The Unhoused in Europe

I haven’t run across too many noticeably homeless folks in Malta, Sicily, Italy and Portugal. I have been approached by only a handful of people and have seen a few more sitting on corners with a cup out. This is a notable contrast to all of the big cities on the West Coast of the US where we have have blocks of tent cities. It is clear that there is a different kind of safety net here where folks who fall on hard times can get support from family, their community, their gov’t or all three.

What I have seen is a lot of buskers, playing their music in the plazas, and near the outdoor cafes, where they create a lively atmosphere and provide free entertainment night after night. The patrons benefit and so do the cafe owners. I don’t see cafe owners or security threatening or removing them. This is also different back home. In the US, no one can earn a living without paying someone - getting a permit, renting a space, sharing a commission to someone else. This is ironic given that we pride ourself on being a country where anyone can be an entrepreneur, can make a living if they try hard enough — but there are so many barriers you have to get past first.

I had an unnerving experience at the park the other day when a young woman approached me while I was lying on the grass eating a snack. She was dark-skinned with full wavy hair. I couldn’t place her ethnic background but thought perhaps she was Brazilian or South American. She first spoke to me in Portuguese and then switched to English and asked me for some food, which I gave her. 

What was unnerving to me was that I had seen her 1-2 days before while I was riding a bus in a different part of town. I noticed her through the window near the bus stop because she was so thin, almost emaciated. I wondered about drug use but more so about illness and lack of nutrition. It took me a few moments to put this altogether in my head and by that point she had already said thank you profusely and left the area. I looked for her as I was curious about her situation and the sheer coincidence of me seeing her a second time in a busy city. I genuinely wanted to hear her story and the image of her has stayed with me since. I wonder what types of services are available here for folks on the margins of society as they are not as visible.