Depaul Slovakia: Breakfast for the Homeless

In June we had a big celebration day. Our patron Duchess of Norfolk together with our clients, guests and city officials opened the newly renovated North Wing of the Nightshelter St Vincent de Paul. This was a long planned and eagerly expected event. One huge hall packed with 80 beds and just three showers was transformed within few weeks into two floors with 10 rooms, plenty of toilets and enough showers. While capacity of the nightshelter remains the same, quality and scope of our social work will improve. The old part of the nightshelter still waiting for reconstruction will be used as a low threshold section for people with drug and alcohol abuse. We expect that desire to move to a better place might be a strong motivation for some of our clients to take responsibility and fight for better life. Price per night remains 85 cents per night, which includes bed, shower, hot supper and breakfast.

In July we also relocated our Shelter St. Louise de Marillac for sick and elderly homeless people. The shelter was moved from a nice residential area into a new place in downtown, next to the Summer Archbishop palace which houses Slovak government. While enjoying nicer and bigger rooms in this new place some of our clients miss our old garden. They loved so much to work there and enjoyed flowers, trees, bushes and even fruits and vegetables. After few days spent in a new place they looked around and decided to “adopt” a nearby park. They plan to clean it, care for it and enjoy it the same way as they did their old garden.

Thank you for joining us in helping people in need.