Menedékház Alapítvány

description of organisation

The goals of the Shelter House Foundation (English translation of Menedékház Alapítvány) are to eliminate deep poverty and to increase the chance for social and economic integration of neglected populations with the rest of the society.

Nowadays, the social causes of homelessness (unemployment, home loss, behavior disorders, such as alcoholism and drug abuse) have intensified. These causes often exacerbate family conflicts, which, in turn, lead to homelessness.
The rise in homelessness is a call for the organizations and individuals who support and shelter the homeless to reevaluate their efficacy. We can increase our power by focusing on new possibilities and upgrading our present programs. Changes and reforms are vital factors for us to create a safe environment for our clients.

Shelter House Foundation was established in 2005 and it operates 5 institutes: doss-house (for those who live on the street), the daily shelter, a special homeless shelter and 2 families' transitional homes. The first institute was opened in February 2009, named The Daily Shelter, followed by the special doss-house. Two institutes of families' transitional homes were founded in 2010. The foundation also runs a charity shop where donations are sold. At the moment there are 35 employees in the 5 institutes and the charity shop.

Activities of the Shelter House Foundation:
- helping disadvantaged groups
- supporting families
- free boarding
- child and youth prevention and awareness programs
- employment search and training
- minor medical care
- child and adult education
- protecting civil rights

Families’ transitional home is open all day and night. Its goal is to welcome - within the scope of temporary care - needy families and single pregnant mothers. We offer helping hands so that the parents can stay together with their children and sort out problems with our specialists. Preventing similar future situations is one of our most important goals. Social workers, psychologists and a special educational teacher help the families and the children.

Daily shelter institute is open from 8:00 am to 2:00 pm. Visitors can use shower or cook food in the kitchen during the day. Shelter House Foundation also offers a common room to promote social engagement in a friendly atmosphere. Social workers provide social and mental care and organize different leisure activities and events. There is a possibility to search for work via free phone calls and via an updated list of jobs, compiled especially for them.
Doss-house is open from 6:00 pm to 8:00 am. The main goal of this institute is to help the homeless living on the street. Based on our experiences, it is the homeless people who stay without any kind of support. Moreover they are in the most exposed position. We consider it important for the homeless to find accommodation in the district where they were living on the street, so they can keep their social links and habits. These two institutions (the doss-house and the daily shelter) are open all the week except Monday and Friday.
The special homeless shelter provides accommodation and healthcare services for older, sick homeless people. That institution is open all day and all night.
In many cases, our target group chooses the street lifestyle because of the negative experiences with homeless hostels (stealing, conflicts etc.) Therefore, we put high priority on creating a calm and safe place to disprove such stereotypes. In addition, we provide rooms and programs to support social life. Since this institute focuses on homeless living on the street, applicants can attend the shelter only through the cooperation with Street Social Services.
The foundation's charity shop is called Mozaik charity shop and it has opened 6 years ago. In the charity shop, all the stock (clothes, smaller objects, books, etc.) is donated.

In the foundation, the presence and the help of volunteers is very important. With them, it's possible to organize bigger events for families, children or homeless people, and the foundation can provide extra services for the clients (lessons for children, language clubs, leisure activities, etc.). Volunteers from abroad can cooperate with Hungarian volunteers and create programs and projects together.