Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2007/01/20
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Obviously, the situation varies by country, but just to correct something Douglas wrote: unemployment in Germany (and across Europe in general) is falling, not rising. The four million figure for Germany sounds high, but it is down from over 5 million at the beginning of the year (see: http://www.destatis.de/indicators/d/arb110ad.htm). The same picture holds in the Netherlands (latest unemployment figure is 224000, down from 297000 one year ago and 316000 two years ago, http://statline.cbs.nl/StatWeb/table.asp?HDR=T&LA=nl&DM=SLNL&PA=37948&D1=a&D2=453,465,477,489,501,513,525,537,549,561,573,585,597,609,621,633,645,l&STB=G1) and so on. So if you are seeing more homeless people than before, it cannot be because of the economic situation, since that is improving pretty much everywhere in Europe. There are of course variations in the strength of the social safety net across countries. Based on what I know about Denmark, for example, there is no reason why any legal resident of that country should ever be homeless. Even after your unemployment insurance runs out, the basic welfare payment you receive is sufficient to guarantee food, shelter and other basic necessities. Most of the homeless I see in Copenhagen are drunks or people with other addictions and/or mental illness. It is a complex issue: how paternalistic can the state be? Can it force someone to use their welfare money sensibly rather than spending it all on booze? In places like Spain or the UK, many of the homeless are illegal immigrants. In the UK, they may even be legal--for example, some of the close to 1 million Poles who came to the UK after Poland joined the EU have not been able to find jobs, and end up on the streets. There are charities who help them get temporary shelter and pay for the trip back to Poland. In Amsterdam, most of the homeless are junkies or addicts of one kind or another, and many are foreigners. Many are also young--the city attracts drug addicts from across Europe due to its liberal culture and the ease with which they can blend in. And so on. Nathan Peter Dzwig wrote: > Sounds pretty mich the same as back home in blighty Douglas, > > Peter > > Douglas Sharp wrote: >> From a Brit who has been living in what is/was probably the smuggest >> European country (Germany) for over 30 years Larry, >> homeless and particularly the homeless or unemployed with an alcohol >> or drug problem are a common sight in most German cities. And if you >> don't actually see them, there are enough reports of them being >> beaten up by neo-nazis and young German-Russian immigrants - two >> cases alone last week in Hannover. >> Much is done here in the way of giving them a bed at night - if they >> accept it, and quite a few don't on the grounds that what little they >> have is often stolen by their bed-neighbours. Similarly there are >> organisations offering free meals, a bath and medical/dental >> facilities too (Salvation Army, Samaritans etc.) In the same way much >> is being done on the drug addiction front - controlled methadone >> dosage, clean needles, hygienic "fix-rooms" and Hannover planned the >> free and controlled provision of heroin - cheaper and with less >> detrimental side-effects than methadone, Federal Government has now >> scrapped this plan in the course of cost reductions. >> >> Similar to the magazine "Big Issue" (UK), there is a magazine project >> here called "Asphalt" which attempts to get them back into an >> "ordered" life. They sell the magazine and get a proportion of the >> proceeds, the magazine publishers organize various measures for >> reintegration of their sellers. >> >> Although homelessness is a big problem here, the situation will get >> even worse over the next few years, rising unemployment (at present >> over 4 million unemployed) cut-backs in unemployment and social >> security payments mean that more and more people will be ending up on >> the streets. The main reasons given by the homeless themselves are - >> in order of significance - poverty after becoming unemployed - >> divorce (alimony payments, supporting children) - deaths in the >> family - release from imprisonment and most of these also in >> conjunction with accompaniment of alcohol or drug abuse. >> >> The police here do tend to keep the "Penners" out of the main >> shopping areas and public transport by quietly requesting them to >> move along: In earlier years there were a couple of cases of police >> transporting them to the city limits (e.g. in Frankfurt) until two >> men froze to death in mid-winter, that soon stopped it. >> Begging as such is not forbidden here, "Have you got a Euro?" is >> common in all railway stations and city centres, but aggressive >> begging is considered to be on a par with assault, and arrests are >> common. >> >> The general public and shopkeepers tend to more or less ignore them >> as long as the aren't making trouble, in a country where becoming >> unemployed no longer has its social stigma it is certainly a case of >> "There, but for the grace of God - Go I", people are too worried >> about their own situation to look down on them from the heights they >> used to. It has become noticeable over the last 15 or 20 years how >> many stores, restaurants, public transport operators etc. now employ >> security personnel to stop the homeless entering their premises to >> get warm. >> >> From a civilized country >> Douglas >> >> >> >> larry.k@rcn.com wrote: >>> >>> >>> So, what do the smug Europeans say on this subject? Do they have >>> any answers to the plight of the homeless? >>> >>> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Leica Users Group. >> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information >> > > > _______________________________________________ > Leica Users Group. > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information > > -- Nathan Wajsman Almere, The Netherlands Opportunistic Image Acquisition General photography: http://www.nathanfoto.com and http://www.greatpix.eu Picture-A-Week: http://www.fotocycle.dk/paws Seville photography: http://www.fotosevilla.com Stock photography: http://www.alamy.com/search-results.asp?qt=wajsman http://myloupe.com/home/found_photographer.php?photographer=507 Prints for sale: http://www.photodeluge.com Blog: http://www.fotocycle.dk/blog SUPPORT FREEDOM OF SPEECH, BUY DANISH PRODUCTS!