Frozen stimler homeless together in front of the refuge on the national bank of denmark in Copenhagen. Hungry are they waiting for to get out of the cold and into the safety for a meal, a mattress and a sleeping bag.
When winter comes, we can see the hopelessness in their eyes. It is cold and dark, and the days are long, Flemming Jantzen, superintendent of the refuge in the national bank of denmark.
the Refuge in the national bank of denmark has 100 permanent residents and can accommodate up to 30 overnight in natcafeen. In the winter, however, there is a need for more seats, so the staff draws extra mattresses, so no homeless are being rejected in the door. Photo: Rasmus Flindt Pedersen
the Institution has only the budget to open from o’clock until 23: 30, but because of the cold they choose anyway to close the homeless into the bell 22 of the winter. The day after is closed again at ten o’clock at and must make do on the street the rest of the day.
– They are slukørede Saturday and Sunday morning when we drop them off to a closed Copenhagen. You can mark on them that they are under pressure, and stressed, and when they come back in the evening, is the udkørte and hungry, tells Claus Hegstrup, who has worked several years on the refuge.
– When all the other have the free, then come the homeless people on the work, because it is difficult to find a place where it is warm and free to stay, says Ask Svejstrup from The homeless Landsorganisation.
It is often the homeless, who abuse, who find it difficult to find indoor. Many shelters are forbidden to take drugs or drink. How is it not Herbeget in the national bank of denmark, and there is, therefore, needles and tin foil around, because it has been fixed. Photo: Rasmus Flindt Pedersen Through the House Past offers a refuge of clean needles and other gear to prevent diseases of the many homeless people who are addicts. Photo: Rasmus Flindt Pedersen
recently set fire to a sleeping bag, which was a homeless and slept. Such stories are regularly promoting in the media.
– those who are on The streets at night, is very vulnerable. We hear what they are experiencing. The women tell that they are exposed to rape or attempt at it. Others will and have been beaten up, tells Claus Hegstrup and elaborates:
– We can see that security means a lot to them. They attach themselves close together, even if they are here, and even if they do not know each other, he says.
Outside, however, it is over to be together in order to ensure against theft, abuse or assault. A new law prohibits homeless people sleeping together in groups, because it can be utrygskabende for passers-by.
– The new law forces them to split up and lie hidden, cold and damp places. If they are being found by the wrong, while they are alone in a hidden place, so is it dangerous for them, tells Ask Svejstrup from The homeless Landsorganisation.
Gets the homeless people found and reviewed in order to create insecurity, as the law requires, is liable to be punished with zoneforbud, which means that they will be expelled from the municipality.
The homeless people who come on the night, being taken against the staff, which stands behind a grid. ‘I am not fond of the grid, and the signal it sends, but we need to have it. We have seen that there are homeless people who have been violent or tried to throw the thing after the staff,’ says superintendent Flemming Jantzen. Photo: Rasmus Flindt Pedersen
Multiple users on the refuge in the national bank of denmark report that they no longer dare to sleep outside because of the new rules. They dare not be alone and are dependent on, that there is space for them in shelters around.
Among the politician and the lobbyists, there is disagreement about whether there are places enough. The number of homeless people has been increasing in recent years, and according to the latest census from the national analysis and research centre for welfare, there was 6.635 homeless in 2017. For comparison, there are approximately 2100 herbergspladser according to the organization Project Outside.
– in the winter we regularly received phone calls from other shelters, which do not have enough space, and so we take the extra check with us. We cover the over a mørketal – the extra overnight, as we take in, is not someone we genuinely have the budget for, say an employee Claus Hegstrup.
Sometimes selects the employees voluntarily. ‘So we can better reach to do some social work with them before they go to bed,’ explains Claus Hegstrup, who is an employee at the refuge. Photo: Rasmus Flindt Pedersen
– The more we get, the thinner becomes the butter. We can’t make a qualified piece of social work, because we can only offer it’s quite basic. We provide a roof over their head on at night. A bed to sleep in, a bath and something to eat, but a homeless person with a mental or physical disorder or abuse the something else, says Flemming Jantzen, who is superintendent on site.
the Refuge has three employees on the night for a total of 130 overnight homeless.
– You get the feeling that the ambition level of the municipalities and the politicians only, that ‘none shall die’. We are talking about a mattress on the floor along with 30 others, where you can come in at 22 on the evening and will be thrown out again early the day after. It does not solve the real problems, tells Ask Svejstrup from The homeless, and Conventional SAND.
A new report shows that it has not succeeded in Denmark to reduce the number of homeless people – in contrast to Norway and Finland.
See also: Some countries have cracked the code, but not Denmark