Homelessness in Poland A cross cultural comparison by Kat Sliwinska, Homeless Census Intern
However, even the strongest connections with the West are less noticeable than the remnants of communism seen all around Poland: in architecture, th
in policies, and even in social structures. In the 20 century, during communism, homelessness was concealed. The issue was hidden by the Polish government because it undermined the ideal of socialist prosperity. During that time, homeless assistance was eliminated, and people without a house were placed in dorm-‐style hostels. Methodology The majority of information presented in this section has been retrieved from publications titled Social and Institutional Aspects of Homelessness in the Lublin Province by Bielecka-‐Prus, Rydzewski, Maciejewska and Homelessness in Poland: An Analysis of the Pomeranian Province by Dębski. Unfortunately, due to the low social and political interest the numbers provided in the following article correspond to data from years 2008-‐2010. Additionally, some information was collected from Główny Urząd Statystyczny. After 1989, homelessness increased due to the transitional process, which unfortunately included mass layoffs and increased unemployment. The Basics Poland Estimated 1 in 637 people are homeless in Poland Context Although, Poland shares much of its history and culture with Eastern Europe, its diverse characteristics and ties to the West place it in between both regions. For social, cultural, and geopolitical reasons, Poland is often located in Central Europe, among other countries such as Germany or the Czech Republic. While Polish people are predominantly Slavic and share linguistic characteristics with people of Ukraine & Russia, their use of the Latin alphabet over Cyrillic makes Polish distinct from its eastern cousins. Quite possibly the greatest difference between Poland and Eastern European countries is religion. Just as many Western countries, such as Spain or Italy, Polish people practice Catholicism. •
Population: 38.5 million people •
Homeless population (estimate): between 58,000 and 66,000 people •
The Social Welfare Act puts the responsibility of homeless assistance on the municipality •
Most assistance is carried out through NGOs •
Poland has no strategic plan for social reintegration and prevention of homelessness •
Social minimum: $180 •
Cost of living per month: $250-‐470 1 | P a g e Demographics homelessness was alcoholism (22%). The third cause of homelessness was unemployment (15%), followed by family crisis/break up (12%). Typical Homeless Person Homelessness in Poland, affects a wide range of people, who come from various backgrounds and hold diverse characteristics. However, the majority of homeless people were found to be male, over the age of 45, having vocational education, and being chronically homeless. Although, the typical homeless person does not represent, or give voice to the smaller and more diverse populations of those without a home, he does present the general demographics and the scale of the issue of homelessness in Poland. Causes of Homelessness Evicion 6% 8% Alcoholism Unemployment 26% Family crisis/break-‐up 9% Choice Debt 12% Discharged from penal insituion Disability 22% 15% Drug addicion Mental illness Chronically homeless The causes of homelessness can be grouped according to their typology. After the classification, five types of causes emerged: housing (32%), financial (28%), addiction (23%), family (16%), and health (1%). Male >45 years old Causes of Homelessness According to Typology
16% Vocational education 32% 23% Housing Financial Addicion Family Health 28% Sources of Income The top 5 sources of income for the homeless were: Causes of Homelessness The following charts present the main causes of homelessness declared by the sample group (500) of homeless people from Lublin Province. •
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Temporary, seasonal work (31%) Social welfare benefits (28%)* Retirement or state pension (13%)* Begging (10%) Unemployment benefits (6%)* *Part of social security The primary direct cause of homelessness was eviction (26%), however, the main indirect cause of 2 | P a g e Daily Lives Compared to USA
Night accommodations
Homeless people seek shelter in many places that they consider moderately safe or are easily accessible, some of which include: • Official shelters • Barracks, garden houses • Abandoned and substandard buildings • Stairwells, attics, basements • Stations, wagons, railway sidings • Parks, streets Assistance Assistance to the homeless is usually in the form of: • Short-‐term relief (e.g. food, clothing) • Shelters • Getting out of homelessness programs • Financial resources Since Poland does not have a long-‐term approach to combating homelessness, most of the assistance efforts focus on short-‐term relief. On top of that, cafeterias, clothing drives, and the bulk of shelters are operated by non-‐governmental organizations (NGOs). Counting the homeless The first major difference between homelessness in Poland and homelessness in the United States is governmental involvement in the social issue. As mentioned previously, Poland has no strategic plan to combat and prevent homelessness, but most of all it lacks data to even begin working on a plan. While in the US every county is responsible for conducting the annual PIT homeless census, in Poland, it seems that the government does not take as much interest in the issue. Data on homelessness is predominantly collected by NGOs, which work locally. Because of that the methodologies and focus of these studies vary considerably, making it almost impossible to accurately estimate the homeless population in Poland. Demographics Social benefits, which comprise the majority of homeless’ income, are not enough to ensure a stable life. Homeless men constitute the majority of homeless population both in Poland and the US. Additionally, in both countries, the typical homeless person is between 30 and 55 years old. In Thurston County, the number of chronically homeless people fluctuates between 10%-‐60%. In Poland, however, this percentage is higher reaching around 70%. Most often, the duration of homelessness in Poland ranges between 1 and 5 years. 