Homeless Entrepreneur’s Sculpture Gives 150 Million Homeless People a Presence at the World Economic Forum in Davos

DAVOS, SWITZERLAND – Homeless Entrepreneur has the pleasure of announcing the unveiling of the powerful sculpture “The UnforeSeen Variable,” created by international artist Veronica de Nogales, which is organized by GreenUp at the Climate Hub (Arkadenplatz (Kulturplatz), Promenade 58C, Davos Platz on 20 January 2025 at 15h) during the World Economic Forum (WEF) This monumental piece, which embodies the challenges and resilience of 150 million homeless individuals, aims to spark conversation and inspire action on the global stage. 

The unveiling will take place on the first day of the WEF, a gathering that brings together world leaders, innovators, and influencers dedicated to addressing pressing global issues, including climate change and social inequality. “The UnforeSeen Variable” serves as a poignant reminder of the unforeseen challenges faced by many, particularly in the context of economic disparity exacerbated by climate-related issues.

Veronica de Nogales, known for her thought-provoking installations, has crafted “The UnforeSeen Variable” to reflect the dynamic interplay between society's expectations and the unpredictable nature of human experiences. The sculpture is constructed from recycled materials, reinforcing the message of sustainability and the importance of reimagining waste in a world striving for ecological balance. 

“This sculpture is not just an artistic endeavor; it is a call to action,” said de Nogales. “It invites viewers to reconsider their perceptions of homelessness and to understand that every individual has their own story, their own unseen variables that shape their journey.” 

Homeless Entrepreneur, committed to empowering people made of potential out of homelessness, aims to use this sculpture to foster dialogue and action among WEF attendees and beyond. By highlighting the intersection of economic, environmental, and social challenges, the organization hopes to inspire collaborative solutions that can uplift marginalized communities. 

“We believe that art has the power to transform perspectives and catalyze change,” said Andrew Funk, Founder President of Homeless Entrepreneur. “With ‘The UnforeSeen Variable,’ we aim to not only raise awareness but also encourage leaders to take actionable steps towards inclusivity and sustainability.” 

The unveiling event will feature speeches from advocates, artists, and leaders in the social entrepreneurship space, along with opportunities for attendees to engage with the sculpture and reflect on its message. Major press outlets are encouraged to cover this significant event, which promises to be a highlight of the WEF. 

For more information about the sculpture and its impact, please visit Homeless Entrepreneur’s website: https://www.homelessentrepreneur.org/en/solidary-projects/sculpture-the-unforeseen-variable

Join Us in Shaping the Conversation 

We invite journalists, media outlets, and influencers to join us in Davos to witness the unveiling and participate in the dialogue that surrounds this important topic. Together, we can work towards a future where every individual is seen, heard, and valued. 

For media inquiries, please contact: Andrew Funk, Founder President of Homeless Entrepreneur / Tel: +34 697 877 089 / funk@homelessentrepreneur.org

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About Homeless Entrepreneur: Homeless Entrepreneur is dedicated to empowering people made of potential out of homelessness through active citizenship, entrepreneurship and creative expression. By providing our main programs, resources and support, we aim to transform lives and foster community connections.

About Veronica de Nogales: Veronica de Nogales is an international artist known for her thought provoking public art installations with Dam de Nogales Sculptors. Her work often highlights environmental and social issues, inviting viewers to engage with and reflect on the world around them.

About Climate Hub by GreenUp: The regenerative impact space Climate Hub Davos is created and hosted by the Swiss non-profit GreenUp. The Climate Hub Davos brings together people working on climate and nature, and welcomes all those wanting to collaborate and be inspired to do more: everybody is invited to visit and co-create the climate positive future we need.

Who is Responsible for Homelessness in Brussels? Government, Corporate or the People

By: Veronica Broskovetz, Social Policy intern at Homeless Entrepreneur

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Who is Responsible for Homelessness in Brussels? Government, Corporate or the People

I am a social policy intern for the international nonprofit, Homeless Entrepreneur (HE). We work with homeless people, who want to be active, working citizens again. The three main programs we provide are: the Helpline via WhatsApp (+34 697 877 089), Voices, and the HELP Program. All of these contribute to empowering people made of potential out of homelessness with a job, home, and, of course, ambition.

We aim to inspire change on a macro level to reduce global homelessness. One of HE’s major projects is the EU Report of Assistance v. Empowerment, which will be presented to the EU Parliament. To do so we are focusing on 12 strategically chosen cities within the EU to gather greater research and data as well as connect with donors, interns, partners, volunteers and governmental officials. My focus throughout this internship has been on the city of Brussels, whose homeless problem has exponentially increased since 2010. Throughout my research and interviews, I couldn’t help but wonder “who should take responsibility for this homeless population that is not going to disappear overnight?”

