Vienna opens 1000 extra winter beds to protect homeless people

The city of Vienna launched its winter package to provide emergency housing for homeless people during freezing temperatures.

The Fonds Soziales Wien (FSW) manages the program, which provides additional shelter and warming rooms through the end of April. The city provides roughly 1000 extra spots for individuals and couples across ten emergency shelters, along with space for 38 families.

These facilities offer free breakfast, while three warming rooms provide a space for people to stay warm during the day and receive lunch. Peter Hacker, the city's social affairs councillor, stated that the goal is to ensure no one risks their life by sleeping on the street during dangerous cold. The FSW prepared for higher demand after roughly 2900 people used the emergency services last winter during sustained cold periods.

A new shelter in Siemensstraße in Floridsdorf provides 180 spots at the start with 60 additional spots in reserve. Because the proportion of women among users rose to about one-sixth over the last five years, the city reserved 160 beds specifically for women. Some of these spots are in a dedicated facility on Gänsbachsgasse, while others are in separate areas within other buildings. The city spent approximately 166 million Euro to provide 4630 year-round spots for people without housing.

The FSW works with several organizations, including the Arbeiter-Samariterbund, Caritas, Johanniter, Volkshilfe, and the Red Cross, to run the program. Residents can also use a mobile app to report the location of homeless people to street social work teams.