Why Prague's homeless are resorting to poverty tourism
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- Опубликовано: 11 май 2024
- Homelessness is on the rise globally, and the Czech Republic has the highest rate in central and eastern Europe. The Guardian visited Prague, for a long time a popular destination for tourists, to see how even this sector caters for the city’s visitors - and to meet the range of people aiming to tackle the causes of homelessness in all its forms.
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Chapters:
00:00 - A homeless tour of Prague
01:52 - Is homeless tourism unethical?
03:20 - Nadjêje's homeless shelters: a social housing crisis in the Czech Republic
05:25 - Street homeless outreach team: 'the entire eastern bloc is relocating here'
06:40 - 'Homeless women face a whole host of problems': Jako doma's day centre
08:35 - A bistro run by homeless women
08:53 - Invisible people: Místní místním's homeless network
09:59 - 'An escape from reality that grinds me down': reintegrating homeless people into society
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#Prague #CzechRepublik #Homelessness #Tourism #Poverty #News
I love that the journalist Richard is walking with a cane. His disability isn't hidden and it's nothing to be shameful about. It's something small but appreciated.
Lol who cares
@@Am-ih5nf Everyone but heartless people like you
@himesilva it's just a guy with a cane.... no big deal
@@keiranmorrisart a lot of disabled people like myself have been mocked RELENTLESSLY for using a cane. And disabilitys are often hidden on tv and in the media.
I got involved in a motorcycle accident and I'm with crutches until I recover. You never know how your life will end so respect others...
7:57
"German prices, with Czech wages."
That's a very good way to describe the situation.
It's spot on that's why I left earlier this year after eight years there.
@@user-bj4cu7uu5k Same! Prague has become unliveable unless you own property to live in.
@@boshkebab Which the majority do.
@@serebii666 Indeed! Most people do own their property. And with own, I mean paid off, no mortgage left. Most young people who glorify Prague as 'nice' or 'liveable' inherited some apartment from their grandparents or other relatives. Sure, then it can be 'nice' (I still wouldn't call it that but a las) and 'liveable'...
@@boshkebab I have many friends who live in rented apartments all over the city, from the city center in P1, to P2, P3, P5, P6, P9, P10, P15. They are all doing fine, and have money to have pets, start families and travel. None of these friends inherited anything. I then have further friends who have mortgages and are sitting pretty with 2,3% rates, some having bought detached houses now that they have children. All people in their late 20s and early 30s. So no, you are very off mark with your assessment. But complaining and being pessimistic is the Czech spirit after all, so I guess you're culturally well adjusted.
The disparity between obscenely wealthy and obscenely poor grows everyday unfortunately 🙏
The Czech Republic has one of the lowest wealth disparities in Europe, though.
@@justaname999 cherry picking journalism at its best
You won't come across that much wealth in the Czech Republic. Our obscenely wealthy people would be considered middle-class somewhere in California, New York, or Miami.
@@arturusyk5834 that's not true at all. there are many many rich people in the Czech Republic, very rich even for American / Western European standards.
Only where people allow politicians to have more centralized power
Middle class is shrinking everywhere, as power continues centralizing. . .The first trillionaire is expected to emerge in a few years.
I think the goal is to reach god tier, and then who knows, maybe they will see us as ants that are infesting their "planet"...and since AI will replace everything maybe they will just wipe out the rest of us and have robots keep them company. I am in my 30s...im glad i wont be around when the extermination rolls out
yup, we have no issue with rich people. But some peoples wealth is perverted. Not some rich lawyer, pilot or doctor is the problem. But some kid who can live of his interest from his family office.
Good I like success stories
@@1789Bastilleim a doctor and earn 1500 euros a month. We have to stop with the idea that we are not exploited. The money that would be for me 50 years ago, now is for some chineses guy that bought the hospital. Great times that we live
@@martadias906*WHAT?!!* I’m just an administrator and I earn more than you???
*That is insane!*
I’m in the UK but still…
You’re a doctor for crying out loud, you should be on at least 3000 euros, depending on what kind of doctor you are of course.
Londoner in Prague since 2015. Live in Prague 2.
The level of homelessness in Prague is nowhere near as bad as it is in London, Kyiv, or Moscow where I lived before.
Prague has an incredible quality of life compared to any other city I lived in. I'm grateful to the CR for not booting me out when Brexit happened!
Shhh. You are ruining the narrative
Funny thing is, I've met at least two homeless people from england that have come to live in Prague. It's just more lucrative here.
To me as a Czech, Prague feels extremely foreign. It's like the government invests 90% of their budget into Prague yet nearly nothing into my region where it still looks like a communist dump.
Right, Prague 2. This is the same if you say "I lived at Knightsbridge or at Koncha-Zaspa or Rubljovka and there were no homeless." If you never go outside Vinohrady then year. Ooohhh wait, when was the last time you've been to I.P.Pavlova station? Also Prague 2 btw.
Thank you for this reporter. Really. After Stroke I have difficulties walking and don't really feel like leaving my house because I'm sick of being stared at. For once I could feel normal. Maybe I can over come this..
You've got this, Gary! ❤
❤❤
You deserve to get out and about just the same as everybody else. If people stare, then that's a problem with them, not with you. Stay strong, stay proud
My grandfather is embarrassed and ashamed that he needs help. Hes sad that he cannot do whatever he wants. It makes him very very humble but it really doesnt do anything for him but diminish his happiness further when he feels that shame. Try not to do that to yourself.
If he can do it, so can you!
The situation is not as simple as this video tries to suggest. In the Czech Republic, unemployment has been low for a long time and there are many jobs open outside Prague for not very skilled people in manufacturing. They don't pay good wages and the work isn't fun, but it's enough to cover rent, food, clothing and other necessities. Unless a homeless person has a serious health problem( it doesn't matter if it's mental or physical), they don't have to live on the streets. For example, part of the narrative of the video is that refugees from Ukraine are also responsible for the situation, but according to official statistics, 93%(270 thousand people) of them are employed and have jobs, and these are people who did not speak the language two years ago, and their previous education and work experience are not accepted in many cases. So they have to work in lower job classifications than they had back home.
