Hajléktalanok menhelyei. Hatósági és egyesületi szerepkörök a 19. század végén és a 20. század első évtizedeiben
Homeless Shelters: The Remit of Authorities and Civil Organisations after the Turn of the Nineteenth Century

Summary/Abstract: Although civil societies, specifically the Association for Homeless Shelters, were the primary initiators of the establishment of the first shelters in Budapest, the capital’s municipal administration also participated in providing aid to the homeless. The present study examines the institutional framework of helping the homeless from the angle of the agents participating in the provision of aid, with special attention to its transformation in the decades following World War I. In addition, it provides an insight into the personal background of the individuals involved in the upkeep and operation of shelters. In addition, the analysis of the shelters’ accounts of funds received reveals some unique characteristics of private and municipal funding. The examination of the charitable organisations neces- sarily extends to the operation as seen from the angle of the shelters’ users, the accessibility of the shelters, and the eligibility criteria for the users. In the dec- ades directly after World War I, the institutional framework underwent a funda- mental transformation. While at the turn of the nineteenth century, the above mentioned association and the municipal authorities coordinated their efforts on the basis of a general consensus, after the war this status quo was abandoned entirely. The Association for Homeless Shelters was disbanded and the running and maintenance of shelters were transferred into the remit of the municipal administration. At the same time, new organisations sprang up establishing shel- ters across the city: their activities can be interpreted as a response to the short- comings of the municipal aid available for the city’s homeless.

• Details
• Contents