With a guide from the SUPERTRAMPS association through Ottakring and Hernals - seeing two neighborhoods from the perspective of a homeless person. A report on a cold but enlightening evening.
There are three of us when we meet in front of the police station in the Sixteenth and wait for Ferdinand, our guide for the evening. With a Viennese accent, a broad smile and his favorite word "whatever", he will accompany us for the next two hours. On the trail of homeless and homeless people in Vienna - that's what the SUPERTRAMPS AssociationGuides are formerly homeless women and men who lead interested people through their districts. Costs 15 euros, reservation required.g possible at any time.
There are a few institutions that Ferdinand shows us: the Arbeiter-Samariter-Bund (care for people without an e-card), a Vito day center in Neuottakring (lunch for 50 cents) or the residential home in Wurlitzergasse, where people are trying to find their feet again.
Social criticism included
He is a socially critical guide and a very attentive companion. Do you think everyone has an ecard in Austria? Do you know how important it is to have a registered address? Do you know how much you pay for a cash transfer in Austria if you don't have a bank account? Do you know the Austrian camping regulations? Admittedly, I haven't thought about many of his questions yet. It's good to be encouraged to see the city from a new perspective. At some point, we stop off at a furniture store. The three of us stand somewhat out of place in front of the shopping carts on the ground floor, young couples scurry past us looking for home accessories. Why are we here? - Because of the free toilets and the cheap lunch in the restaurant upstairs .
Especially as our group is so small, I'm still unsure at the beginning which questions I should and may ask. I have a lot on my mind, but I'm not quite sure if they are appropriate. As the evening progresses, the atmosphere becomes more relaxed, we get to know our guide a little and I finally ask everything that is on my mind: Where do you have personal documents when you're homeless? Are dogs allowed in emergency shelters? What do the operators of shopping centers say if you use the toilet as a homeless person? Ferdinand answers directly, honestly and in detail. After every stop, he pauses to ask about questions or complaints. It's nice how much he engages with us and really waits to see if we have any questions.
When you live on the street, everything is more expensive - a glass of water, a trip to the toilet, a coffee in the morning. I only really realized this during our SUPERTRAMPS tour. I really have the impression of seeing Vienna from a completely new perspective. I look around, think about where I could sleep here, whether there are still people out and about in the middle of the night, where there are sheltered places, how far away the last daytime center was. After more than two hours, despite the warm evening and my winter clothes, I'm just cold.
The end of the tour is highly symbolic: in Wurlitzergasse, we stand on an empty, dark, lonely corner, but Wattgasse with its busy traffic, buses, people and stores feels like it's just a stone's throw away. It can happen quickly, Ferdinand concludes, the path to homelessness is short. Finding your way back to a regular life takes much longer.
Tours with SUPERTRAMPS
Der Verein SUPERTRAMPS hat zwei Hauptziele: Empowerment der Guides und Bewusstseinsbildung. 5 Guides führen aktuell durch mehrere Wiener Bezirke, mit verschiedenen Schwerpunkten („Wien – mein Nachtquartier“, „Wien – meine Hoffnung“, …). Kosten pro Person 15 Euro. Die Touren haben fixe Tage und Uhrzeiten, ab 5 Personen bemüht man sich, auch individuelle Termine zu organisieren. Nur mit Reservierung! Touren finden bei jedem Wetter statt.
Photos for the report: Johannes Greß, Wiener Bezirkszeitung (thanks for the permission to use the pictures!)
The Vienna district newspaper also reports on the tour of the guide Robert.