Easy to say from a lerch of privilege
@@JaceFalcon What even are you saying? This is completely true. The Czech Republic is one of the countries in Europe with the smallest wealth gap and there very much *is* a strong middle class. Taking this video as an indication of this being the "real" Prague or Czech Republic shows who lacks insight and it's not the original post here.
The center of Prague has ben bought up by wealthy foreigners and turned into a Disneyland Air bnb hell but outside of Prague housing and life in general are very affordable.
Thanks for being the voice of reason
In the video we see locals blaming there situation, in part, on gov't giving preferential treatment to refugees. This is a common refrain. People always seen to think some other (less deserving) group us blocking their access to help. Immigrants are frequently targeted as the problem.
i had to scroll way too much in the comment section to find someone speaking the truth. The vast majority of these people are ill and they need help, there's no doubt about it. But if you're not ill finding a job here is not difficult and while it's not always pretty it will get you by. Especially if you speak Czech.
The whole video felt weird and like there was a narrative to be pushed.
They should do this in many countries, not only homeless but also to speak about the impact if tourism on citizens.
This shouldn't be necessary. Anywhere.
I think that's why places in Italy are starting to charge people just for visiting. They have a very old and crumbling infrastructure and keep up with the millions of people flocking there who use it.
Homeless tours is a good idea when done with dignity, tourists need educating, most repeatedly visit Prague and other cities that have become popular in past few years with party crowds who are clueless about how poor people are out priced from housing but then the local government need that tourism money if there’s not other industry.
I think the line between voyeuristic poverty-entertainment objectifying (formerly or precarious) unhoused people and empowering person-centered sharing about their own and local poverty experiences with the goal of educating about the reality of poverty and make people more politically aware, more understanding of how hard it is to break the cycle of poverty, become more empathetic to the financial struggles of the poorest. There's also the moral issue of disenfranchised people taking on the emotional labor of exposing themselves to having to re-describe the traumatic experiences revolving around extreme poverty and being unhoused and being paid for their trauma-autobiographical storytelling.
Poor and in need people who are working, offering services or doing anything else deserve more respect and support than others.
I totally understand the frustration about government helping Ukrainian than it's own people
@@___beyondhorizon4664 but there was homelessness before Ukrainians and probably EU money funding them more than local taxes. It’s sad when refugees fleeing wars are blamed for long term problems local government has ignored for decades.
I think govt set up refugees to be scapegoats. Obviously homelessness in Prague existed long before Russia invaded Ukraine. Govt isn't interested in making a difference.
Same story all over the world.
Yep. Same shit different smell.
for sure the whole eastern europe
Looks like London
@@windmacher The more you help the more they come.
Not entirely true! Prague is extreme.
Coming from india, i really enjoyed the poverty tour..i felt sorry initially for them but realized that this was means of income, so goving them this tour helped in feeding them for the day
I think you can still be sad and feel sorry for them
this work doesn't release them from homelessness, it pays them enough to not be "exploited" but if they got enough money to not be homeless, this tourism would not exist
But it's still not the solution
What I found interesting while in Prague in 2016 in the old city was that the beggars were usually on silent their knees in prayer postion and not aggressively harassing you
Its the taxi drivers you had to worry about.
The taxis in Prague are sooo expensive.😕
@Wurwa45 only use Ubers while visiting Never trust a taxi.
@@viciouslady1340 Better to use Bolt over Uber if possible, which is overpriced in Prague.
Those beggars are not homeless. They have better homes than the most
@@ekam3905 source?
The question is, does this help to get these people off the streets, or is this just an entertainment for richer people to act like they care? It feels like voyerism.
that's the truth. it is bull$ht. the rich are sad mofos and need to be fined for being aHoles
It's a gimmick
I find this informative because I wasn’t aware of this particular situation.
why is it that "richer people" have to be the ones to solve the homeless situation? would you rather the "richer people" did nothing for these people? Since when is devoting money to the homeless "entertainment" & "voyerism?"
I can say that, from my own experience, the middle class is the one that detests poor people the most.
Everyone is selfish, our economic system is based on greed, though you can see it from how the welfare system is designed that the undesirable are purposely left out. I would like to point out that most voters are in fact from the middle class, so the welfare system is mainly designed to their liking.
"Homelessness is on the rise globally, and the Czech Republic has the highest rate in central and eastern Europe." Where does this claim come from? I doubt that Slovakia has lower homeless rates than Czechia.
Doubt that Bucharest has lower homeless people than Prague
They are the best at tracking and reporting upon their homeless population, and the non-profits do some great work here so people are aware of the problem.
As you hear in the video, a lot of the homeless on the streets often come from Slovakia and elsewhere further east, as the tourists and non-profits take better care of them here rather than sweeping them under the rug.
Source, trust me bro. He only visited Prague too, did not even go to Brno, so it's hardly reflective.
Czechia - ouch.
Otherwise, I have gotten to know one formerly homeless in Prague and he said that the vast majority of homeless chose this lifestyle because it suits them. There are tons of jobs, but you should be sober and off drugs for that. Same for the shelters. This was a couple of years ago, the situation might have gotten worse since then.
Yes, that how it is...
and how exactly are they supposed to get a job?? they're homeless, do you not know what that means??? i hate this czech mentality...
You don't even have to get off drugs to get a job
THE ISSUE YOU TOUCHED ON is OUTSIDE REAL ESTATE SPECULATION, grabbing up housing cause a crush that gets to the lowest levels as each income is pushing to find housing....Portugal the same they had to cut back on some speculaton the locals CANNOT AFFORD 1st world prices...
