作者：辛西娅·休伯特

2023年7月12日

The 无家可归者世界杯 is far more than a soccer competition.

对于以前无家可归的人来说，参加比赛是他们摆脱贫困、毒瘾和住房不安全的重要组成部分。 它是关于成为团队的一员，结交来自世界各地的朋友，重建信心和希望。

At a July 12 symposium in 萨克拉门托 State’s University Union Ballroom, speakers discussed some of the reasons people become homeless, and how soccer and the 无家可归者世界杯 can be tools for recovery and stability.

The event also saw unveiling of the Cities Ending Homelessness campaign, announced by 无家可归者世界杯 and Catalyst 2030, a global movement of people and organizations committed to achieving the 联合国可持续发展目标（SDGS） by 2030.

该活动将突出全球无家可归问题，并将重点放在解决方案上，邀请企业家、无家可归者、城市领导人和其他人分享关于结束无家可归的想法和信息。

“The aim is to create a new global network of cities that are committed to ending homelessness,” said Mel Young, 无家可归者世界杯 co-founder and president. “We will also work with universities and social entrepreneurs, giving us access to global thought leaders and leading academics in the field.”

Former U.S. professional soccer star Hope Solo, who said her father was homeless for much of his life, moderated a discussion among players from this year’s 无家可归者世界杯, which is taking place at 囊状态’s Hornet Stadium through July 15.

“If you have the will and the means, you have an extraordinary responsibility to make a difference.” -- Chet Hewitt, Sierra Health Foundation president and chief executive officer

这是该赛事第一次在美国举行，也是第一次在大学校园举行。

Edward Kiwanuka-Quinlan, who became homeless in Canada while grieving the death of his mother, credited street soccer – 足球的一种变体，在锦标赛或其他地方进行 – and the global tournament for helping him stave off thoughts of suicide. 他说，踢足球帮助他重新找到了快乐，并给了他一种使命感。

“I wouldn’t be here without it,” said Kiwanuka-Quinlan, who serves as a coach for Canadian street soccer players.

Lisa Wrightsman, a 前萨克州立大学足球运动员，无家可归 after she lost her dream of playing professionally, said she regained a sense of identity after discovering street soccer.

“I felt free again,” she said. Wrightsman and her wife, Tiffany Fraser, helped found 萨克拉门托’s first women’s street soccer team and played key roles in bringing the 无家可归者世界杯 to 囊状态.

塞拉健康基金会总裁兼首席执行官切特·休伊特说，无家可归者在全球范围内呈上升趋势，在萨克拉门托尤为明显。 该基金会的重点是解决该地区的卫生不平等问题。

萨克拉门托 is doing “too little, too slowly” to address homelessness, which has increased by 67% since 2019, he said.

As the region emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic, “we’ve got to make sure that affordable housing and public health are part of rebuilding that infrastructure,” he said, adding that 萨克拉门托 also needs far more shelter beds for men, women, and children who are homeless.

休伊特要求观众推动这些变革。

“If you have the will and the means, you have an extraordinary responsibility to make a difference,” he said.

休伊特赞扬博彩平台校长罗伯特·s·尼尔森欢迎无家可归者世界杯来到校园。 The players, he said, are “living examples of how people can change their lives and circumstances.”

加州大学洛杉矶分校（UCLA）儿科医生、公共卫生倡导者香农·泰恩（Shannon Thyne）博士说，研究表明，参加体育运动有助于增强韧性，改善身心健康。

“Evidence supports what we are all doing here today,” Thyne told the full-house symposium audience. Soccer, she said, “can be a powerful tool to support healing from adversity and trauma.”

尼尔森说，来自世界各地的数百名球员参加了无家可归者世界杯，这超出了他的预期。

“It’s been a great week,” said Nelsen, who will retire from 囊状态 at the conclusion of the tournament. “This is my last week here, and it’s one of the greatest weeks I’ve ever had.”