Paul* has been living on the streets since summer 2022 and is frequently forced to beg. In an interview with our colleagues from RTL.lu, he says that this does not get easier over time.

It was shortly after 7am at the central railway station in Luxembourg City when a man who appeared to be in his forties approached RTL.lu's Céline Spithoven while she was standing in front of the Para-Chute facility. The man asked if she had cigarettes by any chance. She handed him a few and they started chatting. Paul told her that last year, he still had a job and a place to live. Due to personal issues, he lost everything in the summer of 2022 and has since been living on the streets.

Due to his involvement with drugs, Paul is allowed to spend the night at Abrigado. However, every day at 7am, he has to leave and survive the day on the streets before he can return in the evening. "The cold days are particularly difficult," Paul admitted, "sometimes I just ride around on the bus or train for a few hours to warm up a bit."

While there are places where homeless people can spend a few hours during the day and get some food, "the demand is high and the queues are long," according to Paul. This means that sometimes, he has no other option but to beg. He asks people for food, cigarettes, or money. In his own words, he will never get used to it: "It's just so awful. I need to make a concerted effort to get over myself and ask people. I've always had a job, and now I'm forced to beg just so I can occasionally buy myself a delicious Coke because I'm tired of drinking water all the time." Paul has relatives and sometimes stays the night at their places, but he can't bring himself to ask them for help or money.

The homeless community also got the news that begging will now be banned between 7am and 10pm. Paul is perplexed by this decision: "Why is begging allowed at night then? It doesn't make sense to me."

However, he does understand why begging is so often at the centre of debates: "It's like everywhere, not every beggar is the same. I personally place a lot of importance on approaching people with manners and respect. If they say no, I say thank you, wish them a pleasant day, and walk away. But I also know that there are beggars who are very intrusive and run after people. I don't like that. But those who ask nicely or sit on the ground with their cup are not harming anyone," Paul says.

Paul thinks that the begging ban won't solve the problem: "They should look for real solutions. I think this is just a top-down reaction to outside frustration and dissatisfaction." When asked what the solution would be, Paul replied "more housing options that come with jobs, not just in Luxembourg City, but all across the country. They should keep the previous pledges they made. People don't just talk about 'housing first' because it has a nice ring to it. They always claim to have done something. But for how many people? For 2 out of 20 or 2 out of 200?"

Paul is in the process of completing paperwork to find a way off the streets, but it's proving to be anything but easy. The waiting lists are extremely long, and Paul has the feeling that the staff in the sector is frequently overwhelmed.

Our colleague spent about half an hour with Paul. Afterwards, he went into Para-Chute to get a free coffee. He had no idea what the rest of his day was going to be like.

*The editorial staff changed the name. For his own protection, the man preferred to remain unidentified.