Homeless people in Switzerland lead a shadowy existence. And yet there are people among us who have lost practically everything – except the things they are wearing. Stories of homelessness are often stories of poverty, social exclusion, struggles for survival and addiction experiences – and all of this in the middle of one of the world’s richest countries.
The Blick TV series “Undercover” dealt intensively with homeless people and documented their circumstances. There are also people in the Blick community who once lived on the street. These are people who have found their way back to a regular everyday life – and yet they go through their lives with a «rucksack». We have therefore changed the names of the readers.
Katja (45) *: “Life is sad and without perspective”
«I, in my forties, with a good education, lived on the streets for two years. Today I am married and the mother of a girl. I made it thanks to my mother-in-law who vouched for the apartment. And thanks to my husband, who was the only one who still believed in me. I ate buns that had been thrown away on the street. Stealing, begging, or prostitution were not options for me. Winter breaks you. My everyday life back then: Somehow killing time. Sometimes I walked through nature for half a day. It was important not to have too much to do with other people on the street.
When you’re homeless, everything lives past you. A cozy living room, just sitting on a sofa – that was the highlight of the month. You look up at anyone who has an apartment with a mixture of admiration and envy, even if it’s just a simple dump. Satisfying basic needs is pure stress: where to cook, where to eat, where to shower, where to do laundry, where to go with your personal belongings? Life is sad and has no prospects – you can’t even rent a studio if you have debt enforcement. “
Andreas (53) *: “We were treated like felons”
«I had a serious motorcycle accident in 1989 and then a paralyzed arm that caused phantom pain. The doctors denied me the only remedy for this pain, morphine, and so I slipped into the heroin addiction. I had to spend all of my IV pension on drugs just so that I could live reasonably pain-free. I lost my one-room apartment and then lived for many months on the street, especially on the Platzspitz. We were treated like felons and there was no help for a long time. After five years of consumption, I found my way out of the crisis and worked 100 percent again.
Five years ago I had to stop working because of osteoarthritis in my healthy hand and, with a lot of distrust and humiliation, I finally got an IV pension. The pension from the pension fund has been reduced to a minimum. Until the beginning of the year I was still afraid that I would become homeless again. Before this threatens me again, I have decided to turn my back on this oh-so-social country and am now about to emigrate. I could write one or more books about my experiences in these times since 1989, how people from marginalized groups are really dealt with in this country. I hope that my ordeal is finally over for me. “
Janina (42) *: “I’m glad to have a roof over my head”
“I am now a mother of three. I did an apprenticeship as a car painter and, when I was in my early 20s, lived on the streets for two years – in Bern, Biel and Zurich. I was addicted to heroin. The only thing left is methadone, otherwise I’ve been absolutely clean for 19 years and manage to lead a normal life sometimes more, sometimes less. I am happy about this time: it showed me that things can get worse and worse and I am happy to have a roof over my head and to be healthy. I’m incredibly proud of my children – my oldest is 21, doesn’t smoke, doesn’t drink and is a great person – and that I was able to give them a lot on their way. “
Richard (50) *: “I was homeless several times”
«My story is long and paved with many hurdles. At the age of 20, I came to the psychiatric ward because of exposure to others, forced myself to take medication, and even went to the high-security wing twice because I resisted it. After seven months I came out with IV integration including support, ultimately I was IV pensioner twice in my life, had three supporters, until I found my way back into the economy with the help of a former partner and the charity Pastor Sieber. I worked in the call center industry for 13 years, seven of which as a team leader.
I’ve been homeless a few times: Because I was sometimes in a bad environment, for example on the alley in Winterthur, because I didn’t fit into the institutions or because I didn’t follow the rules in the dormitory or because I no longer got on with colleagues, who took me in. I also gave away all of my possessions in 1999 and wanted to make a pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago. Thanks to my ex-partner, my wife and thanks to God’s help, I found a good way, but I started my own business last year of all times, with Corona slowing my start-up. In the future I am planning a crowdfunding. “