3 | P a g e The reason for the difference in the demographics of the homeless in Poland and the US might simply lie in methodology or the support network in place. For example, Polish NGOs almost exclusively interview homeless people who are in shelters. These people might have been homeless for long enough to fully benefit from the services. Also, people who have been homeless for less than a year are often able to find accommodations at friends’ or family, making them invisible to the researchers. On the other hand, the chronically homeless in Thurston County can often be found in the woods and not taking advantage from assistance programs. For that reason it is especially difficult to include them in the Homeless Census. Causes of Homelessness Grouping causes of homelessness according to their typology reveals five categories: housing, financial, addiction, family, and health, from which housing is the primary cause of homelessness in Poland. This is not the case in the US, where homeless respondents reported financial hardships as the primary reason for loss of housing. The third most significant cause of homelessness listed by Polish respondents was addiction (specifically alcoholism), while substance abuse (addiction) was the fifth cause of homelessness in Thurston County. Cost of Living The official social minimum in Poland is $180 per month. Income of $180 or below allows the individual to seek social benefits. The amount of income required for housing, and nutrition was unofficially determined to be around $250 per month. This sum consisted of: • Municipal housing rent ($32) • 3 homemade meals per day ($111) • Monthly bus pass ($30) • Utilities ($78) Municipal apartments in Poland are similar to low-‐
income housing in the US. Unfortunately, these apartments are often unavailable and difficult to obtain. Municipal housing consists of low standard apartments, with high utility costs compared to rent. A huge issue with these types of apartments is their limited number and long waitlists. Taking that into consideration, the lowest rent for a regular apartment is around $250, almost eight times more than the subsidized rent, raising the cost of living to around $470 per month. In the US, the estimated cost of living was about $925 per month: • Low income housing ($600) • 3 homemade meals per day ($188) • Monthly bus pass ($36) • Utilities ($100) Considering these numbers, there seems to be a huge difference between the cost of living in Poland and in the US (specifically, US being almost twice as costly). However, this perception changes when the median incomes are compared. According to the Organization for Economic Co-‐
operation and Development (OECD), the median income in 2010 was $29,056 per year in the United States and $11,983 in Poland. Assuming that a person will earn the median income and spend only the minimum amount of money on living expenses, then: •
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Poland: 47% income spent on basic living expenses USA: 38% income spent on basic living expenses 4 | P a g e At first glance living costs in Poland are much lower than living costs in the US. However, when comparing the costs of living while accounting for median incomes, Poland’s basic needs are more expensive. Living expenses turn out to be much lower in Poland, only when the cost of housing is calculated with municipal housing (MH), dropping the cost of living significantly. A similar trend is present when taking into account minimum wage incomes (40hr/week x 48 weeks): For both the Poles and Americans the highest expense every month is rent. Poland • $2.97 per hour USA: • $9.32 per hour -‐ Washington (WAm) • $7.25 per hour -‐ Federal (Fm) •
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Living Expenses vs. Median Income (%) When comparing living costs and income from minimum wage jobs, in Poland it is nearly impossible to afford housing without help from the government, which might explain why housing issues are the most common cause of homelessness in Poland.
Living Expenses vs. Median Income ($) 100% 30000 80% 25000 20000 60% 15000 40% 10000 20% 5000 0% 0 Poland Poland (MH) Expenses USA Poland Income lem Expenses Living Expenses vs. Minimum Wage Income (%) USA Income lem Living Expenses vs. Minimum Wage Income ($) 100% 20000 80% 15000 60% Poland (MH) 10000 40% 5000 20% 0% 0 Poland Poland (MH) Expenses USA USA (Fm) (WAm) Income lem Poland Poland (MH) Expenses USA USA (Fm) (Wam) Income lem 5 | P a g e Conclusion Homelessness in Poland is a rising issue, hidden from the public view. Similarly homelessness in the US is a large problem that often goes unnoticed. The characteristics of homelessness in each country depend on many factors including culture, economic development, and governmental involvement in the issue. References Bielecka-‐Prus, J., Rydzewski, P., & Maciejewska, R. Social and institutional aspects of homelessness in the Lublin Province. College of Enterprise and Administration in Lublin 2011. Bractwo Miłosierdzia im. św. Brata Alberta. (n.d.). Bractwo Miłosierdzia im. św. Brata Alberta. Retrieved June 4, 2014, from http://www.albert.lublin.pl/ Glowny Urza d Statystyczny Portal Informacyjny. (n.d.). GÅ Ã³wny UrzÄ d Statystyczny. Retrieved June 4, 2014, from http://stat.gov.pl/ Miejski Osrodek Pomocy Rodzinie w Lublinie. (n.d.). Miejski Osrodek Pomocy Rodzinie w Lublinie.
Retrieved June 4, 2014, from http://www.mopr.lublin.pl/
Institute for Research on Poverty. (n.d.). What are Poverty Thresholds and Poverty Guidelines?. Retrieved June 4, 2014, from http://www.irp.wisc.edu/faqs/faq1.htm How We Measure Poverty -‐ Oregon Center for Public Policy. (n.d.). Oregon Center for Public Policy. Retrieved June 4, 2014, from http://www.ocpp.org/poverty/how/ Information on Poverty and Income Statistics: A Summary of 2011 Current Population Survey Data. (n.d.). Information on Poverty and Income Statistics: A Summary of 2011 Current Population Survey Data: ASPE Issue Brief. Retrieved June 4, 2014, from http://aspe.hhs.gov/poverty/11/ib.shtml OECD Statistics (GDP, unemployment, income, population, labour, education, trade, finance, prices,health,debt...). (n.d.). OECD Statistics (GDP, unemployment, income, population, labour, education, trade, finance, prices,health,debt...). Retrieved June 4, 2014, from http://stats.oecd.org/ Feantsa.. (n.d.). Feantsa.. Retrieved June 4, 2014, from http://feantsa.horus.be/code/EN/hp.asp Inequality Watch. (n.d.). . Retrieved June 4, 2014, from http://www.inequalitywatch.eu/ Poland. (n.d.). Poland. Retrieved June 4, 2014, from http://www.socialwatch.eu/wcm/Poland.html Fundacja Bank Żywności w Lublinie.
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