Anti-homeless architecture in Brussels: Photo by Andrew Funk (Homeless Entrepreneur)

Finding information on homelessness and using that information to determine who is homeless, and why, in various regions was relatively easy for me. According to a field study and data by DIOGENES, composed by Bruss’help, the primary homeless population in Brussels, Belgium consists of asylum seekers, intra-EU migrants, and 42.6% are Belgian nationals. This is caused by the fact that many of the non-Belgian migrants cannot obtain residence status, which makes it difficult to have a consistent paycheck and healthcare. 

The more plausible question that must be asked is, whose responsibility is it to accommodate, take care of and empower this homeless population in Brussels? After speaking with Laura Fritz, project manager with FEANTSA and asking her this hard-to-answer question she concluded that “in a perfect world it would be the government’s responsibility.” Homeless Entrepreneur recognizes the role of the government, but strongly believes that the private and civic sector play an equally important role in ending and preventing homelessness. I also spoke with Adele Pierre, a census advisor with Bruss’Help, who organizes and conducts the data collection of homelessness in Brussels. She stated during our meeting that, “Most of the help comes from our volunteers and other NGOs, even the police help out.” When asked about the cost of conducting this activity to count the number of homeless people on one given day during the year, she said that it really doesn’t cost anything money wise but “costs a lot in people.” Homeless Entrepreneur favors taking the value of the volunteer time into consideration and would even go as far as saying that the government should give those individuals a tax-write off for their contribution to society.

The wide spectrum of homelessness, which goes beyond the number of people sleeping in the street on any given night, sheds light on the limits of how accurate these counts truly are. The public numbers we see represent a floor value, and, unfortunately, the sky’s the limit until we learn how to structure data on homelessness better. Professionalizing how the government collects this type of data will have a tremendous impact on how society sees and addresses homelessness, which is why we firmly advocate for improvements to take place.

Espace Léopold. Right in front of the European Parliament. Photo by Andrew Funk (Homeless Entrepreneur)

The private sector has yet to address homelessness properly; nonprofits are limited in size and funding, and the government claims to have a lack of resources, so… who’s responsible? 

The primary policies that have been established by the Belgian government revolve around emergency housing/shelter. An example would be Housing First, which was initiated in 2013. This is of course is quintessential to helping their large homeless population and perhaps the first step however after people are given a home below the market value they still lack the resources to be active, working citizens and can consolidate their status as a burden upon the state. Their solutions follow an assistance based approach. 

Fabio Betancourt, ambassador of HOMEcan and HELP beneficiary, presenting in front of PMI (Project Management Institute) in Barcelona, Spain. Photo by Veronica Broskovetz (Homeless Entrepreneur)

Why isn’t the homeless community being empowered? I spoke with Fabio Betancourt, one of the Homeless Entrepreneurs in our HELP program in Barcelona, Spain and asked him what he thought about this issue. He states that initially “you blame yourself” and that there are “very few places that accept you.” I also proceeded to ask him if he had received help from any other nonprofits in Spain and he said that he has received assistance-based support, but Homeless Entrepreneur was the only place he was truly being empowered. It is very hard if you are in the process of getting your documentation fixed. The aspects he’s found most helpful have been receiving professional development coaching support that makes him more employable as well as the IBM SkillsBuild certification.

State of Europe Unity in Peace. Photo by Andrew Funk (Homeless Entrepreneur)

The truth of the matter is that nonprofits throughout the EU are stretched too thin when it comes to constructing long lasting solutions; the government needs to start implementing empower-based models; and the corporate world has to include ending poverty into the design of its core business. A better sustainable revenue stream model must be created to ensure that NGOs are able to focus on their goal of ending homelessness while public-private-civic partnerships provide a better framework.

“Please listen to our song Brussels by Guillem S. Benet; imagine this city without homelessness; and let us know what you envisioned!”

— Andrew Funk, Founder President of Homeless Entrepreneur

If you live or work in Brussels, please connect with us via LinkedIn and become a volunteer or partner to speed up the process of empower people made of potential out of homelessness in your beautiful city.

*Thank you for reading this article! If you would like to contribute your thoughts, pictures or videos to this article or believe you have found mistakes and/or misinformation, please contact us and tell us about it by clicking on the button next to this text, so we can take your feedback into consideration.

Connect with the author, Veronica Broskovetz, via LinkedIn!

Works Cited:

Barbu, Simona. “Homelessness among Asylum-Seekers in Brussels.” Social Europe, 6 Sept. 

