A student at the University of Public Service in Budapest, and a writer for the street paper Fedél Nélkül, gives an account of the Hungarian response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, as refugees have poured over the border with the neighbouring oppressed nation. With around 200,000 people (a number that is rising every day) having now fled to Hungary from Ukraine, aid organisations and grassroots fundraisers, includng efforts by the social services provided by Fedél Nélkül, are working overtime to help those who need it.

Hungary’s street paper Fedél Nélkül has launched a campaign, in collaboration with other international organisations, that seeks to change the way homelessness and people on the street are visually portrayed. Bemoaning negatively charged images often used in the media to illustrate homelessness, the #LookTalkAct project will create an open source, free online collection of art and photos which will improve the visual appearance of publications covering homelessness, journalists, non-governmental organizations and activists.

On October 15, the Hungarian government passed an amendment to its constitution effectively banning rough sleepers. Slovakian street paper Nota Bene has been outspoken in its support for the country’s homeless population. The magazine’s editor Sandra Tordová, in collaboration with Hungarian street paper Fedél Nélkül, examined the initial impact of the law.

The umbrella organisation of Slovakian street paper Nota Bene organised a sleep out on the streets of Bratislava to show solidarity with those people currently being affected by the drastic anti-homelessness laws passed by the Hungarian government in recent weeks, and urged the Slovakian government not to go down the same path of criminalisation of the homeless community.