Hungary Criminalises Homelessness

The right-wing government of Viktor Orbán,  has previously focused on the apparent threat posed to Hungary from refugees and migrants. But now some fear that it now intends to target the homeless.  From next week, being homeless in Hungary will violate the constitution. Under the new rules, people “caught” being homeless who refuse to go to shelters when prompted by police will face enrolment in a compulsory work programme or jail. They may also have their belongings confiscated.

The Hungarian government’s legal crusade against homelessness has been going on almost since Orbán became prime minister in 2010. Then, the interior ministry made it easier for the city authorities to remove homeless people from the streets, but the constitutional court ruled the measure unconstitutional. In response, the government simply changed the constitution. An amendment made it illegal to sleep rough in the vicinity of cultural and other important sites, effectively making homelessness illegal in large parts of Budapest.

“There are many countries where there are debates over criminalising homelessness, but as far as I know Hungary is the only one to deal with it in the constitution,” said Bálint Misetics, a sociologist and housing rights activist. Misetics said it was pointless to talk about homelessness as purely a law-enforcement issue: “In Hungary there has been a lot of discussion about criminalisation but I am yet to hear a government official talk about any other aspect. You cannot solve homelessness when there is no social safety net and it is almost impossible for someone who become homeless to get out of it. You need social workers, not policemen.”

The homeless are a visible part of Budapest’s cityscape, sleeping in parks and underpasses. Iványi said the number of beds at shelters in the city was inadequate. One of his shelters has dozens of simple metal bed-frames crammed into each room. In winter, when the 130-bed shelter houses up to 300 people on some nights, yoga mats are spread on the floor. Many homeless people say the city’s homeless shelters are so poor that they prefer to stay on the street.

“They’re full of lice and once you get lice it’s very hard to get rid of them,” said Erik Jeczkel, a 47-year-old who has been homeless for 20 years. He lives on the street, scavenging for food in bins.

 The language around homelessness in much of the debate is distinctly lacking in compassion. “They behave and act in a way that is disturbing for other people and is polluting the streets. They make normal use of public areas impossible and generate fear and disgust in normal people,” said the mayor of Budapest’s 10th district, Róbert Kovács.

Many homeless people are struggling with mental health issues and addiction, but there are many who have fallen behind on mortgage repayments and found themselves falling through a flimsy social safety net. A long-term unemployed homeless person receives 22,800 forints (£63) in benefits per month, while those on a government-sponsored work programme receive 54,000 forints, with which it is hard to rent even a room in Budapest.

Ilona Faras, 55, said she had been homeless since the 1990s, sometimes living in shelters and sometimes on the street. “I have had a number of jobs cleaning shopping centres or cafes but when I have money I’ve given it to my children. I can’t afford to rent anything,” she said.

“The government has realised they can’t play the migrant card endlessly because there are obviously no migrants in the country. Migration issues can still be useful for national campaigns but for local issues they need a new scapegoat,” said Gábor Iványi, a Methodist priest who runs homeless shelters in Budapest.

SOYMB blog is reminded of that well-known quotation:

First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—
     Because I was not a socialist.

Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—
     Because I was not a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—
     Because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.