In view of the expected extremely cold weather, a red code signal will come into force at ten o’clock on Friday morning, and accordingly, homeless people will have to be admitted to residential social institutions not reserved for them, the State Secretary for Social Affairs of the Ministry of Human Resources (Emmi) announced in Budapest on Wednesday.
Attila Fülöp said that the red code signal is expected to be in force until noon next Wednesday. The National Meteorological Service forecasts that from Friday to Wednesday, the temperature will drop below minus 10 degrees Celsius at night, and it will be extremely cold, he added.
The most important task that remains is to prepare the homeless care system. There is room in homeless shelters, in day warmers, the secretary of state said, stressing that no one needs to sleep on the street.
He said that the use of places reserved for the homeless was 79 percent nationwide and 73 percent in the capital.
In view of the extreme cold, the Secretary of State asked those living on the streets to use the services so that no one’s life would be in danger.
Attila Fülöp emphasized that the red code sign is a special call to both the social system and society. At the time of the signal, residential social institutions will have to receive homeless people who are referred to them by the dispatch service, he said.
The Secretary of State asked everyone to call one of the dispatch services if someone sees a homeless person in trouble. These telephone numbers are available at www.hajlekot.hu. He also mentioned that institutions must comply with the rules imposed due to the coronavirus epidemic.
Attila Fülöp also said at a press conference at the New Homeless House of the Salvation Army in Terézváros that the red code had been in force for two days in mid-January when 239 alerts were received and 114 people were placed in institutions.
István Bajkai, Fidesz Member of Parliament, VI. district constituency president spoke of a moral duty at all times to help those in need and those in need. The civilian government will do its best for those in need, he said.
Ibolya Hecker-Réz, the head of the House of the New Beginning, said that the institution has a folk kitchen, can prepare 230 servings of food a day, they have a daytime warmer and they have also opened a night shelter for the winter.
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