Bikes for homeless folks..

[wafter]

This morning's caffeine-fuelled shower thought after reading about @FrankCrank's bike theft and subsequent recovery..

It seems that broadly speaking bike thefts are typically driven by one of two motives; necessity and financial gain. The former tends to involve low-hanging fruit nicked by the homeless to get about on; and while still inexcusible, easier to forgive than organised gangs of tooled-up scumbags robbing high-value gear to sell on (which IMO should be punished by the removal of hands)..

Anyway, putting two and two together and probably making seven it occurred to me that as a country we potentially have a glut of low-end, financially worthless bikes kicking about as well as a sadly huge demographic who could actually use them.

I'm not sure if anything like this currently exists, but it would be great if an organisation could acquire these bikes (through donations, street-finds, unclaimed stolen-recovered bikes etc), make them serviceable and pass them onto homeless people..

While providing transport to those who need it this could also have the knock-on effect of reducing bike thefts. Cheap, basic tools could be disseminated (puncture repair kits, locks etc) and workshops held on how to undertake very basic maintenance such as fixing a puncture.

Drop-ins could be held to do basic maintenance / repairs; with frame numbers being checked against the various registers to ensure that the scheme wasn't supporting stolen bikes (and could potentially serve as a way of identifying any that were robbed).

Of course this would be easier said than done (on top of the obvious things like staff, premisis and funding there are probably a million obstacles I've not thought of) but in principle it seems like a great idea.

Before anyone suggests that I create such an entity; to give a glimpse into my level of productivity today breakfast seems like an insurmountable mountain to climb, but I'll bounce the idea off anyone I know in possibly adjacent fields to see if such an idea might be viable..

 

[lenfield]

The Bike Project already do a similar thing for refugees.
https://thebikeproject.co.uk/

 

[Bazzer]

Whilst not free, bikes at the charity Walton Lea Partnership are at incredible prices.
When I finally parted with my eldest girl's first bike, she had last ridden at least two and half decades ago, I took it there. Dozens of bikes for sale; from balance bikes up to a Dolan.

 

[glasgowcyclist]

Google ‘bicycle charities’ in your area. I’d be amazed if you didn’t already have such schemes running.

We’ve several in Scotland, providing either free or low-cost bikes, cycle training, maintenance and workshops.

Their target demographics are low earners, homeless and refugees.

 

[FrankCrank]

The Reading Bike Kitchen are a not-for-profit organisation, and on my last visit they said a lot of their bikes go off overseas to needy countries if not sold.
This makes sense, given their small premises and constant donations of unwanted bikes. They run classes for maintenance and repairs, as well as doing work themselves on bikes if the customer wishes.
I'm sure if the rough sleepers in town were to ask, they'd gladly be given a donated clunker as transport, but establishing intent would be difficult, may just be sold on for the next fix.

 

[Gillstay]

I think that a few people doing drugs and such like would keep collecting the bikes in the hope of selling them and so many would be absorbed before you got any where. Your viewing it from the perspective of people wanting bikes as FrankCrank says about over sea's. Many over here don't want bikes they want funds.

 

[glasgowcyclist]

I'm sure if the rough sleepers in town were to ask, they'd gladly be given a donated clunker as transport, but establishing intent would be difficult, may just be sold on for the next fix.

There's going to be very little cash value for these bikes. I'm not up to date with the cost of drugs these days but I can't see a donated clunker getting anyone a bag of crisps, let alone drugs.

Many homeless are not drugs users, and it wouldn't bother me if they were. If I give money, or anything else, to a rough sleeper, it's entirely their business what they spend it on. Sure, I'd like to think it would get them a hot meal or some warm clothing but if they feel they need a pint, or a packet of cigarettes, or any other drug to get them through another shitty day of problems then that's their choice.

It's not my money once I've given it away.

 

[albion]

I first read it as bikes for homeless FORKS.

Your problem there is that the recipient will need somewhere to store the bike.
Plus likely they would might it on when the need arises.

A homeless biking club might be fruitful though, it offering a SHARED diversion.

 

[Big John]

The trouble is the rogues and scammers spoil it for the genuine homeless. I could see our charity being hit by every Tom, Dick and Harry wanting a free bike. We'd need some way of vetting to make sure they're bona fide homeless. It's a nice idea but all charities like the one I'm connected to have overheads to cover (rent, light, heat, insurance, payroll) so this would require extra resources which we don't have. If we were given a shed load of cash out of the blue it would be eminently doable because we sure as hell have enough bikes donated.