This. The house crisis in Portugal is very severe in Lisbon and Porto, but it is spreading. People tell the youth to go live outside the cities, but unfortunately the job opportunities are in the cities, mostly in Lisbon even. Most people my age (I am 29) live in shared apartments with friends. Social housing is almost impossible to get, and more and more people even with studies are pretty much in the poverty line. This is what happens when we let capitalism run wild.
Prague is severely gentrified because of massive tourism. There aren't enough flats for the locals because they're being used as airbnbs or hostels. Same as berlin or barcelona
This is absolutely spot on. Extremely pricise depiction of the current state of affairs. I really hope this video gets attention of local mainstream media and most importantly the state officials.
As a Czech person I personally think the homelessness reflects our mental health crisis. Only 4% off the entire budged for healthcare goes to mental health. Majority of our homeless people are mentally ill or suffering from severe addiction that is often a result of harsh upbringing or mental illness. Hospitals are understaffed, old and lack proper funding. Very few people can get the care they need, if they´re on substances then it´s almost a lost fight. Living with mental illness or adiction can make it impossible to keep a job and only a small portion of people get disability for these issues. Society is still pretty judgemental towards people with mental health issues, so many of those who choose to be homless are feeling more content with living on the streets.
Not all of them are mentally ill, but they can be antosocial or just not fit in. Street life is more welcomning towards "damaged" people. I spent a lot of time around homless and it´s true many of the just don´t want to get off the streets, once they experience the "freedom" of this life they don´t want to let it go no matter how harsh the conditions are. There is a big sense of community, yet they have to be careful around one another. I think many people would not be on the street if they never got to experience it in the first place, but with our mental heath care it´s inevitable for the ones with no support network and severe mental illness.
they're not suffering from addiction, us normal people are suffering from their addiction, they chose to take drugs
Literally the same thing is happening in Los Angeles but homelessness is treated as a crime.
it's been happening since Regan was governor in the 1960s
Many of those homeless in Los Angeles are drug addicts and criminals.
@@katherenewedic8076Everything wrong today points right back to Reagan and Thatcher and their destructive neoliberal policies, especially the big lie of "trickle-down" economics... which was more like a vacuum in the opposite direction, letting the rich siphon every last penny from the middle and lower classes and emptying society's coffers... all for what?? So we could have global income inequality not seen since the days of Ancient Egypt? We have let ourselves be ruled by mentally-ill, morally-bankrupt sociopaths who do nothing but hoard our resources for themselves, like a game of Monopoly.
Lots of drug addicts and bums in Los Angeles.
don't let this fool you, those are lovely people helping others in need but this little video doesn't show you the other side.
In Britain they come straight to you when they see you are a tourist. You don't need to go to Prague. Although I wish it was organized, just to know that they are really homeless and that they make sure that they are not drunk and not on drugs. Birmingham, let's start with you
How much of homelessness is caused by the rise of short term rentals (aka airbnbs) where flats are bought up by corporations and people are priced out of homes.
What are the business billionaires doing to help end poverty, address homelessness and the issues faced by the disabled? They have the money and power to influence and contribute funds without denting their pockets. They’ve benefited from our expenditure, why don’t they do more?
How exactly would that work? Where do they put the money?
they are lobbying governments to not tax them and put even more people on the streets! they dont care
@@TheXHolly you tax those rich people and then use the money to fund social programs like housing, education, healthcare, public transit, etc. do you not know how taxes are used?
@@PeidosFTW We have free education, free healthcare, the public transport is one of cheapest and best in the world. As you can see in the video, there are many organisations who offer help with housing and other basics. Most people are on streets because of drug use and severe personal or family issues. If you are unemployed, you get benefits. Its not a lot of money, but it keeps you of the street. This is not the US, this is social state
@@TheXHolly all of the problems you mentioned are easily solved by good welfare systems. im not american, just because you already have some welfare, doesnt mean it is enough. it clearly isnt as you can see, since the homeless population is rising (even across europe)
What's the homeless rate in the UK vs, Czech Republic? Oh, that's right, 2.5 times more per 10K people in the Uk than in CR.
ha yep, don't forget food banks. This is very much glasshouses and stone throwing from the Brits here. You don't see Irish or American journalists exaggerating Czech homeless stats despite similar problems in Ireland and USA, wonder why. Something awfully patronising and simplistic about this piece.
I had no idea that such a lovely city as Prague had these kind of problems🤔
5 minutes on the tram and you see a completely different side of Prague than the Disneyland city centre. Did you seriously not see any of the homeless walking around the centre? Every time I visit Prague I see someone digging through the bins for food.
The city center is indeed lovely, unfortunately it has been run for most of the last 30 years by corrupt right-wing politicians whose main concern was to privatize public property for peanuts, including affordable housing. Skyrocketing rents and housing prices, overtourism (incl. Airbnb plague), car infestation, no cycling infrastructure, etc. are some of the things we have to deal with living in this otherwise lovely city.
@@Gosudarcorrupt left wing would be so much better...
@@ad3mn Usually yes.
@@tefky7964 most of the EU capitals have a leftist mayor, and everything is out of control. Even the US blue states are a mess.
Bless the kind people working at those centers and shelters.
Germany has the highest rate of homeless people. Please correct.
He said 'Central and Eastern Europe', which basically is a term invented so that Czechs, Slovaks, Poles, Hungarians, Balkans and Romanians don't get offended when they're grouped together with Eastern Europe. Germany is classified as Western Europe.
Sorry, but first: Czech republic for sure does not have the highest rate of homeless people in the Central Europe, and definitely not in Eastern Europe..
And second: Czech rep. has the lowest unemployment rate in the whole EU since 2015, raging between 2-3%, therefore there is nothing easier for them than to get a job..
I'm local, so I know the situation very very good - if there is a homeless, it's due to his inaction, not because of our society...
Get your facts straight next time and don't try to blame us!!
