![\"gift_gab-homeless_hotel1\"](\"http:\/\/www.raisingjane.org\/journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/gift_gab-homeless_hotel1.jpg\")
Photo by Mikko J. Putkonen via Wikimedia Commons<\/p><\/div>\n
Gothenberg, Sweden’s second largest city, has about 3,400 homeless people within its limits, and Swedish advertising agency Forsman and Bodenfors<\/a> is determined to chip away at that number using an unusual tactic:<\/p>\n Faktum Hotels<\/a>. (And you thought this post was leading into something to do with April Fools Day.)<\/p>\n “We have chosen 10 of the places where the homeless might spend the night and made it possible for you to book a place. Just like any hotel,” explains the F&B website. “You can book for yourself or as a gift for somebody else. Either way, the money goes to our work for homeless and socially vulnerable people.”<\/p>\n Personally, I’m partial to Room Number One<\/a>. For about 15 bucks, you get to nestle into a well-worn sleeping bag in a private grove of Haga Park \u2026<\/p>\n Photo courtesy of FaktumHotels.com<\/p><\/div>\n Okay, let’s get real.<\/p>\n If the notion of packing your jammies for a night on a park bench makes you shudder, rest assured.<\/p>\n Faktum Hotels are actually an elaborate work of fiction, but the idea is catchy, and the mission has a heart.<\/p>\n “Faktum Hotels are not real hotels where you can book real hotel accommodations. It\u2019s a smart way to support Gothenburg\u2019s street newspaper, Faktum<\/i>,” the Faktum founders who are using the money for a good cause confess. “We provide those most in need with an occupation. This helps them to take a step towards a more structured life, as the work involves responsibility, routine, and the opportunity for a positive social exchange\u2014things that are vitally important when trying to find somewhere to live. Or build a life, for that matter.”<\/p>\n Do you think this sort of scheme would fly here in the U.S.?<\/p>\n \t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In Gothenburg, Sweden, you can\u00a0book a stay in, say \u2026 a city park or empty paper mill, an abandoned caf\u00e9 or a dark corner of a fishing wharf. Mind you, it was only about 20\u00b0F in Gothenburg last week. Chilling. … Continue reading ![\"gift_gab-homeless_hotel2\"](\"http:\/\/www.raisingjane.org\/journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/gift_gab-homeless_hotel2.jpg\")