In This City, Homeless People Work as Tour Guides Kristina Bravo - TakePart
go to original October 21, 2014

Homeless tours in Barcelona - The official video by Hidden City Tours (Lisa Grace)

A company in Barcelona has found a clever way to help the Spanish city’s homeless population: by employing them as tour guides. Hidden City Tours enlists the currently or previously homeless to show small groups of tourists (the average is four) around the city.

...Founder Lisa Grace currently employs five guides, including a former architect who, due to a difficult economy and divorce, ended up sleeping in his car. Another employee has more than two decades of experience as a professional chef in France and the United States, but later couldn’t find permanent work at home and began living on the streets.

The guides go through screening and training. Grace recruits through homeless shelters and social services. Each one has to be alcohol and drug free and speaks the native language as well as English, French, or German. They’re also trained on local history.  On top of tips, each earns half the price of the tour.

Read the whole story at TakePart

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