For Mr. W. it is “really a horror” to go through the shops and look at the prices. With an income of 977 euros a month, he has almost nothing left to live on in view of the sharp rise in costs for housing, electricity and heating. Instead of butter, only margarine is used on bread, in the supermarket he can only afford the cheap own brands. Most of the time, however, he only buys from the SOMA social market anyway. Ms. S. is also suffering from inflation. In contrast to her invalidity pension, her rent has increased by 20 euros per month and heating costs have tripled. Organic milk has long since stopped playing. “I hope I don’t end up in a homeless shelter again,” she says.
Inflation affects people
These are just two fates that the Arge for the Homeless is confronted with on a daily basis. Due to the increase in the costs of elementary basic needs, the living conditions for people with low incomes have deteriorated massively. “This year up until October we paid out more personal support for special emergencies than in previous years,” reports Managing Director Heinz Zauner.
Christmas fundraiser
The association issues vouchers for the SOMA social market and also for discounters for daily food needs. These are financed by fundraising campaigns, such as those that appear in the street newspaper Kupfermuckn at Christmas time. Zauner hopes that the people of Linz will continue to buy and donate despite the inflation this year. In normal times, the self-designed calendar is a “bestseller” in the run-up to Christmas alongside the street newspaper Kupfermuckn.
Joint project with Mural Harbor
This year it’s a collaborative project with the street artists of Mural Harbor. “Nice, cool pictures make it a work of art,” says Zauner. Of the six euros of the sales price, three euros remain with the sellers, who earn a small Christmas bonus.
Source: Nachrichten
