Winter aid in Vienna: Caritas and Viennese lines support homeless people

Winter aid in Vienna: Caritas and Viennese lines support homeless people

With the break -in of the cold season, the situation for homeless people in Vienna becomes particularly precarious. The Viennese lines and Caritas are committed to helping those who are most affected. From November 18, the Caritas cold bus will be used again to ensure safety and warmth.

The Kaltbus will be traveling every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday between 9:00 p.m. and 3:00 a.m. Important nodes in the city's public transport are approached, including Karlsplatz, Westbahnhof, Floridsdorf, Meidling and the Vienna Franz-Josef-Bahnhof. A total of 45 missions are planned in this over 15-week campaign, in which homeless people are offered.

joint efforts for the weakest

The employees of the Viennese lines are in a continuous exchange with the social workers of Caritas. This collaboration enables those who urgently need help. The overarching goal of this initiative is to offer as many people as possible a safe place to sleep, so that nobody has to sleep in the cold. "Nobody should have to spend cold winter nights in a subway station. I am pleased that we can help again this year to save lives," emphasizes Alexandra Reinagl, Managing Director of Wiener Linien.

Caritas also pursues the goal of improving the situation for homeless people. Caritas director Klaus Schwertner emphasizes how important it is to become active in this challenging time. "With the falling temperatures, the hardest season for homeless people now begin. Our motto is therefore also this winter: more emergency quarters beds, more streetwork and overall more help," he explains. In order to ensure this help, donations are also required as an important part of financing these actions.

24/7 cold telephone of Caritas

The Caritas cold telephone can be reached at any time on 01/480 45 53. People who have clues or calls can contact the facility around the clock. This cooperation between the Viennese lines and Caritas has existed since 2019 and has been continuously expanded since then. Last year, this cooperation had 241 consultations and 26 people successfully conveyed to emergency quarters.

This joint initiative is an important step to meet the needs of homeless people in Vienna, especially in cold and often hard winter. The cold bus and the open ears through the refrigeration telephone are signs of a society that holds together and takes care of the weakest to relieve any form of need. For further information and support options, it is worth using the resources provided more often to work on the fact that nobody is unnecessarily left alone by the cold season.