While Italy is affected by the first days of intense cold during the new year, in the Tuscolano district of Rome, the Community of Sant'Egidio runs one of the new night shelters for homeless people, set up with the support of the City and the VII municipality. It is a sign of Christmas - the first night was on December 23 - and has involved a wide range of people, including those who provide a cooked hot meal and others who bring the necessary supplies for the night, as well as their willingness to listen and keep company.
"Finally I can eat every day," said one of the guests, and others continued the conversation by saying "this is heaven on earth! Finally I can sleep peacefully." The simplest gesture to restore dignity - offering a roof and food - is viewed with extreme gratitude and provides hope. F., the day after being housed the first time, went to get his beard and haircut, because he can finally "stay tidy," as he says. Another guest, a young man from Bangladesh, had just come out of the hospital, with stitches still to be removed. He would have gone to sleep in a park. For him and for many others, it will be a different, warmer winter, thanks to an effort to set up more shelters, given the constraints imposed by the pandemic and the goal of spreading this intervention in order to protect the "invisible” living in many parts of the city.
The commitment to save the lives of homeless people during the cold emergency can be supported in person, through the Contact form, or with a contribution to the initiatives spread in different cities where the Community is present: donate now.
