Naděje will introduce a night field service for the homeless in Prague from December
Homeless. Illustration drawing: Homeless people
The humanitarian organization Naděje will introduce a night field service for people who are homeless due to the cold weather in Prague from the beginning of December, which will help them. The organization reports full hostels not only in Prague, but also in some cities in the Ústecká, Liberec and Central Bohemia regions. Hana Šimková, the organization’s spokesperson, told ČTK. Hope has been operating since 1990 and helps, among other things, the homeless, the elderly or the disabled.
“Since December 1, we have been operating a night mobile field service in Prague for every day of the week. Our team of workers goes through public spaces and remote places where homeless people survive from 8:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m.,” said Šimková.
They will then provide assistance to the homeless. According to Šimková, homeless people have arrived in Prague in recent years. However, it is not clear how many homeless people there are in the capital, estimates speak of several thousand.
At the same time, the organization in the metropolis is opening a night center with six cross beds for every day of the week. “In addition, of course, our shelters and hostels are open all year round. However, they are now full,” said Šimková.
In the Ústí Region, Naděje has both asylums full. “People who have lived somewhere before, but the landlords no longer want to extend the contracts, do not want to pay large deposits and the like, are also starting to report. Several families and individuals call every day, which we have to refuse. It can be said that this is a group with higher incomes than we have worked with so far. We have noticed an increase in the last month or two,” said regional director Michaela Lutišanová.
The problem then arose in Litoměřice, where Naděje lost one of the asylums and a dormitory. “The municipal authority terminated our lease agreement for the building in Litoměřice. We could not find another suitable house. We were able to transfer all the families and some single women from the shelter to other facilities, unfortunately not all. There will be more women on the streets in Litoměřice this year,” said Lutišanová. If the capacities are full, the organization will provide emergency shelters, sleeping bags and emergency chairs.
Naděje is also full of hope in Liberec and Mladá Boleslav, where extra beds are already available in hostels. There are a few vacancies left in Jablonec nad Nisou. “The target group here is the usual one, but some former clients from hostels or apartments are returning. With the increase, it is not possible to pay their obligations and to return to the level of asylum housing,” Šimková added.