Perhaps so they can contact their chefs? <a href="http://valleywag.com/356298/google-chef-in-homeless-shelter" rel="nofollow">http://valleywag.com/356298/google-chef-in-homeless-shelter</a><p>But seriously, this is something that <i>could</i> actually help homeless people get jobs, etc, so good for Google.<p>Hopefully the numbers are untraceable back to this initiative, so there's no chance of discrimination against homeless...
I like this and I think it is a good idea...<p>...but how will the homeless people check their messages? How is this better than a homeless applicant getting a pay-as-you-go phone to get a job?<p>I understand that the go-phones are not free, but there is no contract or long term commitment, and that way they will actually have a way to get to their voice mail.<p>This reminds me of a story a little while back about a man who voluntarily limited himself to $25 and the clothes on his back, worked his way to an apartment, a truck, and a decent amount of savings in less than a year.<p>Congratulations Google et. all. I hope this project works out well.
Grand Central was doing this long before they got acquired by Google. Before they offered their product publicly even.<p><a href="http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/04/12/BUGMVI7JKD1.DTL" rel="nofollow">http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/04/12/...</a>
It's been tried before:<p><a href="http://www.qwantz.com/archive/001004.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.qwantz.com/archive/001004.html</a><p>Fortunately "Project CARE" is a much better name. Sorry t-rex.