Street survey

2021

Thanks to our partners nadácia ZSE, World Habitat and nadácia Slovenskej sporiteľne. 

Photos: Marek Jánoš

2019

Invisible visibility, area monitoring of homeless people in Bratislava - Old Town.

 Non-governmental organizations, volunteers, community people, observers from the United Kingdom, together more than 30 people, on Thursday 19/09/2019 carried out the second street survey of the needs of homeless people in the Old Town. The activity took place under the auspices of the Mayor Ing. arch. Zuzana Aufrichtová, which we perceive as a real interest of the city district to participate in solving the issue of homeless people. The activity was organized by NGO STOPA Slovakia and NGO PRIMA as part of the international campaign of European cities called The European End Street Homelessness Campaign under the local name Invisible Visibility.

This activity followed similar activities in Barcelona and Bratislava was followed by Leicester and Brigton (UK). The results of area monitoring showed that despite the assumptions of a radical increase in homeless people out of 123 identified in 2018, the current status of 138 individuals (26 women and 112 men) to which we add 17 people who were in the day center during monitoring and 7 identified places of residence. The total number is 162. 

The difference from the previous year is in a greater visual concentration in the streets of the Old Town, which also carries negative emotions on the part of society. Other very serious findings are the willingness to change, the number of years on the street and the place of origin. 

Just over a few% of the respondents want to change their situation in real terms, and OZ STOPA will provide professional assistance for this change. This situation is followed by the fact that most respondents have been living on the street for more than 5 years and their status and reconciliation with the state of homelessness is deeply rooted. 

We can also argue that street homelessness in Bratislava is largely a consequence and the crisis has started outside Bratislava, in other cities and towns of Slovakia, to a small percentage of abroad. This report does not contain much relevant information that NGO STOPA will process into a professional publication that will be distributed. NGO STOPA together with partner organizations with the Old Town district and other relevant subjects to look for real solutions to this issue. Also during the monitoring day, representatives of the international campaign under the auspices of World Habitat met with representatives of the Old Town district, the Bratislava Self-Governing Region and the Deputy Plenipotentiary for the Development of Civil Society. At these meetings, real forms of assistance were offered by the international campaign of European cities, represented by NGO STOPA in Slovakia.

NGO STOPA represents Bratislava at the international level and as one of the few it provides relevant documents, which are translated into three languages. One of these translations will also be the outputs from areal monitoring. Data and information need to be shared at European level, as we know that, despite efforts, the number of homeless people and the risk of homelessness in Europe is increasing. Action at global level is therefore also needed.