Here in England we have more homelessness high crime and problems then the rest of Europe.
You said that well, exactly
You're local but I wonder if you're a homeless as well, probably not. Do you think it is that easy to declare you don't have an address when you search for a job? I'd imagine there is quite some stigmatization of employing a homeless person even if the demand for workers is high.
@@matyashansel438 Sure I am homeless, it's just a coincidence, that I'm speaking in other language and watching RUclips from my laptop...
There is nothing easier for them than to have an address - there are tons of charities, aid centers and so on operating - if they want, they can have a flat within 1 month - the single demand is that they at least cooperate with the rent, if they can not pay it fully, they start to pay off their debts via insolvence and they abandon drog/alcohol using...
Then to find a job is just a piece of cake..
It's not because of our society, but due to their laziness, that's all..
Nothing easyer than get a job. Haha, but thats for many people in czech a big problem. Not only in czech. There Is diskrimination, not willing to have a worker from minorities etc.
Every time anybody say "nothing easier than finding a job" i have to say, your wrong. You dident walked in others shooes. Many companies Are not willing to hire fór many Reasons. Your wrong
It is really easy to get some basic job in the Czech Republic (speaking from experience). The wages are not big, but they are enough to make a living. You just have to move outside of Prague to other regions.
I mean circa 270k Ukranians found job in two years without even knowing the language. They just didnt all go to Prague.
Ah here get away out of that with your reasonableness and facts and figures, didn't that nice Guardian writer come over from jolly old England and spend a few days in Prague and determine it was all the Ukrainians fault and the Czech government's fault. Sure a UK journalist would never try to make an EU member state country look worse than it is..surely not..nor permit xenophobic comments in his videos..heaven forfend..
I took a 2 month tour of Europe a few years ago, and i gotta say CR was the most ghetto (and also the most beautiful in some places) that i ever been to...there were a lot of homeless people, lots of ratchet shops, but at the same time the churches and holy sites were pristine and beautiful. LOVED IT! Reminded me a bit of oakland and san francisco...but european if that makes sense
Wow. Isn't that telling?
What other countries have you visited? That would be more telling than comparing CZ to "Europe"
@@AntrozLPs Germany, Estonia, France, Spain, Monaco, Belgium, Austria. I took a train from Austria to Poland and wanted to stop by Prague on the way .
@@sew_gal7340 Lmao, there we go
@@sew_gal7340that definitely gives this context because those are all much wealthier countries
I went to Prague in 2018 and it was just beautiful but i did notice there were quite a few really nice shops surrounded by some worn down areas too.
I remember watching a BBC programme that re=enacted Victorian practices and voyeuristic poverty tourism of touring the slums was part of it
I don't remember a BBC program where they don't re-enact racism. The Guardian is great at that too.
@@ColtraneTaylor The comments about Ukrainians were racist in the video..so the Guardian does allow racism when it is convenient.
@@apjpisared That's what I said, The Guardian promotes racism against many nations.
The core root of the problem is tourists from other parts of Europe mostly from the west of Europe flocking to Prague in the bus loads for a cheaper holiday then they would in their own country causing accommodation prices to sky rocket which then local people in Prague no longer can afford the rent because the high demand of tourists wanting accommodation. Even a low budget hostel is no longer affordable and then you have the Ukrainian women and children refugees on top of that need housing causing rents to soar through the roof. I left Prague 2 years ago for this exact reason. It was only a rent crisis every thing else like food prices remained the same. Flew back to my Home country New Zealand because i could no longer bare the increase costs in serviced accommodation when the EU borders re opened after coronavirus lockdown.
@ G7, we have the same problem in the UK with soaring rent increases, but I don’t blame the Tourists, it’s the Government policy and war on people, our indigenous people are treated lower than the boat loads of illegal immigrates coming in to take over, happening in all European countries and America
ukrainians already paid more in taxes than what the state spent on helping them... using that ukrainian argument that you and the woman in the video used is such idiocy. like 90% of ukrainians here are now employed and fully functioning people, if they didnt get the initial help the homelessness problem here would multiply massively.
I love Prague. ❤️ Great city! Much cleaner than any city in the US
That's hardly a challenge these days 😂
Probably the cleanest city in Europe its size.
No@@stevemcgowen
TBH dont know where is Guardian getting its numbers (on anything really). Looking at "List of sovereign states by homeless population" @wiki Czech Republic homeless population is nowhere near top in EU, lower than Germany, Sweden, Latvia, Serbia and many others, actually we are at 1/3 homeless population per capita compared to UK.
Legacy media just sucks.
capitalism requires that there be an underclass to which those at the top of the heap,
the aristocrats, can point and say to the people who create their wealth,
"that'll be you, if you get it into your head that you are entitled to more"
Aren’t you tired of that corny lie regarding capitalism? That is so 1910s. Get with this century and move on from that outdated thinking! Nothing “requires” a underclass. That is Marxist bullshit.
czechia has one of the best divides of wealth in europe
Truly heartbreaking. Also, I really like Richard as an interviewer and journalist. Very genuine.
Isn't Czech Republic a country with one of the lowest unemployment rates in EU? Also, I think poverty rate is quite low too compared with EU average.. Interesting how these stats fail to paint a rosier picture.
Guardian filling the space that Vice left
Guardian was around long before Vice
@@art837armBut not with this type of journalistic angle.
Vice has been publishing some rather interesting content again lately (and they've also been uploading older content that was on their website but not on RUclips yet). Although with their bankruptcy proceedings I'm not sure what will happen to their channel (and to the content that is still not on RUclips). But there's definitely other channels providing similar topics and angles now, not only from bigger news outlets.
It won’t be for free for long. Guardian.
I would like to know how many Pragulic guides moved on. The tours are not cheap and the guides get less then a half of the money. I think it is extra money but I have my doubts about how ethical this whole project is.
