Homeless people: We are not all the same

“Gambling, losing a job, alcohol addiction or an accident. There are a million reasons people end up on the street,” says a shelter employee.

A room at Mea Culpa (Source: N. Francelova)
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“Are you a journalist? Yes, we also had a journalist here. Anyone can end up here.” Miroslav Pletka is very direct from the first moment. He is an administrator at Domov pre každého (House for everyone), a refuge for homeless people in Bratislava.

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It’s Wednesday, November 9, afternoon and the Justi hall of Bratislava’s Primate's Palace is already full of volunteers, awaiting registration. They will participate in pairs, in a census of homeless people in the capital, trying to map different districts in Bratislava.

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We are heading to Mea Culpa, a homeless shelter, with Miroslav Pletka. The drive from the city centre takes more than half an hour – Mea Culpa is located in the outskirts of the city and the usual afternoon traffic jam slows us down.

“You have to be a tough person to work there,” Pletka explains while driving. Adding that sometimes it even requires a licence to carry a gun, which, as an ex-policeman, he has.

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