the govt to be a tour guide....i love cities that require a panhandlers permit....

[bagelmart]

09:51 AM on 01/11/2011

The ex-wife got everything?

[drsolo]

08:44 AM on 01/11/2011

It would be so economical to copy and build those little complete sleeper compartments like on the trains and have them available for the homeless. Someplace safe, warm with a shower. Mobile so they can be moved and clustered where the homeless are, even on abandoned railroad tracks. Make it easier for health services, social services, food to find people and help get them back to a normal life. The working homeless would have an address.

[TechieFreak]

08:03 AM on 01/11/2011

Perhaps have homeless people take tourists to sites of mass shootings. That would keep them busy.

[UpNorthGuyWI]

07:33 AM on 01/11/2011

This concept won't come to America while Obama is president but it will if a Republican wins in 2012 or 2016. The American press ignores the homeless when a Democrat is president. The stories and coverage are rare. There are probably more homeless today than ever but since the press covers for Obama, rather than covers Obama, we hear little about them.

[AbstractImp]

05:57 AM on 01/11/2011

And this is where my family was thrown out on the street by an illegal foreclosure.
And this is where we hid from the republican Basiji.
And this is where we starved.

[sbyvssby]

04:43 AM on 01/11/2011

It's a little kitsch, imo. Can't we just give people jobs without selling them to the public as homeless? Not a great way to restore dignity.

Plus if you land a flat you're out of work.

[knerd]

03:07 AM on 01/11/2011

I think it's an exceptional idea. We all have talents than can be perfectly matched to many jobs.

[bryce05]

01:53 AM on 01/11/2011

Here is the foodbank... Here are the public toilets...

[blackmagicIII]

02:45 AM on 01/11/2011

I sincerely hope you never find yourself in that situation.
And I sincerely hope you find your misplaced basic human compassion.

[European1919]

04:14 AM on 01/11/2011

I hope he does. This dross needs to be taught some very basic lessons in humanity. And when he's sleeping on a park bench I hope people of his ilk will come along, pour petrol over him and set him on fire - just for a laugh.

[knerd]

03:09 AM on 01/11/2011

bryce05,
Maybe they know something about our future than we don't.

[Littlewords]

01:34 AM on 01/11/2011

London's Homeless Serve As Tour Guides To The City

...while America's Homeless Serve As Fodder For The Right For Our Economic Woes

[European1919]

04:11 AM on 01/11/2011

How come your right wing politicians haven't thought of conscripting your poor to use them as cannon-fodder in your wars of aggression all over the world?

[sbyvssby]

04:40 AM on 01/11/2011

They did, it was called the GI Bill.

[RationalityPlease]

07:56 AM on 01/11/2011

How do you think we've got six wars going and no draft? For many of our kids, the military is the only job in town.