The enduring financial disparity down the generations has made pointing it out a yawning cliché. Yet, its presence is more evident than ever. In recent years, we've witnessed the largest transfer of wealth unfold right before our eyes, effectively erasing the middle class worldwide and leaving many struggling to maintain basic necessities like shelter and food.
The individuals holding senior roles in government and corporations couldn't care less about us and would much rather we shut up, took our 'jabs', and died while pocketing our taxes in the process. The world's failure to come to a standstill and confront this truth, holding those in power accountable, underscores our lack of self-trust, which is exactly how the system continues to perpetuate itself.
If there's one man whose work you should read, it's Václav Havel's "The Power of the Powerless." If this were mandatory reading in schools, perhaps we would have a better chance of learning how to resist and fight back.
Mistni Mistnim, Jakodoma and Pragulic are doing exactly what Havel talks about: building parallel structures to the Government.
I’ve been living in Prague over a decade. Most homeless here have CHOSEN this lifestyle due to their addictions and inability to keep a job. They have al strong social programs, plenty of job opportunities and housing opportunities, it’s not the same problems as with homelessness in US or Western European countries. Yes, wages are low comparing to prices, but you can still live on them in a flat share and social housing etc.
Yea no, nobody chooses being sleep deprived for months and have deep mental health issues and literally sleeping next to the public road. Insane how much disinformation about homelessness is out there
this is a world wide problem in most cities.
I live in the United States and am 66 years old. I've raised a family put my son through college and now on the verge
of being homeless. I have a car and someone told me that if you own a car you aren't homeless. So next step living in a car.
There should be a ban on foreign property purchase . The same is happening in Melbourne. Wealthy foreign citizens buying up property and leaving it there to appreciate. Take back your country and boot out foreign property speculators
Good that you said central and eastern Europe. From my experience Czechs and Poles hate to be named as Eastern. Actually it's right when you look on the map, it's indeed central Europe.
The region of post-communist countries in Europe is called CEE - Central Eastern Europe
Yeah, god forbid! Also how dare those effing Ukrainians get occupied and killed, and come here as refugees! Seems even the homeless can be cruel towards other homeless people. Humanity never learns.
Eastern Europe shouldn't be shame.
@@user-dl7ju no
"Prague is further west than Vienna." - meme
A couple months ago i saw one of those hour length videos on RUclips picturing the disastrous situation of Philadelphia and San Francisco. I said myself “thank god I live in Europe”. But boy, was I wrong. Saw some other videos shot in Bruxelles, Frankfurt Am Main, Paris and the situation is the same. Drug addiction and homelessness on the rise. Even in my hometown Milan, Italy there’s a lot of bad sh*t going on: mostly crime and lot of rapes.
It turns out it’s not just America, it’s Europe as well.
When they mention Ukrainian refugees, journalists don't even ask what about 2 years ago. If those homeless have been living on the street for 10-15 years, in their own country where they spoke the language, but then started blaming Ukrainians who only arrived in 2022 and most got jobs ... after learning a new language, while being very stressed after seeing deaths and living under the shelling...
Please ask those questions, and don't put a full stop after "I'm homeless because of Ukrainian refugees", because you make your viewers believe it's the reason, but it's not.
Lol... MOst refugees don't even speak proper czech whilst its easy for them to learn. There are not enough 'simple' jobs for non-native speakers... Maybe you can apply for storywriting at Disney
Take a trip to Dublin,its crazy and getting worse
I can't believe he's so insensitive as not to wait for a man who needs a cane to walk... a man who is paying him wages. No wonder he's jobless and homeless.
Many homeless have mental illness issues.
The man with the cane is doing better than him?
I love cafe therapy! I had class in the back during my study abroad. Such a great NGO to highlight.
The centre of prague is all bought up by foreigners and investors. Some live there enjoying the "esthetic old europe living" and most rent it out as airbnbs. For czech people the city centre is unlivable. As is the case in many other tourist cities.
Another day in paradise Phil Collins (1989)
At last! Someone talking about this.
We've seen the homeless people growing and growing and also I am so happy finally one journalist acknowledged the atrocious job done by our useless and incompetent politicians regarding real estate Tragedy (it is not an emergency anymore) with prices that are the highest in the EU and salaries amongst the lowest in the EU.
I really hope you will have another video about Prague's real estate tragedy, it affects everyone, poor people as well as the middle class: Prague's children will never own a place to live, this is not acceptable!
It got much worse in last few years, we have the most expensive housing and energy compared to salaries in whole Europe. It's such extreme that rent of some proper apartment can be like 30 000 CZK, but you earn like 25 000-30 000/month, people can't handle this anymore, when one person in apartment lost job, you are screwed.
And in Prague there is a massive problem that industry was removed and only services and restaurants stayed, which means low paid jobs. Average in Prague is higher only because of headquaters of companies, politicians and such people. Now I live in village and I have better salary than most of people I know in Prague.
All governments are constantly saying that they know about housing problem, but nobody did anything to improve it, we still have the worst buerocracy in the world and when you buy a land, it can take like 15 years to get all approvements and start with construction, that's why housing is that expensive here.
Recently some guy from Vienna was complaining that he has to pay 500 eur for one room apartment in Vienna and how expensive it is. 😀 Jesus, people, you don't know what EXPENSIVE means, you are living like gods there.
This is what capitalism looks like. The world over. It's grasp is so deep, the effect so profound and the alternative is so utterly incapable of giving any practical hope. This is the sort of dystopia I read in science fi books as a teenager!
Facts. And the benefactors of this economic pyramid scheme grow more entrenched in their positions of financial influence and power each year. We are long passed the point of political checks and balances being able to stop this. Only an outv and out call to arms by the masses would stand any chance of seizing the signs of power from those currently steering u towards an Elysium-esque future where the gap between the global elite and the rest of world is so great, they might as well be on a different planet
If you want to see what socialism looks like, go to Cuba, Venezuela or North Korea. Or watch films about socialist China before they re-invented capitalism.
