Hungary brings in ban on rough sleeping

A constitutional amendment which bans people from living in public areas has come into force in Hungary, despite criticism from campaigners.

The revision hands police the power to issue warnings to anyone seen living on the streets.

Penalties for homeless people who receive four warnings within 90 days include jail time or up to six months in a public works programme.

The seventh amendment to the Basic Law, as Hungary’s constitution is now called, was passed by legislators in June.

As well as the crackdown on homeless people, the amendment includes articles which greatly limit the chances of refugees receiving asylum.

The amendment is also meant to protect Hungary’s Christian culture

Courts had declared an earlier attempt by prime minister Viktor Orban’s far-right government to outlaw homelessness to be unconstitutional.

Writing the ban into the Basic Law makes it harder to challenge legally.

Advocates for the homeless say the ban and the threat of jail time for violators are unlikely to solve the issue of rough sleeping, especially when many of those on the streets need medical and psychological care most shelters can’t provide.

“There already have been several unsuccessful attempts for the current homeless care system to absorb those living in the streets,” Zoltan Aknai, director of Shelter Foundation, said.

“Now, authorities are trying to achieve this with tougher measures.”

The Hungarian government says 9,800 places are available nationwide in shelters for overnight stays and 19,000 in total.

It has recently allocated 9.1bn forints (£25m) to help the homeless. Unofficial estimates say Budapest’s homeless population is as high as 30,000 people.

“We are preparing to provide extra assistance to all those living in the streets,” Bence Retvari, Ministry of Human Resources state secretary, said about government efforts before winter arrives.

Jutka Lakatos, who shares a hut in an industrial area with her husband, told the Associated Press that she hoped the amendment would not be enforced strictly.

“We trust that after an initial enthusiasm, they will acknowledge that it is totally pointless and nothing will come of it,” she said.

Additional reporting by agencies