Presentation given by Bálint Misetics, A Város Mindenkié, Budapest, Hungary at a FEANTSA Research Conference on "Understanding Homelessness and Housing Exclusion in the New European Context", Budapest, Hungary, 2010

1. Insert your logo here
The Signif cance of Exclusionary
i
Discourse and Measures
Bálint Misetics
A Város Mindenkié – City is for All (Budapest)
European Research Conference, Budapest, 17th September 2010
UNDERSTANDING HOMELESSNESS AND HOUSING EXCLUSION IN THE NEW
ENHR
EUROPEAN CONTEXT

2. Disclaimer
“I have come to believe that those who have the
good fortune to be able to devote their lives to the
study of the social world cannot stand aside,
neutral and indifferent, from the struggles in
which the future of that world is at stake”
- Pierre Bourdieu, 2000
European Research Conference, Budapest, 17th September 2010
UNDERSTANDING HOMELESSNESS AND HOUSING EXCLUSION IN THE NEW ENHR
EUROPEAN CONTEXT

3. Outline
1. Discourse of exclusion
2. Measures of exclusion
3. The signif cance of moral exclusion
i
4. Resistance and the politics of self-organizing
European Research Conference, Budapest, 17th September 2010
UNDERSTANDING HOMELESSNESS AND HOUSING EXCLUSION IN THE NEW ENHR
EUROPEAN CONTEXT

4. Introduction: homelessness in Hungary
How many people are living on the street?
“Homeless count”, 2005: 3000 (Budapest)
“Homeless count”, 2008: 1800 (Budapest)
Approx. (at least) twice as many in Hungary
European Research Conference, Budapest, 17th September 2010
UNDERSTANDING HOMELESSNESS AND HOUSING EXCLUSION IN THE NEW ENHR
EUROPEAN CONTEXT

5. 1. Discourse of exclusion
European Research Conference, Budapest, 17th September 2010
UNDERSTANDING HOMELESSNESS AND HOUSING EXCLUSION IN THE NEW ENHR
EUROPEAN CONTEXT

6. “I managed to get rid of illegal advertisements,
clean graff ti, we passed a strict ordinance on dogs,
i
we took action against illegal littering, we expelled
homeless people, without much public attention”
- mayoral candidate, 2006
European Research Conference, Budapest, 17th September 2010
UNDERSTANDING HOMELESSNESS AND HOUSING EXCLUSION IN THE NEW ENHR
EUROPEAN CONTEXT

7. “We will start a complex police action, taking f rm
i
action against the disruptive homeless, begging,
illegal vending and illegal litter”
- mayor of the 11th district, 2009
European Research Conference, Budapest, 17th September 2010
UNDERSTANDING HOMELESSNESS AND HOUSING EXCLUSION IN THE NEW ENHR
EUROPEAN CONTEXT

8. “I will do everything for Hungary to be a livable and
more peaceful, more prosperous country. New
legislation is being worked out. We will make work the
strata which disdain working, and clean the streets
from the beggars and those who, disturb the spirit
of the country, but also ensuring that they get work and
opportunity from life”
- minister of the interior, 2010
European Research Conference, Budapest, 17th September 2010
UNDERSTANDING HOMELESSNESS AND HOUSING EXCLUSION IN THE NEW ENHR
EUROPEAN CONTEXT

9. 2. Measures of exclusion
European Research Conference, Budapest, 17th September 2010
UNDERSTANDING HOMELESSNESS AND HOUSING EXCLUSION IN THE NEW ENHR
EUROPEAN CONTEXT

10. 2. Measures of exclusion
Exclusionary public spaces
European Research Conference, Budapest, 17th September 2010
UNDERSTANDING HOMELESSNESS AND HOUSING EXCLUSION IN THE NEW ENHR
EUROPEAN CONTEXT

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UNDERSTANDING HOMELESSNESS AND HOUSING EXCLUSION IN THE NEW ENHR
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UNDERSTANDING HOMELESSNESS AND HOUSING EXCLUSION IN THE NEW ENHR
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UNDERSTANDING HOMELESSNESS AND HOUSING EXCLUSION IN THE NEW ENHR
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UNDERSTANDING HOMELESSNESS AND HOUSING EXCLUSION IN THE NEW ENHR
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UNDERSTANDING HOMELESSNESS AND HOUSING EXCLUSION IN THE NEW ENHR
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UNDERSTANDING HOMELESSNESS AND HOUSING EXCLUSION IN THE NEW ENHR
EUROPEAN CONTEXT

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UNDERSTANDING HOMELESSNESS AND HOUSING EXCLUSION IN THE NEW ENHR
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UNDERSTANDING HOMELESSNESS AND HOUSING EXCLUSION IN THE NEW ENHR
EUROPEAN CONTEXT

25. 2. Measures of exclusion
Criminalization of silent begging
European Research Conference, Budapest, 17th September 2010
UNDERSTANDING HOMELESSNESS AND HOUSING EXCLUSION IN THE NEW ENHR
EUROPEAN CONTEXT

26. National legislation:
- begging with children
- begging “in a harassing way”
is prohibited
European Research Conference, Budapest, 17th September 2010
UNDERSTANDING HOMELESSNESS AND HOUSING EXCLUSION IN THE NEW ENHR
EUROPEAN CONTEXT

27. - begging “in a harassing way”
“who addresses pedestrians or people in public
with the purpose of asking for money, or who goes
begging house to house, f at to f at”
l l
European Research Conference, Budapest, 17th September 2010
UNDERSTANDING HOMELESSNESS AND HOUSING EXCLUSION IN THE NEW ENHR
EUROPEAN CONTEXT