@@befeleme what an uneducated comment. Tell me you have zero clue about socialism by inserting Cuba, North Korea in your sentence. Go watch Second Thought on youtube, don't be stupid. Socialism can be so much more than North Korea
you are correct
This is what generations of nonviolence under capitalism looks like.
08:00 everywhere in Europe this is a huge problem... one group seem to not have the issue and can freely relocate anywhere while other countries seem to be defending their territories. I'm sure it's not so simple, but it shouldn't be this complex right?
I volunteered at museum twice a year, it's a way to get close to what interest me. The volunteers get a free meal, refreshments, anl 2 free museums tickets. I always invite friends to use my free tickets or gave it to the church. Im unhoused, living in my van.
In California, there are free phone or tablet with limited data for low income people. This can help with job search or connect to the library for job search.
4:55
It's the same problem here in the United States as well.
Canada too. Inflation and sky high rents all across the country. It's happening all over the world.
@@techcafe0 My Dear Canadian friend! Show me place in Canada where you can"t make 2500-3500 CAD a month and rent a room for 750 CAD? Homelessness is not a result of inflation or housing, it a result of drugs and mental illness.
Why doesn't the Czechia just buy enough apartments so they can rent them out to the homeless people (and pay their rent OFC!) untill they can get a job etc.
You cannot get homeless ppl off drugs or on mental health services, as long as they're on the streets. The rehabilitation to a life worth living starts with a place to call your own, a roof over your head.
This is how we got rid of homeless in Finland. (in practice)
Welcome to Eastern Europe. They don't give a flying F here.
What does Poland has to do with this?
@@boshkebab We aren´t eastern Europe and Finland is more on the east than us.
@@tefky7964 Geographically seen not, no. Bravo! However, in terms of Slavic-ness, you are as Eastern European as it gets.
Cope.
It was mentioned in the video because foreign investors have increased the price of real estate. Thousands of smaller flats that could be used for this purpose are offered by Airbnb or similar services. There is a shortage of them in Prague and new properties are being sold to higher bidders.
I was just watching a video on a ramen seller in Japan. He had transformed his cart into a little hut complete with walls and chairs. So, for those who are homeless and don’t want to use the services, maybe there could be a temporary booth that can be transformed for the night where they can sleep.
It's really really cold here
Excellent.
There is an addiction vibe running in the background of this video. But Prague actually is not so bad, have you been to Frankfurt anytime in the past 10 years?
Stay out of the bars there if you want to stay physically safe and your bank account from being emptied. Their criminal network is active, aggressive, operating in the open and with the knowledge of law enforcement who will not help you.
Frankly, I was born and live in Prague. I managed to buy my own apartment. I just took a mortgage and paid off early (no help from parents). I live just with two sons and manage financially just fine. I do not smoke nor drink. I think it is unfair to point at the government that they are not doing enough. The main cause of homelessness in Prague and elsewhere is addiction - mainly alcohol. I know people that have elementary education, humble salary, renting and still make the ends meet. And then there are those with addiction that always struggle, unable to hold down the job but yet complaining that the government is not doing enough. I have seen so many people going down the slippery slope loosing everything - jobs, homes, family, friendships, mind, health, productivity, morals. Along this downward spiral everyone was pleading with them to get help and go to rehab. Rehabs are for free in the Czech republic as many times you want. The only condition is you need to want to. But instead they just using and dragging down everyone around including all these non profit organisation personnel to fund their destructive habit.
I just got back from a visit to Prague. I saw very few homeless people. Maybe they are hidden?
Interesting point made. Iwas going to make a comment earlier but wanted to have a more informed opinion before my reply, number one its often the unseen ones that need addressing, to some poverty is a multi euro business, but are these people nationals, and possibly ex forces, these in my opinion are the first who should receive assistance, we all have a growing problem being created throughout Europe, how many of those if conflict arrives will run and do the seek more handouts elsewhere, and who will no matter the cost defend there country when needed, this is the real issue, there are some that will never appreciate what they're giving , like it's a un earned entitlement, but there are the unseen who endure the crap there dealt but will defend regardless, to me i can see the difference between parasites and potential, it's up to society to awake and see whats coming if ignored, think.@@catguy00
Absolutely agree. Foreigners should not get easily fooled by the stories...those who want a help get it. There are many people in terain helping homeless and addicts, guess what, they don't want to be helped...all they want is money for the addiction, if you offer them food , many become agressive. So before someone who is not familiar with the life/subject/and mainly the facts should not come easily to conclusion or fall for the "impression".
You're probably a high earner. For the average Czech, it's either impossible to get a loan and you're stuck with immensly inflated rents (and bills) OR you do get a mortgage but you pay it for 35+ years, as per Czech standards...
Please don't portray it as if you can get a loan, pay it off, and no dirt is in the Czech air, because it's not that simple for 90% of the people
@@boshkebab Flat construction is booming in Prague and it cannot keep up with the demand. So people are buying and are getting mortgage.
Man, now I want to visit Prague just to go on one of those tours!
"Homelessness is on the rise globally, and the Czech Republic has the highest rate in central and eastern Europe" - even experts have problem with this claim, because It seems factually wrong.
