"I sleep at the Polyclinic, and sometimes they make me coffee from the café next door, so I go to the city center to see if there's any work," he tells Center for Investigative Journalism (CIN-CG) MR, a native of Podgorica, who, due to family problems, has been left to live and find his way on the streets of the capital.
As he said, he has been on the streets for more than 10 years and is mostly helped by people who are willing to set aside some money, with which he buys himself food.
"There are days when I don't eat, but whatever is there is there," says the Podgorica resident, who often sets aside some food for the dogs that come up to him in front of the market he lives next to. He says he doesn't take any from the charity board because he believes the food left there is spoiled.
He did not turn to state institutions for the help he admittedly needed. "My ID card is broken, I have to get a new one, I can't do anything without it. And I, by God, don't have the money for that," he said.
The number of those who, like CIN-CG's interlocutors, live on the streets is unknown because the state still does not register them, while the Ministry of Social Welfare, Family Care and Demography claims that there is currently no mass phenomenon of homelessness.
They closed the shelter, and now they're planning a new one
The Secretariat for Social Welfare in the Capital City does not have records on the number of homeless people either, they told CIN-CG. They explained that the Secretariat is not responsible for that.
"Based on the findings and opinion of the Center for Social Work, the Secretariat is currently providing support to seven homeless people in the capital and they have secured accommodation. The assistance is approved for a period of nine months and may be extended based on the findings and opinion of the Center for Social Work," they stated.
The Secretariat also told us that the Capital City's budget for 2025 includes 10.000 euros for assistance to the homeless.
"In addition to a monthly cash benefit of 100 euros, homeless people are entitled to a free meal at the Soup Kitchen and one-time cash assistance, which is also provided by the Secretariat for Social Welfare of the Capital City."
The Secretariat notes that the social service Shelter for the Homeless, a two-year pilot project, ended in March 2019, due to an insufficient number of homeless people in the capital.
"The Protocol on Cooperation in the Field of Homeless Care was signed on 27 April 4 by the Secretariat for Labour, Youth and Social Welfare of the Capital City of Podgorica, the Red Cross of Montenegro, the Centre for Social Work Podgorica, the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare, the Public Health Institution Podgorica Health Centre and the Police Directorate. In addition, the partners in the project were the Property Directorate and the Emergency Medical Service. Considering that more than 2017 euros were spent on this service during its duration, the signatories of the Protocol agreed that the pilot project, although well-designed and with a serious approach to the problem of homelessness, is unsustainable in its current form," they explained.
The project, as highlighted on the Capital City's website, was financially unsustainable: "In addition, beneficiaries had the right to stay in the Shelter for a maximum of nine months, but considering the number of beneficiaries, none of them left the Shelter after that period, both due to the assessment that when there is space for them, it is still better for them to stay there, and due to the fact that the aforementioned persons refused any other form of institutionalization, for which they also met the conditions, which brought the very concept of the Project into question with their stance."
The Ministry of Social Welfare, Family Care and Demography confirms that a registry of the homeless does not exist, and adds that there is currently no mass phenomenon of homelessness, but rather, as they say, there are individual cases that mainly relate to the most vulnerable categories of the population.
The ministry, however, acknowledges that there is a need to improve measures in this area, given changes in the population structure.
They also said that, in accordance with strategic documents, they plan to open a shelter for the homeless in the capital, but did not specify when.
"The Ministry of Social Welfare, Family Care and Demography has established a Directorate for the Protection of Vulnerable Groups, which carries out tasks related to ... the protection of the homeless and persons in need of social housing," they added.
A sustainable model of social inclusion of the homeless is needed
Human Rights Action (HRA) believes that closing the shelter was not necessary and that a more affordable solution for accommodation should have been found instead if cost was an issue for the Capital City.
"Homeless people can and should seek help from the Social Work Center in their city, and officials are obliged to provide them with urgent care. However, there is still no by-law that precisely regulates the manner of their care, available services and procedures," said a social worker at the Human Rights Action. Martina Markolović.
Because of this, she added, even employees at the centers do not have clearly defined guidelines on how to proceed, which in practice often leads to confusion and makes it difficult to provide adequate support.
"Instead of focusing on potential abuses, it is important to build a system that offers security, but also encourages individuals to recognize and seize opportunities for a new beginning. Through empowerment, an individual approach and monitoring their progress, we can together create an environment that restores dignity and hope to those who need it most," Markolović emphasized.
