Bálint Misetics's article on the exclusion of homeless people from public spaces published in the December 2010 of the European Journal of Homelessness.

The article can be accessed here.

Neil Smith, a City University of New York professzorának levele Pintér Sándor belügyminiszterhez a hajléktalanokat kirekesztését célzó javaslat kapcsán.

Magyar fordítás itt.

Neil Smith, Professor at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York has sent a letter to the Hungarian Minister of Interior protesting the anti-homeless legislation proposed by the government.

A draft law recently proposed by Hungary's Ministry of Interior would allow local authorities to “expel homeless people from public spaces” and to sanction “sleeping on the streets”.

We have an ongoing campaign against this proposed legislation, and we need your help.

Please help us in letting the Minister of the Interior know that the adequate response to homelessness is housing, and not police harassment.

Please send the following statement (or your own personal views) to the Ministry of the Interior [ugyfelszolgalat@bm.gov.hu] with a Bcc copy to our organization [avarosmindenkie@gmail.com].

(Almost All) Evictions banned in Hungary

On July 22, 2010 the newly elected center-right Hungarian government declared a ban on almost all forms of eviction until April 15, 2011. The only and yet very significant exception to this ban are squatters who continue to be unprotected from forced eviction by either private or public bodies.

This almost complete ban on evictions comes after a series of tentative steps of the previous center-left government to respond to the repercussions of the global mortgage crisis in Hungary and protect citizens from defaulting on their foreign currency loans as well from losing their homes through foreclosures and auctions. As in other countries, in Hungary subprime mortgages have been offered widely in the past few years along with mortgages and loans based on foreign currencies, whose installments have grown at an unprecedented rate as a result of the economic meltdown. At the beginning of 2010, tens of thousands of families were in danger of having their houses or apartments foreclosed as opposed to a few dozen in the years before the crisis. While banks responded to the crisis by rescheduling repayment plans for a significant proportion of mortgage-holders, economic stagnation and high unemployment forced the state to intervene. In addition to the ban on evictions, the Hungarian government banned foreign currency mortgages as of July 1, 2010.

On May 27, 2010 the City is for All (A Város Mindenkié) held a rally in front of the building of the local authority of Ferencváros in Budapest, Hungary, with the slogan  “Housing, Not Walls!” The aim of the rally was to protest the anti-social behavior of the mayor and the local housing department.

The rally was attended by 150-200 people, which is a great achievement for such a cause in Hungary. It was a rare moment that unified many of the social movements and progressive forces active in Hungary.

The City is for All against forced evictions: protests and civil disobedience

Budapest, May 25, 2010.

If you would like to support our struggle, please send an email this week to the mayor of the 9th district, Mr. Ferenc Gegesy under the subject “Housing, not Walls!” with the following (or similar) text:

On May 13, 2010, members and supporters of the City is for All group formed a "living chain" at 3 Koppány utca in the 9th district of Budapest to prevent the eviction of the Varga family. The family (a mother, father and a 7-year-old child) had been squatting a substandard social housing unit in the run-down building for 8 months. The family has been trying to get legal tenant rights to the apartment, which the local housing authority has refused in several occasions.

After hours of standstill, the police broke up our chain and 15 activists were arrested and detained for 8 hours. The activists are represented by the lawyer of the Hungarian Civil Liberties Union (TASZ).

Non-violent civil disobedience for the right to housing from A Város Mindenkié on Vimeo.

The City is for All was founded in 2009 by people who are committed to working for a just and egalitarian society. Our members are currently or formerly homeless people, those experiencing housing poverty and their allies.

WHAT WE FIGHT FOR 

1. codification of the enforceable right to housing
2. ending the criminalization of homelessness
3. ending the social and institutional discrimination of homeless people and people living in housing poverty
4. a high-quality social support system that is accessible to everyone
5. widespread public awareness and sensitivity regarding homelessness and housing poverty
6. empowerment of oppressed social groups

WHAT WE DO

We advocate for an adequate housing policy with decision makers at all levels of government. We defend the rights and interests of homeless people. We also fight against negative social perceptions against homeless people. With our wok, we want to demonstrate that together homeless people are able to stand up for their rights and dignity. We are also dedicated to fighting against all forms of discrimination and stigmatization and we are open to cooperating with other socially oppressed groups.  

THE CITY IS FOR ALL IN PÉCS 

Now we are working outside of Budapest, too, to advocate for homeless and housing poor people. For more information about our group in Pécs, check their website and their Facebook page. 

AVM FAMILY

We have three sister organizations who all work together very closely to build strong a housing movement in Hungary: Streetlawyer, From the Street to Housing Association and the School of Public Life.

Support the struggle for housing justice in Hungary!

International wire transfer (Utcáról Lakásba Egyesület) HU12 1620 0223 1004 5507 0000 0000 (IBAN) and HBWEHUHB (SWIFT) - Magnet Bank

More information about how you can support our work >>>

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Images about the City is for All until September, 2016

Images about the City is for All since September, 2016