From the horror to the chance house: Dota fights for her future in Vienna

From the horror to the chance house: Dota fights for her future in Vienna

Billrothstraße, 1190 Wien, Österreich - in Vienna, the topic of homelessness is an increasingly urgent problem, especially among young adults. One of the few contact points for affected young people is the chance house on Billrothstrasse, the first of its kind in the city, which was opened in 2023. There are currently 39 clients between the ages of 18 and 30 a temporary and unbureaucratic accommodation. The young Dora in particular, 20 years old, tells of her painful experiences, which she combines with her difficult childhood. [Kurier] reports that an aggressive older brother and absent parents overshadow their youth. Her childhood was shaped by violence and malnutrition - no more than raw potatoes were often on the menu.

Dora, who came to Austria with her family from Eastern Europe, has repeatedly found in her previous life that the support is not so easy to find. She ran away three times from home, and after a time when she came down to her friend, she finally found a place in the chance house in Döbling. Here she is looked after by social workers like Paul P.

help for young women in emergency

The managing director of Neunerhaus, Daniela Unterholzner, emphasizes that the lack of housing is increasing among young women in Europe. "[Neunerhaus] reports of six percent of 18- to 34-year-olds who have already experienced apartments or homelessness." The causes are versatile: from uncertain employment relationships to a lack of affordable living space to the lack of social support. The 20s are often crucial for personal developments, and many young people want to be allowed to make mistakes at this point without immediately landing on the street.

The chance house in Billrothstrasse is particularly designed to offer this young adults a protected space. It is a place where you can stabilize in peace and do not have to leave the accommodation again the next day, as is the case in usual emergency sleeping points. The special focus is also on female residents, so that special areas for women have been created to guarantee them a safe environment. [Neunerhaus] shows that there is a low -threshold offer to reduce homelessness.

The European dimension of homelessness

The rising homelessness in Europe is not only limited to Vienna. [European platform to combat homelessness] shows that the situation has intensified in many Member States. There are initiatives that promote coordinated measures to combat homelessness - all under the roof of the European pillar of social rights, which, among other things, states that nobody should be discriminated against due to homelessness.

Dora is in the process of changing her own story. She expects a baby and plans to search for an apartment with her boyfriend and start an apprenticeship. Her experience in the chance house gave her the support she urgently needed. Here she feels understood and finds a room to work on her future.

The challenge of homelessness is complex and requires comprehensive approaches at different levels. But the initiatives such as the opportunities in Billrothstrasse are steps in the right direction and offer the youngest among us at least a ray of hope in the dark of the difficult circumstances.