In winter

Caritas: Help for the homeless via cold phone

After the call, Caritas social workers get a picture of the person concerned and consider how best to help.

(Bild: Caritas)

"Nobody should have to stay outside in the cold," says Caritas. The cold phone will be back in operation until the end of March next year. Last year, 38 people accepted the help.

Those people who have a roof over their heads and ideally a car parked outside are annoyed when the temperature drops below zero and they have to scrape the ice off the windows. Other people have far greater worries, such as those who - for whatever reason - have to sleep on the street.

In operation until the end of March
Many passers-by want to help the acutely homeless, but don't quite know what to do when they see the outdoor sleeping camp in winter. For this reason, the Caritas cold phone is operating again until March 31. "If you notice a homeless person and want to help them quickly and easily, speak to them and ask if they need help. Then please call," says Caritas Director Melanie Balaskovics. "Nobody should have to stay outside in the cold!"

A roof over your head
Once the person's whereabouts have been made known, social workers visit the place where they are sleeping. There they offer individual help and distribute sleeping bags, advise people or take them to one of the emergency shelters. At the Caritas emergency shelter in Oberwart and the ZufluchtsRaum and ZufluchtsDorf in Eisenstadt, homeless people are given a temporary roof over their heads and a warm and protected environment in which to recover from the hardships of the streets.

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The Caritas coldline is open seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.: 0676-837 30 322

From November 2023 to the end of March 2024 alone, there were 48 reports from passers-by via the Caritas cold phone in Burgenland. 38 people in need accepted the help and found shelter from the cold.