Homeless people in Linz

“Do you really want to hear the whole truth?”

Gerald and Sebastian at Linz Central Station. They spend their days and nights there.

(Bild: Wenzel Markus/Markus Wenzel)

Too much heat and alcohol, too little sleep for fear of being attacked and robbed. Even in summer, life on the streets is tough. But the homeless in Linz stick together.

It's not even noon and the heat is already beating mercilessly on the asphalt. Sebastian (32) takes a sip of his beer and lights a cigarette. He and his buddy Gerald (35) are killing time together. "I've been living on the street for three years. In winter I sleep in the bike garage here at the main station, in summer in the park. But I've already been robbed there. Then everything was gone, my rucksack, my documents, the few things I had to wear," Gerald shakes his head. 

Caring for his mother with dementia and then his brother died
"I don't understand it. We're all just fighting for one thing. It's about survival," says his friend Sebastian. Who, just like all the other homeless people, has had a hard time. "I spent three years looking after my mother, who has dementia, and then my brother died. And now I'm sitting here, drinking beer and talking about God and the world."

The world has not been kind to them. "We have to get back on our feet, stop drinking, find an apartment and a job again," says Gerald.

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"It's almost impossible to get out of there"
 One person who helps the two of them to get out of homelessness is Isolde. She works as a street worker at the B37 association and provides her protégés with clothes, toiletries and water every day. She also takes care of things like dealing with the authorities.

"You don't drink out of the blue. That needs to be dealt with. But access to psychological support is difficult because there are only a few places to go. Without income or health insurance, it's almost impossible to get out of a situation like this," Isolde knows.

B37 social association emergency shelter

The emergency shelter at Anastasius-Grün-Straße 2 is open from 7.30 p.m. to 7.30 a.m. during the summer months. There are 59 beds available; the night costs 4.80 euros. Homeless people can stay here for up to four weeks, with individual extensions possible. There are sleeping, cooking and shower facilities.

"Otherwise we would be completely lost"
 Christian and Sigi also live on the street, but unlike Gerald and Sebastian, they use the emergency shelter for the night. "Do you want to hear the truth? We're lucky to have accommodation like this, otherwise we'd be completely lost," Sigi grabs a towel and disappears into the shower.

It's good to cool off after a miserable day on the road. The 41-year-old served time in prison for drug dealing and is now on the road to recovery. "You can only survive life on the street with drugs, but I don't want to deal any more. And no more jail time."