Cold, hungry and homeless at Christmas

It is feared many rough sleepers will die on the streets this Christmas

By Paul Sussman, CNN.com Europe writer

LONDON, England (CNN) -- Hungry and alone, up to six million people will "sleep rough" on the streets of Europe's cities over Christmas

With cardboard boxes and blankets as their only shelter from the cold, dozens of forgotten people will not survive the festive season, homeless support groups estimate.

The Geneva-based Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions (COHRE) says a further 20 million may be seeking refuge in shacks, derelict buildings and squats without proper facilities and facing hunger and disease.

In the north of Europe temperatures plummet to well below zero over Christmas -- conditions in which many homeless people simply freeze to death.

In the winter of 1999, 11 homeless people died of cold on the streets of Germany, according to government figures. In France, as many as 15 people were reported to have died during a recent severe Christmas cold snap, COHRE said.

In places such as Russia and Ukraine the death toll is far higher.

The bitterness of the weather is compounded by public indifference. A recent Prague survey, found that 74 percent of those questioned felt "negative" towards the homeless, while only 15 percent felt they deserved any help.

"The attitude of most people towards the homeless is very unsympathetic," says Lena Mashkova of Na Dne (The Depths), a newspaper sold by homeless people on the streets of St. Petersburg, Russia.

"Nobody really wants to help them. They think that they are to blame for their present state."

"I think Christmas is a particularly tough time for homeless people," says Thomas Specht-Kittler of the National Coalition of Homeless Organisations in Germany.

"Most homeless people will tell you they've been alone for so much of their lives that one particular day doesn't really make any difference, but you do sense that they feel lonelier and more estranged from society."

In St. Petersburg the staff of Na Dne hold a special tea party on Christmas Day.

"We do what we can to help," says Mashkova, "But in St. Petersburg at least, most homeless people will just spend Christmas on the streets. Many of them will die of cold."

Often these non-governmental organisations intensify their efforts during the winter months.

"Obviously we are working with homeless people all through the year," says Rina Beers of the Federation of Shelters in the Netherlands. "But there is a special winter shelter programme that kicks in when the temperature drops below a certain level.

A sleeping bag and cardboard box provide little protection against freezing European winters

"Shelters make extra beds available, and mobile vans go round with food and warm clothes and medical supplies."

Efforts also are made to give the homeless a happy Christmas. In Prague, for instance, The Salvation Army holds a series of parties on Christmas Eve.

In London, the homeless organisation Crisis opens five special shelters between December 23-30, offering beds, food, clean clothes and medical services.

For two of the many homeless in London -- Tam and Alice, both 26 -- Christmas means little more than another struggle for survival on the streets of London.

As shoppers hurry past on the city's Oxford Street, the two of them -- who refused to give their full names -- curl up in a doorway and huddle for warmth beneath a threadbare sleeping bag.

"When you live on the streets all you're really concerned about is getting through the night. Things like Christmas don't really mean very much," Tam says.

He has been sleeping rough on and off since he was 16, during which time he says he has been attacked "more times than I care to remember" and seen two fellow street-sleepers stabbed to death. Several nights ago, he says, he woke up to find a drunken businessman urinating on him.

"It's like you don't exist," says Tam. "People walk by you and just ignore you. It's like you're invisible."

Many may wonder why those like Tam and Alice don't simply find work, but to some degree they face a Catch-22: Many employers won't hire people unless they can provide proof of permanent residence, while many landlords won't accept new tenants unless they can provide proof of a permanent job.

There is also a psychological hurdle: Many homeless have been institutionalised at some point, and the experience has left them wary of approaching organisations that exist to help them.

And what will Tam and Alice be doing this Christmas?

"I'd like to go up and see my mum back in Scotland," says Tam, "But she's on benefits and she's got my two sisters living with her, so there wouldn't really be room. We'll probably just go to the Crisis shelter.

Scott Leckie from COHRE says across Europe, many people like Tam and Alice simply will not survive the Christmas period.

"It comes down to basics like the weather. If it is cold, there is no doubt that dozens and dozens will die from Paris to Moscow," he says.

"On top of that hundreds will end up suffering pneumonia and other severe diseases."

Tam and Alice are planning to exchange small gifts, but neither thinks they'll get the present they really want.

"If I could have anything in the world it would just be to get my life back together," says Alice. "But I don't think even Father Christmas could sort that one out."

Scores of Russians die in big freeze
December 1, 2000
Documentary invites audiences into 'homes' of the homeless
October 16, 2000
A homeless community
August 11, 2000

Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions
European Federation of National Organisations Working with the Homeless (FEANTSA)
The Salvation Army
Crisis
Shelter
International Network of Street Papers

Note: Pages will open in a new browser window

External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.