Our Goal is to Help the Homeless, Not Fine Them
The subject of homelessness in Hungary keeps cropping up, especially this time of year, in international media. Recently, we saw a number of reports, many of them based on this one from the Associated Press, regurgitating the mistaken information that Hungary imposes fines on the homeless for living on the streets. False information about Hungary ‘criminalizing homelessness’ made its way into the Huffington Post, Yahoo! news and other international news sources.
Fact is, nobody faces fines in Hungary for living on the streets. While we can find many examples of cities that impose fines on so-called ‘urban camping,’ in Hungary, the Constitutional Court abolished such practice. Usually the goal of such ordinances is to move the homeless off the streets and into shelters, where they can find some basic nourishment and at least Spartan accommodation instead of enduring the winter elements in paper boxes and underpasses. That was the intention, at least of the Hungarian regulation that was struck down by the court. While some would claim that imposing restrictions on homelessness, those living on the margins of society, is draconian and callous, a compelling counter-argument says that leaving the homeless exposed on the streets is more callous. It amounts to abandonment, especially in wintertime when each year we have cases of people freezing to death. Few would question that a functioning network of social shelters would provide a better alternative for the unfortunate homeless. But it’s also about public security and order. Many local proprietors and residents feel their neighborhoods should be kept safe, and they see the issues of ‘urban camping’ and panhandling as issues of public security, personal safety and protection of private property. That’s a reasonable point too. Having the homeless off the streets, in shelters is seen as a better solution, safer from many perspectives, in the face of a difficult problem.
This year, the government is spending 30 million euros on homeless services. This graph, which I saw re-printed on the Wall Street Journal’s blog, illustrates the increasing numbers of homeless people using these government-supported facilities.
Source: KSH/MTVA Sajtó- és Fotóarchivum/MTI via WSJ
On the economic front, unemployment figures have been declining since 2010, showing that the government is beginning to turn the tide on jobs, even in this period of crisis in Europe. Lower unemployment rates mean fewer people left to the streets. And on the housing front, the government has been helping families facing mortgage financing problems by offering assistance with those mortgages taken out in foreign currency.
Without question, the situation has to be confronted, and these problems defy easy solutions. We have tools we use to help in the short run and others that help people avoid homelessness. We also feel strongly that it’s not enough to label homelessness a ‘civil rights’ issue and turn a blind eye, as some have done, but that a responsible government should strive to find responses that respect the health and well-being of the homeless as well as the other members of society who expect public security and protection of property.
