In German cities like Berlin, many have to resort to begging to make a living. We accompany Cecilia and Claude, two people experiencing homelessness, and witness their struggles to survive and lead a dignified life.
00:00Cecilia's pension isn't enough to live on, so she asks strangers for money in the Berlin subway.
00:06She's one of many people in Germany who go begging.
00:13Claude is homeless. At night he begs in Berlin's bars.
00:16He needs money for food and to feed his addiction.
00:19Hi, do you two have any spare change?
00:22In a wealthy country like Germany, what leads people to beg for money?
00:37As night falls, Claude is in Berlin's trendy Neukölln district, trying to make some money.
00:44I hate this.
00:47I'm going to go to a few bars to get a few euros.
00:52Hey guys, sorry, do you have any change?
00:59I've been back on the street for four years now.
01:03Before that, I had an apartment nearby.
01:06So this is my neighborhood.
01:09That's why I have my fixed route here.
01:12I have regular bars I go to.
01:15This area is popular with other beggars too.
01:18And it's a highly competitive business.
01:24Currently, Claude needs around 40 to 50 euros a day.
01:27He's taking medication to treat his addiction so he doesn't need so many drugs.
01:32The evening goes well for him, although getting around isn't always easy.
01:35Oh man, I hate it.
01:41Before the pandemic, Claude had a job as an event technician.
01:45But then came unemployment, drug addiction, and he ended up on the street again.
01:50He's a familiar face here.
01:51I haven't seen you for ages. I was worried.
01:56Wow, that's amazing. Thank you.
02:00Cecilia is tired.
02:01She makes her way through the morning bustle outside Berlin Zoo train station, hoping to get a free breakfast from a local homeless charity there.
02:16Cecilia's daily routine is built around the offer of free meals.
02:20It's a simple equation. The more free food she can get, the less she'll have to beg.
02:29Only rarely can she stay the night with a family member. On the streets, she seeks out shelter with other people.
02:36I go where there are people, where there are other women, like in a tent, so that we're together, never alone, because I'm afraid.
02:50Cecilia has raised six children. When she first got pregnant, she had to break off her training to become a hairdresser.
02:57She often begs with friends, but none of them are here today, so she has to go alone.
03:07Can you give me a few?
03:10Oh, thank you. Thank you very much.
03:17Bye.
03:19Look at these strawberries. I scrounged them.
03:21And he gave them to me.
03:30They're delicious.
03:32Cecilia relies on support from the state, not just financial help, but also social activities.
03:37Look, you can do bowling. Things like that are so expensive, but here it's all free.
03:43And you can get to know lots of other people, too.
03:45Meanwhile, the welfare office has just given Claude a room he can stay in.
03:52It's an important step as he tries to get back to a normal life.
03:56Having a safe place to live is vital.
03:59Keeping appointments can be really hard,
04:04because I don't know if I can get there,
04:08or where I'll be able to sleep, so it doesn't really work.
04:16Claude has been in a wheelchair for the past six months because of an infection in his legs.
04:21His new room is in another part of town. He'll have to change his routine.
04:27I'll probably set up a second area, somewhere over where I'll be staying.
04:32I'll see if I can find a corner that's relatively lucrative for begging.
04:39That way I'll have a bit of variety.
04:46A transport service comes by and picks him up to get his dressing changed.
04:53Claude hopes to be walking again soon.
04:55Cecilia is on her way to lunch. She asks for money or food wherever she can.
05:07I'm sure I can give you something.
05:11Here's 150.
05:15What leads people in Germany to beg?
05:18The number living below the poverty line is around 13 million,
05:23even though many of those have jobs or receive welfare.
05:27Many are single parents, women or families with children.
05:31Debt, job loss or illness can push them into begging, explains Sunja Hansen.
05:37It's incredibly shameful for people.
05:41It's definitely not something you get used to,
05:43because the reactions beggars get are often very unpleasant.
05:47So it's a vicious circle.
05:49If you keep having negative experiences, then it becomes more and more unpleasant.
05:53It's particularly dangerous for women,
05:58who are at more risk of violence and often try to go unnoticed when they're on the streets.
06:03Begging is allowed in Germany, but it's increasingly being pushed out of the public eye.
06:07It's forbidden to ask people for money in many city centers,
06:12as well as in the subways in Hamburg and Munich.
06:15Beggars can face fines or bans,
06:18but Berlin is less strict, and asking for money isn't banned.
06:24Can you help me?
06:26Yes, no problem.
06:31This train is too crowded for Cecilia to beg properly.
06:34No money? No money. I assume.
06:38She changes to another train.
06:43Do you have a few euros?
06:46No.
06:48No.
06:50Do you have a few euros?
06:52Money? No?
06:54No.
06:55Hey, little doggie.
06:57Do you have any money?
06:59A couple of euros?
07:01Often people go out of their way to help.
07:05Now I can buy myself a drink.
07:07But it doesn't always work.
07:09Any spare change?
07:10Only big bills?
07:11Too bad.
07:12Thanks, bye.
07:14I'm hungry.
07:15I sleep on the street.
07:17No, have a nice day.
07:19No?
07:20Bye.
07:22Bye.
07:24When she begs, she often faces rejection and disrespect.
07:27People say leave, get lost, and stuff like that.
07:30I keep quiet and move on.
07:31What else can I do?
07:32What else can I do?
07:33No.
07:34What else can I do?
07:35Any spare change?
07:36Any spare change?
07:38Only big bills?
07:39Too bad.
07:40Thanks, bye.
07:42She finds herself daydreaming in front of a jeweler's shop window.
07:55She finds herself daydreaming in front of a jeweler's shop window.
08:09I would give my girls a bracelet and a ring.
08:14Toys are easy to buy for the grandchildren, but gold for my own children?
08:20Too expensive.
08:25Tonight we must have been asked for money six times. I can't give to everyone because I don't have that much myself.
08:45I give some, but by about the third time I stop giving.
08:50If someone needs help, we should help them.
08:54Sorry, can you spare some change?
08:58Damn.
09:00Claude says it's important for beggars to be considerate when they do their rounds at bars.
09:05Some don't go up to the counter and ask or tell the staff they're there.
09:13They just go straight in and start begging.
09:16They're the ones who get the people in the bars really annoyed.
09:19Okay, have a nice evening.
09:23So that was definitely a lucky round.
09:3014 euros in the first bar.
09:32I'm now at 48 euros.
09:34This is like the good old days.
09:37Even after all these years, Claude still finds asking for money very difficult.
09:48Alcohol helps him to loosen up and suppress his shame.
09:52When you're already struggling with yourself and someone just feeds you a line, it brings you down so much.
10:02So I have to drink, otherwise it doesn't work.
10:07I'm still a human being, even if I'm begging.
10:12The bit of dignity that I haven't taken away from myself, that at least should be left to me.
10:21That's why it's great when you meet people who show an interest in you as a person.
10:36Cecilia and Claude's lives show just how urgently people on the streets need help,
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