In the homeless quarter

“Without us, the dead would be lying on the street”

Katharina Hörmann runs the Johanniter shelter "Haus Leopoldstadt" - one of two emergency shelters for homeless people in the summer.

(Bild: Holl Reinhard/Reinhard Holl)

Those who can, seek safety from the heat or at least shelter. But not all Viennese have this option. Homeless people are mercilessly at the mercy of the temperatures - with dramatic consequences. A local "Krone" inspection of one of only two summer shelters for the homeless. 

For many people, the hot summer is the epitome of vacation mood, but for one forgotten group it means one thing above all: survival. Homeless people suffer particularly from the high temperatures. Katharina Hörmann, who runs the "Haus Leopoldstadt" for the Johanniter, confirms this. It is one of two emergency shelters funded by the City of Vienna and open in summer. Hörmann: "It sounds harmless, but the heat is sometimes life-threatening for our clients."