They should do this in Vancouver
Ok, as czech person (not livingin czech rep anymore tho) I felt like im not the one who should have opinion about this video, but im 7:46 deep into the clip and I need to clarify some stuff:
1) the homelessnes and drug problems are overlaping by lets say 75%, so 3/4 of people on the streets are doing drugs, solving drug problems will help with homelessness
2) I have traveled 40+ countries and 5 continents and it would be pretentious to say "ohh but theres more homeless people in Bogota than in Prague", but compared to other european capitals, Prague´s homelessnes is definitelly not something shocking, not extremly low, but also not extremly high
3) prices in czech republic are insanely high, but unemployment rate is incredibly low; there´s so many jobs
4) no, czech government doesnt give ukrainian refugees any advantage compared to czech people. All these people in the video have been living on the streets way before war in the urkaine started. Im missing some editorial correction, cuz these people will blame everything on anyone, but just not themselves
5) I´ve taken the tour back in 2016 and even the guide was inflating everything and treated facts very loosely, I still feel like its better than nothing, even tho it kinda bind heir life to this sidejob and therefore lower their motivation to try really hard to get better life
One of the problems is that in Prague you can get 10 litres of spoiled shit wine for 100kč/cca 5$ (I'm serious) which wont even buy a decent meal in a fastfood. And like 9/10 of meth labs in Europe are in the Czech Republic. Alcohol and meth are really easy to get your hands on in Prague, so a lot of people simply turn to drugs as a way to cope with their bad life situation.
A good initiative. I would wish however that they put equal effort in the homeless men as the homeless women because “stability” is not really what defines their life contrary to what the documentary implies. A prime example of “glass floor” thinking and “empathy gap”
"So here we arrive at one of the most quiet backstreets of Prague. Please deposit your wallet and mobile phone to leave without violence. Thank you for choosing BeggarTours"
I thought Europe was a bed of roses
It’s not. Europeans lie a lot. My brother is homeless on the streets of stuttgart Germany. I have many cousins homeless too. My aunts and uncles in Ulm, Germany are working at gas stations for low wages. Europe is not special and not superiorly educated. Most Europeans lie. Most Europeans don’t speak multiple languages either. Stop believe internet trolls.
this video isnt objective at all... obviously it isnt a bed of roses but the problem for the majority of those homeless ppl is inaction or unwillingness to drop drugs and getting back into society. also the number of homeless ppl here is massively exagerated in the video
We once solved homelessness back in 60s and 70s and 80s but some idiot thought itd be a good idea to let people profit off of owning multiple houses
highest homelessness? I didnt hear about that
Day Centers are not the solution to homelessness. They're just a stop-gap measure.
(Food, showers, laundry, etc.)
Homelessness is usually more common in places with less job opportunities, and more Gentrification.
Especially when we look at formerly Working Class neighborhoods that are now being price-gouged by Big Business people. Or when they prioritize luxury homes over apartments.
Well it doesn't help that even homelessness is a business, when we have people migrating to these cities just so they can beg more effectively. They too take up the services of people in hard life situations.
When I was a kid back in the 70’s, we talked a lot about population growth. Now it’s never discussed. Too many people and unsustainable shelter and food/water all over the world it seems
If the government gave money to all homeless people most of would end up being spent on alcohol or other drugs... And no I'm not saying that all homeless people are drunk 24/7 and I also think we should support those who don't do drugs and are trying to get a job, which is unfortunately a minority.
Listening to them complaining about war refugees being helped leaves a bad taste in my mouth. My fellow Polish people say similar things. It's pretty pathetic to be honest. People flee from war, you chose drugs. Also them being helped is not at your cost, choose a different thing to complain about.
Why wasn’t the homeless guy brought out to a restaurant for a meal????
The idea is to gawk at them, not actually help them.
how do you know he wasnt? just because it wasnt on the camera? :)
@@malysev Now that’s rational!
The lower the number of social supports available to assist people in keeping their jobs, homes, and health, the higher the rates of homelessness. It is within every government’s interest to help people from falling from middle class. It takes incredibly more resources to bring someone out of poverty than to assist them in maintaining their jobs, homes, and health. The latter takes a lot of effort from many sources, and takes time. Politicians like bandaid solutions because it makes them look good for the next election. Societies need to stop blaming the poor for where they are and why they got there. The view that, “they deserve what they get” is toxic. Poverty is not an active choice for everyone.
This is so sad and f up.
Gosh how sad.... Homeless tours....poverty porn... like something from the Victorian times, gawping at the unfortunate.... this is really quite nasty.
What next? Viewing sessions in the local morgue? We already have televised bailiff visits,evictions, people crying in the dark showing the camera crew their empty cupboards and what they do to survive no heating. And we have had years now of shamelessly exploiting children in front of the camera to talk about what it's like to be poor, left out at school, having to keep moving school, not having enough to eat or keep clean or having a mother who thinks becoming a prositute is the answer while the dad and his drug problems has already buggered off. Can't see what more there is left....
It's less cruel than making homeless people invisible.
Yeah, I'm sure all these homeless people have beautiful stories to tell where nothing is ever their fault and the mean capitalist machine is what destroyed them. Pfff...
I opened video to Ken more info on the problem, instead I’ve heard that the Ukrainians to blame. Some alcoholic who’ve been born and raised in Prague blames refugees. This is insane.
Hatred is a big thing in Czech people, to quite literally anybody
For people who says foreigns and companies should be banned from real estate buy-ups - it's highly probable that it is just a symptom. The solution is simple, and you might hate it: aggressive taxation of 2nd, 3rd... n-th real estate. Especially in Eastern Europe, where the number one investment form - by far - is buying real estate. Also advantageous for the state - more tax income, lower inflation, more people willing to invest into state bonds. And it means more money for the social expenses like healthcare, education, family planning or treating unemployment.
Homeless in Prague, good Luck with the weather.
I live in Prague and I have to say it's not fair to blame Ukrainians who have lost their homes. The state bears much greater responsibility, contributing to a high rate of alcoholism; we even have a state-owned brewery.
Prague is rich and expensive. Well documented situation of abuse and addiction.
And let me tell U ...it is freezing there long months in winter...
not really for many years. its "freezing" for maybe a week or two in total during winter.
It is not just Prague though. Here in Brno things are bad too. The only way we can afford a house is because my partner has a median income. People getting minimum wage cannot afford an apartment.
Ehm, I am paying 15k CZK for big 3+1 flat in Brno (including utilities, energy, etc.). Two people with minimum wage can easily pay that. Or you can rent smaller flat for less money.
