Christmas atmosphere reigned in Luxembourg City on Saturday evening despite -7°C.
However, less than 100 metres from the capital’s Christmas market, a couple was trying to sleep in the entrance of a shop. Both have been sleeping there for the past two weeks, as the man who prefers to remain anonymous explained: “Yes, two of us are sleeping here, it’s very cold and I don’t sleep much, maybe two or three hours a night. I’m not afraid of freezing to death, we have lots of blankets”.
The couple, equipped with winter coats and hats, sleep on the floor wrapped in blankets, both snuggled up tightly together. They protect their spot from the cold and wind with cardboard boxes. “I’m from Italy”, says the homeless man, “I’ve already taken advantage of the Wanteraktioun, but my girlfriend doesn’t want to go there because she has to sleep in a separate dormitory”.
In conversation with RTL, Wanteraktioun manager Cyrielle Chibaeff explained that people are free to choose whether or not they want to spend the night at their facility: “We have street workers who are there to encourage and convince them, especially when it is very cold.”
The freezing temperatures of the last few days have pushed many homeless people to the shelter in Findel. On Saturday night, 173 people were able to use the Wanteraktioun to find a warm bed. There is room for 250 people, including a separate dormitory for women. “Everyone is welcome”, stressed Chibaeff.
People in need may enter the shelter as early of 7.15pm. They then receive a hot drink and food, but they must arrive before 11pm. Beneficiaries can also use the opportunity to shower and talk to social workers.
Around this time a year, street workers further patrol the streets of the capital and the Gare district in particular, looking for people who are sleeping outside. They bring them hot drinks and soup, which “already helps us to warm up”, says the homeless man from Italy.
