"Gruft Winter Package": Support Viennese Homeless with Only 70 Euros

On the occasion of the winter cold, Caritas once again called for donations for homeless people on Wednesday and demanded political measures against homelessness.

Homelessness in Winter: Caritas Appeal to Politics and Public

"Now in winter, life on the street is of course doubly hard. This always means (...) stress, fear, overwhelm," said the Caritas director of the Archdiocese of Vienna, Klaus Schwertner, at the Caritas Care Center "Gruft" in Vienna-Mariahilf in front of journalists.

The Vienna Caritas director also warned that the risk of poverty would partly arrive in the middle of society. "Due to the rising housing and energy prices, more and more people are at risk (...) of losing their own apartment, their own living space." Since 2021, the number of evictions has been increasing, with 2,339 having taken place in Vienna alone last year. Currently, about 21,000 people are registered as homeless or without housing in this country.

New "Winter Package" from the Gruft: Helping the Homeless with 70 Euros

With prominent support from actor Karl Markovics, Schwertner and the head of the Gruft, Elisabeth Pichler, are now advertising a "Gruft Winter Package". This includes a winter-proof sleeping bag and seven warm meals for a donation of 70 euros. They also appealed to the public to call the Caritas cold telephone if people without help are on the street, so that appropriate street work teams can be dispatched.

Reforms Demanded by New Government

From the upcoming federal government, Caritas is demanding a national action plan for affordable housing. "Above all, we need a comprehensive tenancy law reform," says Schwertner. Because politics has so far "pushed" such a thing "far away". In addition, the Caritas director advocates for the creation of affordable housing, a subsidized basic energy tariff, and a redesign of the "New Social Assistance".

In recent days, the Caritas emergency shelters have recorded an occupancy rate of 98 percent and specifically in the Gruft, according to Pichler, more than 18,800 sleeping places for the homeless have been offered this year. Most recently, the Vienna winter package was increased by 1,000 additional places, among others by the Vienna Social Fund (FSW) and other aid organizations such as Caritas.

(APA/Red)

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