Census for collecting homeless data begins in Budapest

Homelessness in Hungary was criminalised in 2018 by Viktor Orbán's ruling Fidesz party.

Transcript

00:00A census for the homeless has begun in Budapest.

00:03Authorities in the city estimate that between 1,000 and 1,500 people

00:08spent nights on the streets, and around 5,000 in hostels in the Hungarian capital.

00:14Several of the homeless found at this park say they had a stable life

00:18before things took a turn for the worse.

00:20Since Covid, I've been working on the streets,

00:24but unfortunately, the hospitality industry has come to an absolute end,

00:29and I couldn't find a solution.

00:33First I lost my flat, then my girlfriend.

00:36Did you take anything with you?

00:38Nothing.

00:41Nothing at the moment.

00:43I'll go back to work, and then I'll be fine.

00:45I just need to take care of myself.

00:46The Shelter Foundation's homeless shelter on Van der Hunyard Street

00:50has been in operation since 1990.

00:53I'm happy here. I have everything. It's a quiet place.

01:00PET's jury, chairman of the Foundation's board of trustees,

01:04said that they are trying to find out how many people actually sleep

01:08without shelter in the inner districts of Budapest.

01:13The European Union has now started a joint international survey

01:18to see if a common standard, a common method,

01:22can be used in ten countries to measure the size and proportion of homelessness

01:27in order to provide targeted support in order to reduce homelessness.

01:33According to a 2023 report, an estimated 890,000 people sleep rough

01:39or in a homeless shelter across the EU.