The dream of the homeless

The invisible. People who live on the street with the hope that everything will be better. An audio portrait series.

Housing and homeless people are invisible to many of us. We don't see them. Or do not want to see them. This is also because they are unpleasant and strange to us and we have fears of contact. 650,000 people in Germany are without a home. They spend the night in emergency shelters, collective camps and containers. Between 40,000 and 50,000 people live and sleep completely on the street. It is difficult to find a new place to live because new apartments often fail due to resistance from residents or official requirements. 

Despite growing prosperity in Germany, the problem of homelessness is not getting any smaller. At the federal level, it is hardly an issue. "Apparently, ministries even lack important information to make problems tangible at all," writes the FAZ on January 20, 2021. Or to put it more bluntly: There is a lack of interest in helping. 

With this website we would like to give a voice to homeless and houseless people. We show people who are considered invisible, but could hardly be more full of character. Their faces reflect the many breaks in their lives unvarnished. They are people who are sometimes rowdy and loud, sometimes kind and gentle, sometimes drunk and drugged up, sometimes frustrated and full of shame. They are cheerful, celebrating, lonely and sad. Many have had a bad start in life or suffered strokes of fate. And many have also made a mess of things. But they all have one thing in common: the hope that everything will get better one day. They have a dream. Often it is that of a regular and peaceful life, which most of us take for granted - but which can be very fragile. That's what we want to tell you about. A project together with fiftyfifty.

More stories on the website: www.die-unsichtbaren.net