Thousands of people are homeless in Hungary's capital Budapest, a number that's expected to rise in the next few years because of job losses during the pandemic.
Of the thousands of people living on the streets, the Budapest Methodological Centre of Social Policy houses around 3,000 people every night. That's the total number of beds it can offer in different shelters around the city, most nights and especially during winter the shelters are at full capacity.
In the midst of the growing demand for homelessness services, Budapest's only homeless hospital is at risk of being evicted from the building where nurses have cared for and housed patients for nearly a decade.
The site is unique, providing ongoing treatment for people with chronic illnesses and those who have been discharged from other medical services. Part of the building is a fully functioning medical hospital, part is a shelter where patients often stay for months or years.
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Andrea Toth has been at the hospital for eight months and relies on a wheelchair to move around following an amputation. "The conditions are very bad, not here, but out there, because of the virus. There is no possibility to move into a home or another hospital, we are not taken elsewhere due to the pandemic," she said.
Fellow patient Zoltan has called the site home for even longer. "I have been here for two years, there is very good medical care here. The nurses are also very good," he explained.
After being renovated to become a functioning hospital in 2012, the building has now become the center of a battle between the mayor's office and the Hungarian federal government, which wants to take back the space. Budapest's mayor Gergely Karacsony is strongly opposing the move, running a social media campaign accusing the government of abandoning homeless people in the middle of a pandemic.
Gergely Gulyas, head of the Hungarian Prime Minister's Office explained the government's stance: "The mayor is enthusiastically fighting the government but we do not want to fight for a homeless hospital and we do not want unnecessary political debates …The government will start negotiations with the capital on a long-term solution," he said.
But those who run the service say they can't give up the building and move somewhere else, as other buildings are not equipped to support their services.
"We do not have another property where we could provide healthcare, there are very serious minimum conditions for hospital care. If we have to finish the work there, we cannot move to any of our other properties, it is 100 percent. This building was built specifically for medical purposes and has the technical equipment of the wards, elevators and so forth," said Gergely Zakar, director, Budapest Methodological Centre of Social Policy.
For now, the hospital can continue using the building until the end of June and the mayor is pushing for it to stay that way to avoid a disruption in services and the displacement of people. Those who live in the building like Andrea are desperate for it to remain their home. "There is a great need for this institution because here we get everything we need for our illness. I really want to stay here," she said.