Ostrava – A drunk homeless man died in Liberec at a tram stop. Another was found dead under a bridge in Olomouc. In Prague, an unknown man died in a metro station. A homeless man also burned to death in a tent in Chodov. And four people died in a fire in a hut in Ostrava.
Just since the mid-December, police statistics record 22 similar incidents across the country.
Experts questioned by Aktuálně.cz estimate around 10,000 people in the Czech Republic are at risk of dying of exposure.
“It’s a ticking time bomb,” says Pavel Akrman, director of the Salvation Army shelter in Prague. He says the Czech Republic lacks sufficient care for socially disadvantaged people, a good system and human solidarity.
The number of homeless people keeps on growing, and it’s likely the numbers will continue to increase as a result of the global economic crisis.
Already, foreigners are knocking on the doors of shelters, after being laid off from jobs that brought them to the Czech Republic in the first place. Now they are without money, family or any other help. Mothers with children often also end up on the street.
“When there are people dying on the streets, it’s obvious that care for the socially disadvantaged is insufficient. It’s an indicator of the many ills of our society,” says František Lízina, a priest from Vyšehorky in the Šumperk area. His parish is open all the time to anyone seeking help.
“Any crisis will bring a wave of social problems, unemployment and debts. So far, there has been an increase in the number of foreigners who are finding themselves in a difficult situation,” says sociologist Karel Kosina, director of a regional charity in Brno.
Antonín Plachý, head of the Salvation Army in Ostrava says: “In the last six months, we have seen more and more young clients. Since the beginning of January, there has been an increasing number of new people seeking our help.”
The country’s network of shelters, asylum houses and crisis centres operated by NGOs and municipalities works well across the Czech Republic, providing basic help, warmth, food and clothes for the homeless.
People working in these places have good things to say about their cooperation with NGOs and say there are now better financing options, for instance, through the EU state fund. They note, however, that there is no system in place to help people off the streets re-enter society. There is a lack of housing for those who are making an effort to work. And mentally ill people, who often end on the streets are also not being looked after.
“Improving the system would cost a lot of money. And homeless people aren’t very popular. A politician will not earn any brownie points with voters by addressing this topic,” says psychiatrist Ivan David, deputy director at the Bohnice Psychiatric Hospital in Prague.
“The homeless irritate us, they smell bad and are aggressive. Unlike ill people or children, no one feels any pity for them,” says David. “And yet, if we look after them, we are protecting ourselves against, diseases, higher crime rate and an even higher financial burden.”
Critics cite examples abroad where the system works better. “We could learn from the Austrians, Germans or the Dutch. Even in Poland the situation is better because the country has preserved its Catholic community,” says Pavel Akrman from the Salvation Army.
Statistics about the number of homeless people in the Czech Republic don’t exist. “We have some data from the bigger cities, where city halls keep track of the situation, for instance, in Prague and in Brno,” says Labour and Social Affairs Ministry spokesman Petr Šulek.
In 2004, estimates indicate there could have been as many as 4,500 homeless people. In Brno 2006 statistics indicate around 1,500 homeless. Ostrava City Hall estimates it has about 400 people living on the streets. In the entire Czech Republic, this number could be as high as 10,000.
