Menhely Foundation is an NGO in Budapest with services for homeless people, social workers and the general public.  

It plays a central role among homeless organizations in Budapest and Central Hungary. 

It's a pioneer in involving homeless clients in its work and especially awareness-raising activities.

Details:

Menhely Foundation operates a 0-24 telephone Dispatcher Service to find support for homeless people and coordinate homeless services. Connected to the Dispatcher Service, it also runs a mobile street service („Crisis Car”) for homeless people in urgent need of assistance.

For 22 years, the Foundation has been coordinating the now country-wide annual sociological survey on the lives of Hungarian homeless people („3rd of February” research).

Menhely Foundation publishes the bi-weekly Hungarian street paper "Fedél nélkül" (Without a Roof). Publications in the paper (poems, essays, drawings, paintings, interviews) are produced by homeless people. A network of homeless vendors sell the paper in the streets. "Fedél Nélkül" is the Hungarian member of INSP - International Network of Street Papers. The team of the streetpaper also organizes arts events, competitions and publishes books of arts and literature.

Menhely Foundation supports and participates in a complex awareness-raising programme on homelessness, initiated and coordinated by homeless experts of experience. The „First Hand Information on Homelessness” programme includes class discussions for secondary school students (over 20.000 students reached so far), an interactive theater play, a regular training and community club for homeless experts by experience, „irregular city walks” guided by a homeless/formerly homeless person to see the city through the eyes of homeless people, living library events (where people with an experience of homelessness act as "living books" to be borrowed by anyone willing to hear about their experience), and community meals (when a group of visitors and a group of homeless people have a meal together, hosted by homeless people who share their experiences with participants).

Menhely Foundation provides overnight accomodation for homeless men, and permanent accomodation for elderly homeless men with health issues. It operates daytime care centres with various services, and a (long-time) luggage storage service for homeless people.

Menhely Foundation support clients on their way to housing and employment. This is done through complex interventions: individual social work, career counselling, trainings in job-seeking techniques, employability skills, digital competencies or other skills, small grants to help access to housing. Menhely Foundation also has experience in working with clients in recovery from addiction and people with psychological problems (individual counselling/group work for rehabilitation, supported accomodation).

Menhely Foundation coordinates funds for other homeless serive providers, organizing trainings for social workers from the field, collects and shares up-to-date information on regulations and public services relevant for social work with homeless clients. It is involved in international cooperations (FEANTSA, INSP, Erasmus+, Visegrad Fund).

Website: http://www.menhely.hu/index.php/english/what-do-we-do

More information and contact: Katalin Gyöngyösi, International Coordinator, gyongyosi.katalin@menhely.hu