Street roots
Feb. 17, 2012
P H O T O B Y R E U T E R S /G L E B G A R A N IC H
A woman begs fo r money in below-freezing temperatures as people pass by in Kiev Feb. 6.
Ukraine’s homeless fall under grips of devasting cold spell
BY LAURA SMITH
S T R E E T N E W S S E R V IC E
s the temperature plummets in
Ukraine, the death toll continues to
soar with the country’s homeless
most affected, calling into question the
Ukrainian government’s stance on
homelessness and unemployment.
Casualties are also reported in other
European countries.
Street paper editors across Europe have
reported deaths amongst homeless people
as a result of the extreme cold weather. The
worst casualties were in Eastern Europe.
In Poland, 135 people are believed to
have died and a further eight deaths
occurred in Romania in one weekend,
bringing the total casualties there to 65.
In Serbia, which declared a state of
emergency last week, 19 people have died in
the cold snap so far.
In Berlin, Germany, a man believed to be
a vendor of street paper Strassenfeger,
burned to death in a container while trying
to make a fire to keep warm. The street
paper said the police are investigating the
death and that it has not yet received
confirmation about the victim’s identity.
The editor of a soon-to be-launched street
paper in Greece reported deaths of five
homeless people.
In Britain, the first death was reported on
Feb. 12 as temperatures in the country sank
to -18C, (9 Fahrenheit) claiming the life of
one homeless man in Hull.
While statistics vary, it is estimated that
the big freeze has caused up to 400 deaths
across Europe during the last two weeks,
with the homeless and elderly remaining the
worst affected.
A
Ukraine worst affected
The numbers remain highest in Ukraine,
where more than 135 people have died from
the extreme cold, with the majority of
victims being homeless. So far, the frozen
bodies of 64 homeless people have been
found in the streets of Ukraine’s cities, as
those sleeping rough are struggling to
survive in temperatures as low as -35C (-31
Fahrenheit).
Thousands of homeless people have
already been treated in hospitals for
frostbite and hypothermia, with health
officials instructing hospitals not to
discharge homeless patients, even after
treatment, in order to spare them from the
cold.
Emergency officials have confirmed that,
of the Ukrainians who have died, about 60
percent were found frozen on the streets, 10
percent died in hospitals and almost 30
percent in their homes.
The country’s emergency ministry has
also set up 3,000 heated tents across the
country to provide temporary refuge for
Ukraine’s homeless, offering them warmth,
comfort, food and hot drinks. Yet
government resources are being severely
stretched as there are simply too many
people needing help, and most are sent back
to brave the bitter cold after only a few
hours respite.
As the number of those freezing to death
across Eastern Europe escalates, statistics
show that more people have died in Ukraine
than any other country, highlighting the
plight of the country’s homeless and the
government’s struggle to provide them with
adequate support.
“We try to find people in abandoned
houses, factories or cellars and urge them
to go to hospitals or night shelters”
“So far the government say they have had
85,000 people applying for help. As it is,
this is a horrible statistic, but it also shows
that these 85,000 people were not provided
with any kind of help before,” says Maryana
Sokha, editor of street paper Prosto Neba,
sold by homeless people in the city of Lviv.
“Today in Ukraine there are some 100
social agencies providing social services for
homeless people, 30 of which are non
governmental,” she continues. “The quality
of the service is another issue, but is it
really enough to have 100 agencies in a
country with 45 million inhabitants, a
quarter of which live in absolute poverty?”
Experts believe that the reason so many
have died is due not just to the bitter
climate, but rather Ukraine’s social and
economic policies, which have contributed
to more cases of homelessness on its streets
than in other eastern European country.
Still suffering from the after-effects of its
economic crisis during 2008-2009, Ukraine
has an unemployment rate of 8.5 percent,
one of the worst in Europe. During the
brutal cold snap, the majority of deaths
occurred in eastern Ukraine, the region
with the highest numbers of unemployed.
“Ukraine’s problems of homelessness can
also be determined by the quantity of social
agencies that work here, the quality of their
community workshops and the street paper
Prosto Neba.
“Every day, workers of Oselya provide
people in the city with hot food, tea and
clothing, and information about places
where they can receive help,” says Sokha.
“We also try to find people in abandoned
houses, factories or cellars and urge them
to go to hospitals or night shelters. It’s very
important in this country, where homeless
people are not used to the fact that
someone can offer them aid and
compassion.”
The tragic death toll of the past week
' Is it really enough to have 1OO agencies in a country with
45 million inhabitants, a quarter of which live In absolute
poverty?"
— M A R Y A N A SOKHA
E D IT O R O F STREET P A P E R P R O S T O N E B A , S O L D S Y H O M E L E S S P E O P LE IN T H E C IT Y O E L V IV
service and by the general attitude of the
authorities and society towards homeless
people,” argues Sokha. Experts have also
said that a negative stance toward the
homeless has contributed to the poor
official response to the crisis.
Sokha also warns that the death toll in
Ukraine is likely to be far more severe than
currently estimated, with many deaths going
unrecorded; “I believe that many homeless
people will be found dead later in abandoned
houses or factories where they have been
trying to find shelter,” she says.
“This is another opportunity to break the
boundary that exists between homeless
people and society”
Throughout the crisis, the government
has been aided by non-government
organizations such as “Community of mutual
aid Oselya” which has worked with the
homeless people of Lviv for the past ten
years, and was the first of its kind in
Ukraine. The organization helps the city’s
homeless through different projects like
street work, day centers, training,
sheds light on Ukraine’s homeless problem
and the failure of its government to address
this issue. Despite its current efforts, not
enough is being done to help at least 85,000
homeless people currently roaming the
streets of Ukraine’s cities in search of
survival.
“Media coverage has raised the problem
and brought about debate for possible
solutions. It is reminding the public about
the seriousness of Ukraine’s homeless
problem, so this is another opportunity to
break the boundary that exists between
homeless people and society,” says Sokha.
She does, however, remain skeptical
about the long-term impact of the ‘snow
emergency support’: “It is good that we
have authorities and organizations doing
something about this situation now, and
saving people’s lives. I’m just afraid that
they will forget about them until the next
extreme cold.”
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