2024, www.socialeurope.eu/homelessness-among-asylum-seekers-in-brussels 

“European Homeless Entrepreneur Report on Assistance vs Empowerment.” Homeless 

Entrepreneur, www.homelessentrepreneur.org/en/solidary-projects/eu-he-ae-report 

Intra-Eu Migrants Experiencing Homelessness in Brussels, 

www.feantsa.org/public/user/Resources/reports/BRU_3690_RapportMigrants_EN_1_BD.pdf

The Role of Non-Profit Organisations in the Support Of ..., 

www.feantsaresearch.org/public/user/Observatory/2022/EJH_16-1/EJH_16-1_A5_v02.pdf

Times, The Brussels. “Breaking Point: Homelessness in Brussels Goes from Bad to Worse.” 

The Brussels Times, www.brusselstimes.com/678541/breaking-point-homelessness-in-brussels-goes-from-bad-to-worse

How a Cold Drop (DANA) Silences One Homeless Community in Valencia and Rattles Another One

On October 29, 2024, assuming that the city hall of Valencia’s count of people living in the streets in 2023 hasn’t been reduced, at least 471 homeless people were unexpectedly hit with a Cold Drop that has completely silenced them while increasing the number of new homeless people (1,152 homeless people according to Europa Press) being provided housing by Red Cross (Cruz Roja). One homeless community has been destroyed and silenced, and another one has been created and given visibility.

If you or anyone you know is currently affected by homelessness due to the Cold Drop (DANA) in Valencia, please contact our HELPLINE (+34 697 877 089)!

Why isn’t the press speaking about how the most vulnerable group has been affected?

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The growing number of deaths, which is currently at 214 (according to El País on November 3, 2024), could reach the total amount of 1,900 missing people who have been officially reported. Not one homeless person has been identified as dead or as a missing person.

This lack of visibility for the homeless community is not new. Approximately a month ago, El Periodico wrote a story about a woman who died at Plaza Catalunya in Barcelona, Spain. We learned that she was homeless because a Homeless Entrepreneur, Fabio Betancourt, was friends with her. The fact she was homeless and that it took 4 hours for anyone to recognize she was dead went unmentioned.

Fabio also proactively reached out to homeless organizations in Valencia to see how the homeless community in Barcelona can provide direct support through Homeless Entrepreneur’s community.

“Approximately, 325,000 people are at ground zero of this tragedy and 75,000 homes have been destroyed.”

— Agencia EFE

How will government, corporations and citizens respond to this increase in homelessness?

If you use social media as a news source, you’ll get a quick feel of public opinion: government and corporate response is being deemed too late and too slow in viral content, and NGOs and citizens are mobilizing as quick as they can. Public figures are being attacked and the everyday citizen is stepping into the limelight.

“Imagine if society did the same with the same intensity for the 28,552 people offically declared homeless by Spain’s Ministry of Social Rights, Consumer Affairs and 2030 Agenda…”

— Andrew Funk, Founder President of Homeless Entrepreneur

Just like homelessness before this natural disaster, the pain and suffering is deep for those directly affected and hard to truly comprehend for those who are indirectly affected as they read about it on their smartphone in their downtime.

So Many New Questions for the Same Old Problem of Homelessness…

1. Will the “old” homeless community connect with the “new” homeless community and join forces to uplift each other?

2. Will homelessness get worse as poverty becomes the norm for a growing number of citizens affected by an unexpected crisis they are unable to respond to due to lack of resources and/or public/private/civic support?

3. What will we learn from this tragedy and will we be better prepared next time?

What are you going to do to help people experiencing homelessness in Valencia due to the Cold Drop? (Some options below)

Donating allows Homeless Entrepreneur to leverage its community, programs and resources to support people experiencing homelessness in Valencia, Spain due to the Cold Drop.

Volunteering allows you to providing greater impact through a coordinated approach to supporting people experiencing homelessness in Valencia, Spain due to the Cold Drop.

Sending us original pictures and videos related to people experiencing homelessness in Valencia, Spain due to the Cold Drop will allow us to generate more awareness and attract new unidentified resources to end homelessness for people experiencing it in Valencia, Spain.

According to Wikipedia, the Spanish government devised and enacted the Plan Sur, which rerouted the city's main river, the Turia, after the last similar tragedy, which took place in October, 1957, when flooding in Valencia killed 81 people while significantly damaging property.

How will the Spanish government, corporations and civil society respond this time?

Lastly, Homeless Entrepreneur would like to publicly express it condolenses to everyone who has been directly and indirectly affected by the Cold Drop in Valencia, Spain.

As the community of Valencia rebuilds again after this terrible tragedy, we only hope that society comes together to become stronger as it uplifts all of its citizens out of homelessness.