@@martinnovak5662 oho! Kde jsou tady tak levné byty? Máme 1 + kk a platíme víc a tento byl nejlevnější. Přestěhovali bychom se raději kdybychom si pronajali.
Why the music?distracting
This is a legitimate job imo. They are adults with agency and it makes them money. These are rational actors not helpless children, they can make an informed decision about doing this job. I used to volunteer at a homeless shelter btw so I am not speaking from ignorance. Jobs are scarce for homeless people and this is a very smart idea. It shows homed people the reality of their world too. It's essentially "give me money and I'll share my life story with you".
It's only voyeurism if YOU think you're being let in on something seedy or something that should be hidden. If you don't see it that way, it's just someone sharing their life story with you.
Sigh, everywhere there are problems. I bet its no better on Mars or Jupiter.
its insane how we feel the need to comoditise housing that it creates tours of homeless people
Really surprising. I thought e. Europe had plenty of housing, crappy housing but housing all the same.
If by crappy you mean commie-blocks, they are actually quite nice in the Czech Republic, not much different than the post war blocks you would find in western Europe. 99% of them are renovated.
Not sure why you would bring up Eastern Europe in a video about Central Europe, but ok..
There is plenty of housing, but not in the central parts of the capital. Just as in most places, really..
@@Ioulimontiumstill better then sleeping on the street.
@@PradedaCech Gotta learn to live with it, not alot of people consider us Central.
@@lilnunu1553 never!
The complaints about Ukrainians are idiotic. The Czech Republic paid a lot of money to Ukrainians upfront - yes. But since that time, it has been recorded, that the Ukranian refugees have already paid enough in taxes to compensate for that. Before you talk about unemployment - the Czech republic has consistently been one of the countries with a the lowest unemployment rates.
Thanks for shedding light on this. I find Prague highly overrated and difficult to live in compared to many places. It's incredibly expensive-prices are higher than in Amsterdam, but wages don't match up. Many locals manage mainly because they own inherited properties. While expats with high skills might earn more, their expenses are proportionately higher too.
The cost of living isn't just steep, surprisingly, the quality of goods, especially perishables like groceries, is often subpar. You often find produce that would be deemed unsellable in other European countries being sold at high prices here. So, you pay FAR more and get FAR less... And, you'll have to shop nearly every single day. Nothing survives a day in the fridge, especially meats.
But, despite these challenges in Prague, other parts of the Czech Republic are truly wonderful and still affordable (and you just buy stuff at the farmers), particularly in the spring and late summer, though it can get a bit too warm for my taste in the peak of summer.
" difficult to live in compared to many places." Those places being? Yes Prague is highly demanded as a capital city and center of culture and commerce, but what are you comparing it to? It is still much more livable to comparably important cities around the EU, which is the positive feedback loop making it increasingly unaffordable. But if you want to compare it to the "livability" of Unterkatzendorf, then it's quite the stretch. Brno is now comparable to Prague in demand and therefore unaffordability, and other cities like Liberec now see commuters from Germany since the salaries are better there, while living costs in East Germany or Poland are still depressed.
"So, you pay FAR more and get FAR less" By EU statistics, Comparative price levels for food and non-alcoholic beverages show Czech groceries are 10% cheaper than the EU average, comparable to Spain or NL. Germany, Austria, France, Portugal, Slovakia are about 10% above the average. These prices therefore reflect the costs of shipping, and Czechia as a landlocked country sees much of it's food costs eaten by transport, which is why the even poorer Slovakia has even more expensive food. That is a fact of geography and scope of markets.
"(and you just buy stuff at the farmers)" see? Transport costs.
@@serebii666 I'm not sure where you've been for the past years, but as mentioned: Prague is literally more expensive than Amsterdam, and wages there are FAR higher... You can rely on statistics all you want, but me, countless other expats and our family members have all been equally baffled by the prices of everything here. And mind you, again, the food is of utterly horrible quality, and to name another example clothes, you pay top 'dollar' for last years collection, or outright outlet collections in the 'flagship' stores in Prague.
As for transport and 10%, don't make me laugh...
A las, me, and countless of my expat friends have been driven out of this city ± 2 years ago already, so don't mind me!
@@boshkebab Prague is not more expensive than Amsterdam. lol what are you on about? Currently buying a median unit in Prague is more unaffordable than in Amsterdam for the local X number of median salaries. But that is because purchasing m2 increase has far outstripped lettable m2. That increase was nowhere near as dramatic.
"rely on statistics all you want" I live in Prague fam, and have most of my friend group here, both Czechs and immigrants, including 3rd country nationals. But indeed neither the statistics, nor my circle's experience reflect yours. And that is quite the indictment for your anecdotal experience then.
"As for transport and 10%" Transport makes up about 60% of Czech foodstuff prices. Like it's not like we have literal granular reporting, monitoring and interpretation of such data on an EU level... oh wait.
"me, and countless of my expat friends" Considering you can't even bring yourself to describe yourself as the immigrants you are, it sounds like you never learned the local language and therefore had to go through interpreters for your day to day, and you would be surprised that you'd end up paying more for not integrating?
"so don't mind me!" You still haven't answered my question: livable compared to where exactly???
@@serebii666 I'm too high for this now bro
Not sure what reality you are in, but I'm a foreigner living in Prague since 2015 and the quality of life and affordability beats every other European city I've ever lived in: London, Cambridge, Helsinki, Kyiv, Moscow, St. Petersburg.
Late stage capitalism strikes again.
While it is truly sad that our country has a lot of homeless people, the country does not consist only of Prague. I am kinda baffled how many people think just and only of Prague when the name Czechia comes to the table.
E: Also this video is clearly biased. I would explain it, but others here made better explanation that I could ever do, like @Dqtube's comment.
Editing seems extremely weird, feeling like your cutting this woman off.