28. Criminalization of silent begging
...and “implied conduct”
European Research Conference, Budapest, 17th September 2010
UNDERSTANDING HOMELESSNESS AND HOUSING EXCLUSION IN THE NEW ENHR
EUROPEAN CONTEXT

29. European Research Conference, Budapest, 17th September 2010
UNDERSTANDING HOMELESSNESS AND HOUSING EXCLUSION IN THE NEW ENHR
EUROPEAN CONTEXT

30. 2005
European Research Conference, Budapest, 17th September 2010
UNDERSTANDING HOMELESSNESS AND HOUSING EXCLUSION IN THE NEW ENHR
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31. 2006
European Research Conference, Budapest, 17th September 2010
UNDERSTANDING HOMELESSNESS AND HOUSING EXCLUSION IN THE NEW ENHR
EUROPEAN CONTEXT

32. 2007
European Research Conference, Budapest, 17th September 2010
UNDERSTANDING HOMELESSNESS AND HOUSING EXCLUSION IN THE NEW ENHR
EUROPEAN CONTEXT

33. 2010
European Research Conference, Budapest, 17th September 2010
UNDERSTANDING HOMELESSNESS AND HOUSING EXCLUSION IN THE NEW ENHR
EUROPEAN CONTEXT

34. “the local authority will ensure the legal basis for
pushing out the homeless and the beggars”
- mayor, 5th district of Budapest, 2007.
European Research Conference, Budapest, th September
UNDERSTANDING HOMELESSNESS AND HOUSING EXCLUSION IN THE NEW ENHR
EUROPEAN CONTEXT

35. Why did the prohibition of begging became
necessary?
“[...] people often stop me on the street complaining
that they are being woken up by the outside life in
front of their house. Others eat there, sleep there,
relieve themselves there [...]. It is also a health
issue. […] there are serious implications if
somebody sits on a bench downtown on which
somebody with TB previously sat”
- local authority representative, Szeged, 2005.
European Research Conference, Budapest, 17th September 2010
UNDERSTANDING HOMELESSNESS AND HOUSING EXCLUSION IN THE NEW ENHR
EUROPEAN CONTEXT

36. 3. The signif cance of moral exclusion
i
European Research Conference, Budapest, 17th September 2010
UNDERSTANDING HOMELESSNESS AND HOUSING EXCLUSION IN THE NEW ENHR
EUROPEAN CONTEXT

37. Punitive measures and the lack of
adequate social policy responses are
not unrelated.
European Research Conference, Budapest, 17th September 2010
UNDERSTANDING HOMELESSNESS AND HOUSING EXCLUSION IN THE NEW ENHR
EUROPEAN CONTEXT

38. Punitive measures and the lack of
adequate social policy responses are
not unrelated.
lack of adequate social policy
punitive measures
European Research Conference, Budapest, 17th September 2010
UNDERSTANDING HOMELESSNESS AND HOUSING EXCLUSION IN THE NEW ENHR
EUROPEAN CONTEXT

39. Exclusionary discourse of punitive measures
European Research Conference, Budapest, 17th September 2010
UNDERSTANDING HOMELESSNESS AND HOUSING EXCLUSION IN THE NEW ENHR
EUROPEAN CONTEXT

40. Exclusionary discourse of punitive measures
dehumanization of homeless people
European Research Conference, Budapest, 17th September 2010
UNDERSTANDING HOMELESSNESS AND HOUSING EXCLUSION IN THE NEW ENHR
EUROPEAN CONTEXT

41. Exclusionary discourse of punitive measures
dehumanization of homeless people
“blaming the victim” cause attribution
European Research Conference, Budapest, 17th September 2010
UNDERSTANDING HOMELESSNESS AND HOUSING EXCLUSION IN THE NEW ENHR
EUROPEAN CONTEXT

42. Exclusionary discourse of punitive measures
dehumanization of homeless people
“blaming the victim” cause attribution
destruction of empathy, sense of community
and responsibility
European Research Conference, Budapest, 17th September 2010
UNDERSTANDING HOMELESSNESS AND HOUSING EXCLUSION IN THE NEW ENHR
EUROPEAN CONTEXT

43. Exclusionary discourse of punitive measures
dehumanization of homeless people
“blaming the victim” cause attribution
destruction of empathy, sense of community
and responsibility
lack of adequate social policies
European Research Conference, Budapest, 17th September 2010
UNDERSTANDING HOMELESSNESS AND HOUSING EXCLUSION IN THE NEW ENHR
EUROPEAN CONTEXT

44. 4. Resistance and the politics of self-organizing
European Research Conference, Budapest, 17th September 2010
UNDERSTANDING HOMELESSNESS AND HOUSING EXCLUSION IN THE NEW ENHR
EUROPEAN CONTEXT

45. Protest of homeless and
non-homeless activists
against anti-homeless
legislation in downtown
Budapest, 2007
Result: the mayor abandoned
his idea of “stepping up
against the homeless” and
eliminating the “homeless
islands”
European Research Conference, Budapest, 17th September 2010
UNDERSTANDING HOMELESSNESS AND HOUSING EXCLUSION IN THE NEW ENHR
EUROPEAN CONTEXT

46. Protest against announced “homeless-free zones”, 2009
Result: the mayor stopped his
anti-homeless campaign
European Research Conference, Budapest, 17th September 2010
UNDERSTANDING HOMELESSNESS AND HOUSING EXCLUSION IN THE NEW ENHR
EUROPEAN CONTEXT

47. Thank you very much for your attention!
European Research Conference, Budapest, 17th September 2010
UNDERSTANDING HOMELESSNESS AND HOUSING EXCLUSION IN THE NEW ENHR
EUROPEAN CONTEXT