Salzburg counts 910 homeless people – social workers warn of unreported cases

Who is affected?

On the reference date in October 2024, 78 percent of those affected were male and 22 percent female. 41 percent held Austrian citizenship, 30 percent came from another EU member state, and 29 percent from third countries. These figures come from a presentation of the Salzburg data, attended by, among others, Vice Mayor Kay-Michael Dankl.

Dankl, who is responsible for housing in the city and belongs to the KPÖ, spoke of a need for action and noted that the number of unreported cases was likely high. Citing a study by the German Association of Cities (Deutscher Städtetag), he explained that homelessness and housing exclusion caused up to seven times higher costs for the public sector than regular provision with one's own housing.

Two groups, two strategies

Philipp Schnell, study coordinator at the Institute for Urban and Regional Research at the Austrian Academy of Sciences, explained the duration of homelessness: for 48 percent of those counted, it had lasted less than one year, while for 36 percent it had already lasted more than two years. Schnell interpreted these figures as an indication of two clearly distinct subgroups: „Das weist auf zwei klar getrennte Untergruppen hin. Eine Gruppe an Personen in einer akuten Krise, die mit raschen Interventionen stabilisiert werden können, und eine Gruppe in verfestigter Langzeitobdach- und -Wohnungslosigkeit, die andere Strategien erfordert."

Peter Lienhuber from the Forum Wohnungslosenhilfe Salzburg, himself a social worker, described it as alarming at the presentation that more than 200 people slept outdoors in all weather conditions. He called for low-threshold services and daytime structures. At the same time, he pointed out that the study only showed the tip of the iceberg: „Wir sehen nur die Spitze des Eisbergs." The gap primarily concerns the proportion of women.

City and EU draw consequences

Lienhuber also drew attention to the 40 accompanied children who were likewise affected by housing exclusion. „Damit ist ein beträchtlicher Chancennachteil für das weitere Leben verbunden", he said. Without a stable housing situation, these children frequently lack reliable conditions for education and development.

The EU has set itself the goal of ending homelessness by 2030. According to Vice Mayor Dankl, the city of Salzburg has recently changed its housing allocation guidelines to better take emergencies into account. In addition, the municipal deposit fund and protection against evictions have been expanded, and efforts are underway to increase the share of rental housing in the city.

Despite these measures, those involved emphasize that the figures now presented reflect only a snapshot of reality. Study coordinator Schnell sees the data primarily as a basis for distinguishing more precisely between acute crisis and long-term homelessness – and for developing correspondingly different support services.