The Renewal Center
The Renewal Center is a non-profit organization registered in the US, which seeks to serve homeless trash collectors/recyclers in Shanghai.  The idea for the center came about in 2005 when one of the founders encountered a number of poor migrant workers who had lost their jobs after moving to Shanghai.  To survive, these people had begun to collect recyclable items from the garbage.  After conducting a research project on this sector of the population, the Renewal Center was established and opened to the public in June 2008 with a mission to improve the quality of life of homeless migrants and hopefully, to leave a life of poverty.

Project Description
At present, the Renewal Center has one site strategically located on the banks of the Suzhou River near the Shanghai Railway Station, where there is a critical mass of homeless trash collectors.  The Center offers the homeless a place to bathe and do laundry, however, the organization has begun to branch out by providing medical care for the guests who come.  With approximately 40 regular volunteers (both local and expatriate), the Center has experienced great success and built a level of trust with this community.  As such, they hope to expand to a new site in Huangpu District where an even higher concentration of homeless trash collectors are located.

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