1 healthy breakfast for a homeless person in Hamburg

Approximately 678,000 people are considered homeless in Germany - in Hamburg there are 1,910 people (unreported 5,400) who have no home. Life on the streets takes its toll on people and they die at an average age of 44.5, 30 years earlier than the rest of the population (Ishorst-Witte, 2001). Most of the guests at the Harburg-Huuse also show signs of deficiency due to years of alcohol and drug consumption and a poor, unbalanced diet. They often have chronic pre-existing illnesses. Because those affected are exposed to extreme weather conditions such as rain, cold, snow and heat, which often lead to poor health, special nutritional supplements and a balanced range of meals are necessary. To make matters worse, the food banks are no longer receiving enough food to support the increasing number of people in need due to inflation and the consequences of the war in Ukraine. The Harburg-Huus is also feeling the effects of this acute shortage of food: many poor people in the region can no longer afford the increased energy and food costs. They are increasingly turning to the Harburg-Huus and coming there for food. Satisfying hunger is a prerequisite for even thinking about a perspective on life. The Harburg-Huus, the day and overnight accommodation for homeless people with dogs run by the DRK Hamburg-Harburg, also shows that there are ways to escape the precarious life on the streets. Specifically, it is about obtaining benefits, integrating into work and private housing, dealing with addiction problems and experiences of violence, and support for health problems in order to develop a long-term perspective on life through short-term intervention. The homeless guests can bring their dog with them and do not have to part with their faithful companion in order to be cared for in the Harburg-Huus.