"When I wake up, I think, what will happen tomorrow": Thousands of homeless Belgraders, shelters overstretched

Without a place of residence, it's not possible to have personal documents issued, so the homeless are invisible to the institutions

There are thousands of homeless people in Belgrade, and only a few hundred places for them in homeless shelters. In winter, a few extra beds are put up in corridors. From time to time, there are announcements that capacities will be expanded. Decades have passed, but nothing has changed. Tenants of many residential buildings are reporting that homeless people are still sleeping in their hallways.

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"I manage the best I can. I had two years left until retirement (to work), but injured both my legs. When I wake up in the morning now I'm already thinking about where I'll go tomorrow," one of the homeless people who didn't want to go on camera told RTS.

A resident in a building in the immediate vicinity of which the homeless live says that the biggest problem are the unsanitary conditions.

"I think the biggest problem is that there are children's parks and playgrounds next to schools, and that's where faeces and garbage are spread," he says.

For the first time in 2011, the homeless were also included in the population census. There were 18,000 of them, of which the most vulnerable were on the streets, 500 people. A majority in Belgrade. Their average age was 40.

"This is the data from the 2011 census, but it is estimated that this number is much higher, because they were counted indirectly, therefore, not directly, but only those who requested social welfare accommodation, or those in a shelter were recorded," says Marko Vasiljevic from the Initiative for Social and Economic Rights.

Reasons why most homeless people end up on the street

Difficult family situations, unemployment and health problems are the most common reasons resulting in people living on the street. Many do not have personal documents, so they are invisible to the institutions.

"When you can't register your place of residence, you can't have an identity card, then you can't even access social welfare services, whether it's help, meals in soup kitchens or even accommodation in shelters," explains Vasiljevic.

Without a roof over their heads, we bypass them on the street. A blanket is enough for them to sleep in the park, in front of a residential building, and when it's cold in an abandoned shed, shack or in a basement. They can stay in shelters for a maximum of six months, but that is only a temporary solution.

"We turned to the services, first of all we turned to the communal police. They said they can just come out and write a fine, but that's pointless, the problem won't be solved that way," says one of the interviewed citizens.

There are thousands of homeless people in the city, and only a few hundred beds in shelters. From time to time there are announcements that the capacities will be expanded. Decades have passed, but nothing has changed. A little more than 100 beds. In winter, an extra bed is added to the corridor.

In October, we are expecting a new population census, and therefore, one would hope, an answer to the the question of how many homeless people there are on the streets. When they become statistically visible, will it change the attitude of competent institutions, and citizens towards them?

(Telegraf.rs)