When asked whether Montenegro has the capacity in terms of social workers who could respond to this task, Markolović stated that our country currently does not have a sufficient number of social workers to carry out systematic work on the reintegration of the homeless in shelters, as is the practice in many EU countries.
Employees at social work centers, he adds, are overloaded with regular responsibilities, from domestic violence cases to custody and child protection systems.
"However, it is possible to develop capacities through targeted measures, such as hiring additional staff, at least through project teams or through partnerships with the non-governmental sector; specialized training for working with the homeless, which includes knowledge of procedures for personal documents, exercising rights and providing psychosocial support; launching a pilot program of mobile teams that would operate in the community, and not exclusively from institutions. So, although the current system does not have full capacity, with a clear strategy and appropriate support, it is possible to develop a sustainable model of social inclusion of the homeless in which social workers play a key role, modeled on good practices from the EU," explains Markolović.
Montenegro, he points out, still does not meet its basic international obligations in the area of economic and social rights. Thus, we do not even have basic data, despite the fact that the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights recommended in 2014 the collection of precise data on persons who cannot meet their basic existential needs, including the right to adequate housing. "There are still no official data on the number of homeless people, nor on those who live in inadequate, overcrowded and infrastructurally inadequate conditions. The recommendation to increase social benefits has also remained unfulfilled, and the amounts of material assistance do not provide even the minimum for a dignified life. Despite the recommendation of the UN Committee, there are no shelters for the homeless in any city in Montenegro," Markolović emphasizes.
For help in church and mosque
Until the state decides whether there are enough homeless people and how to help them, the address to which they are referred for help is religious institutions.
This was confirmed to us by the Church of the Resurrection of Christ in Podgorica, the Catholic Church in Konik, and the Skender Čašev Mosque in the Stara Varoš neighborhood of Podgorica. These institutions could not confirm with certainty that the number of homeless people is increasing, because, as they say, people have been coming to them every day for years and asking for basic help.
Coordinator of the charitable fund of the Metropolitanate of Montenegro and the Littoral “Love of Man” Milivoje Radonjić He told CIN-CG that a large number of people come forward every day for help, many of whom are homeless and are helped by providing meals, talking, and monetary donations when they assess that they are truly in need.
"It is worrying that we already have three generations, or the third generation, at the soup kitchen. We have a family where the father and mother, now grandparents, came to the soup kitchen, their children and now the children, or grandchildren, of the first generation that ate with us."
"The needy", as Radonjić calls them, have a history behind them that has led them to a situation of homelessness that the church cannot influence too much, because it is separated from the state and state jurisdiction.
In addition to local citizens, you can also meet Russian citizens at the temple who have come in the hope of receiving some assistance.
Radonjić explains that "Čovjekoljublje" gives out grocery store vouchers, which they later check to see what was purchased to determine who is abusing the assistance and focus on those who have truly found themselves in the homeless category.
They can't offer more than just meals and clothing even at the Catholic church in Konik, an employee at that religious institution confirmed to us. Marjan Camaj.
"We don't give money, because we don't know how it would be misused, but we help as much as we can," he said, adding that they don't have the conditions for a shelter.
A German citizen who found himself on the territory of Montenegro, lost, without personal documents and a place to stay, according to Camaj, ultimately had to turn to the German embassy for help, because the church could do nothing more than provide meals and understand the current situation.
Chief Imam for Podgorica and Nikšić Džemo Radžematović In an interview with CIN-CG, he said that a large number of homeless people come to him, especially on Fridays when Jumu'ah prayers are performed.
"There were people from Morocco who came to our mosque for help because I understand them and speak Arabic," says Radžematović, adding that he recognizes the need to establish a soup kitchen within the Islamic Community in Montenegro.
They die without care.
Ljiljana Vujović from the organization Women of Bara states that around 14 people come to them every day for food and help, and adds that there are families in Bar who live on the streets or in abandoned buildings.
Local institutions, claims Vujović, deny the number of homeless people registered by civil society organizations, and what is particularly problematic, he adds, is that a large number of them have mental problems.
"Recently, two homeless people passed away. One lived in an abandoned building in a field, and the other in the Kambodja settlement towards Dobre Vode," said Vujović, pointing out that every city in Montenegro should have a shelter for the homeless, which, she believes, would be visited frequently.
Sabina Talovic from the “Bona fide” Center in Pljevlja told us that a homeless man had recently died in that city, and that neither civil society organizations nor local and state institutions were able to help him.
"Paperwise, he was not homeless and there was no basis to help him, even though due to his family situation he did not have access to a home or any facility where he could spend the night," she added.
The interlocutors agree on one thing - the number of homeless people is difficult to record, and the state still does not have an answer to that question, while countries in the region, such as Serbia and Croatia, record data on the number of those affected by the most severe form of poverty.
The Croatian Ministry of Labor, Pension System, Family and Social Policy has data on homeless people, which it collects through the Centers for Social Welfare. According to a report by the then Croatian Ministry of Social Policy and Youth for 2021, a total of 424 homeless people were registered in the country. Data from non-governmental organizations in Croatia indicate that the number of homeless people is significantly higher.
The situation is similar in Serbia, where the latest official data date back to 2011, when the country first counted them as part of a population census. However, representatives of non-governmental and humanitarian organizations from Belgrade and Novi Sad warn that there is no appropriate methodology for estimating the number of homeless people.
Homeless people in EU countries are being prepared for return to the community
A Montenegrin citizen who works at a homeless shelter in a small town in the Netherlands told CIN-CG that the mission of such institutions is to "detox" people and enable them to return to the community.
The shelter where he is employed opens in the evening from 18 pm to 10 am.
"Homeless people can spend the night there, go out at 10 in the morning and, depending on what they want, join activities organized in other places in the city," he said.
There is also a part of the reception center that is available 24 hours a day, but, as he says, the goal is to train the homeless, motivate them to leave the shelter and acquire habits that will help them integrate into the community.
"Reception center users must agree to work or join the activities provided for them during the day," he pointed out.
He adds that they are provided with food, accommodation and showers at the night shelter.
CIN's interlocutor explains that the state provides financial assistance to municipalities in these projects. "It is not directly state institutions that provide assistance, but non-governmental organizations that, in accordance with the law, can operate," he added.
He says that homeless people are talked to in order to understand their situation and to help them.
"We check their relationship with family and friends, and we feel out their desires and needs."
When asked how a person becomes homeless, the interviewee explains that there are no special conditions for providing first aid, as there are numerous reasons for becoming homeless.
"When a person asks for accommodation and help, we don't check the reasons, we are here to help."
France has 30,7 homeless people per 10.000 inhabitants, which is the highest rate in the EU, followed by the Czech Republic (28,4), Germany (25,8) and Ireland (25,3), according to OECD data.
Often, according to him, debts led people to a situation of homelessness.
“We try to help in that sense as well. The project budget coach "It involves providing financial advice to people who find themselves in that situation, and organizing activities and jobs to help them develop habits and earn money," he explained.
Once they play the role of a social worker and assess that the beneficiaries are ready to support themselves, the shelter worker explains, they leave the shelter.
Many of them, he says, unfortunately return again.
He points out that there are those who have nevertheless returned to a "normal" lifestyle.
"There are many addicts among the homeless, and they are being treated with special care. Also, the municipality itself provides activities to keep the homeless occupied, and participation in these activities is voluntary," he adds.
However, as he says, they are somehow expected to fulfill these activities in order to exercise their right to assistance.
"Whether it's collecting pieces of paper and bottles on the street, or activities such as woodworking and the like, for which they eventually receive a reward, which encourages them to acquire new habits."
The interviewee pointed out that working in a shelter can be risky and that aggression is often present, especially in a night shelter. What motivated him to do this work was the need to help people, because the reasons for becoming homeless are varied.
There were nearly 1,3 million homeless people in Europe
According to a report by the European Federation of National Organisations Working with the Homeless (FEANTSA), published in October last year, there were over one million (2023) homeless people in Europe in 1.287.000.
The report states that over the last decade, in countries such as France and Germany, the number of homeless people has more than doubled.
The increase in homelessness is particularly noticeable in the United Kingdom and France, with these two countries having the highest and second highest homelessness rates in Europe, respectively.
In the EU, France has the highest homelessness rate per 10.000 people, at 30,7, followed by the Czech Republic (28,4), Germany (25,8) and Ireland (25,3), according to data from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
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