CREMONA – Cremona is the Lombardy province with the highest rate of homeless people in relation to the resident population, with the exception of the Milanese metropolis alone: almost 500 people live on the streets in the Cremona area. A number – developed by Polis Lombardia on the basis of Istat data – which raises the alarm bells about new povertya phenomenon that has been constantly growing since 2008.
In a recent study, Polis Lombardia highlights how the condition of the homeless significantly impacts physical and mental health, access to education, employment and personal safety with greater exposure to the risks of violence, abuse and theft. Not only that: «Homeless people – we read in the report of the regional institute for the support of Lombardy policies – are often victims of prejudice and discrimination which can make it even more difficult for them to escape poverty. To address the problem of the lack of stable housing, not only low-cost housing programs are needed, but also interventions that provide the possibility of using integrated services such as support for social and work reintegration and other support services . Furthermore, raising public awareness of the causes that generate the absence of a stable home can help reduce the prejudice and discrimination associated with this condition.”
But there’s more: «Among the policies it is important to also mention the interventions of the Pnrr to combat educational poverty». The lines of action include interventions that concern both school construction and the fight against early leaving and the reduction of territorial gaps in education.
According to the latest population census, in Italy there are more than 96 thousand homeless and homeless people, of which almost 38% are foreign nationals. The male component is prevalent (212 men for every 100 women) and the average age is 41.6 years (45.5 for Italians and 35.2 for foreigners). Over half of homeless foreigners come from the African continent, 22% are European citizens, while 17% are of Asian origin. In Lombardy there are 16,346 homeless people, equivalent to 16% of the total. Italians are prevalent in all provinces with the exception of Milan and Como: in the Cremona area foreigners make up only 8% of the total number of homeless people. According to the distribution by age group, in the province of Cremona 29% of those who do not have a stable home are over 55 years old, 29% are between 35 and 54 years old, 21% are between 18 and 34 years old and 22% under 18 years old. It is precisely this last fact that is the most alarming: more than one homeless person in five is a minor.
The progressive increase in homelessness must be considered in the worsening context of extreme poverty. The specialists of Polis Lombardia observe: «The objective is to strengthen the universalistic dimension of the offer of active labor policies, enhancing integration with social policies». The recipients include “people in disadvantaged conditions understood as potentially vulnerable due to the risk or condition of poverty, social exclusion or vulnerability connected to discrimination, people in conditions of poverty and serious marginalization and people in conditions of fragility”.
In 2023, according to preliminary Istat estimates, in Italy families in absolute poverty stand at 8.5% of the total resident families (they were 8.3% in 2022), corresponding to approximately 5.7 million individuals. Minors who belong to families in absolute poverty amount to 1.3 million, a substantially stable number compared to 2022. However, the national statistics institute specifies that the incidence of individual absolute poverty for minors is equal to 14%. , the highest value in the historical series since 2014. Compared to 2022, the incidences are stable among young people aged 18-34 (11.9%) and among those over 65 (6.2%), who remain the population with less economic hardship.
‘NEST’ OF THE LAST. DOORS WIDE WIDE TO THOSE WHO ASK FOR HELP
In Crema it is the space of respite. Where to find relief from fatigue, shelter from the war of everyday life, quell internal conflicts. The San Martino dormitory – which in its name recalls the miraculous warmth capable of melting the winter frost – keeps its doors wide open until the end of April to offer hospitality to those seeking refuge because they have lost the compass of existence, are chasing a dream of revenge or – simply – are too fragile to make it on their own. The entrance on via Civerchi framed by the writing “pastoral center” in relief on the stone is a gap between two worlds: ‘inside’ and ‘outside’ interpenetrate to connect the right to feel like guests with the freedom to gain autonomy.
It’s dinner time. A handful of people are seated at the tables – arranged in orthogonal order in the long, narrow room at the end of the courtyard. Someone has their gaze glued to their plate, someone else exchanges cordial smiles with Emmanuelthe person in charge of the operators who manage the dormitory under the coordination of the director of Caritas Crema, Claudio Dagheti. The care of the homeless is inspired by two mandatory keywords: welcome and accompaniment. Translated into action ‘in exchange’ for respecting a handful of rules: “No alcohol, zero drugs, no form of aggression and doors closed at 10pm”, explains Emanuele.
Mutual tolerance is the essential requirement to leave intact that bubble of quiet and rest which, although it does not exactly resemble a domestic hearth, can emanate a good warmth. This evening, barring surprises, there will be eleven guests. Each with its own story, locked inside a backpack or perhaps crumpled in a pocket. «An infinite number of people have passed through here, the vast majority of them Italian – says Emanuele -: those who have never had the opportunity to emancipate themselves, those who have stumbled into the traps of life, those who have squandered a fortune, those who have given up and he chose to settle. We welcome everyone, as long as they are able to hold a civil conversation”. The first and fundamental requirement to receive trust. «Some already know that next winter they will find themselves pressing their index finger on the same doorbell – continues Emanuele -, but beautiful stories of redemption are also continually written within these walls». Those that fill commitment with meaning and pride in the heart.
After climbing two flights of steps, the dormitory rooms open onto the side of the long corridor. From the large lighthouse mounted an inch from the roof, a white light rains down, flooding the courtyard, pouring down the orange walls and dripping onto the cobblestones. In the room reserved for operators, Roberta He has his eyes fixed on the computer screen. A list of names scrolls: «He’s the only one missing»he says with a hint of apprehension.
«He» is a young asylum seeker originally from Cameroon: he is attending evening school to obtain his eighth grade diploma. Immediately after the last bell he rushes into via Civerchi and introduces himself – very punctually – with a calm “good evening”. Roberta can relax. And she devotes herself to conversation with Clearwho faces the experience of civil service in the dormitory, and Martha, young volunteer graduating in Physics. The night shift, this time, isn’t hers, but she still wanted to stop by to say hello: in a few hours she will leave for Assisi. Perhaps her feverish anticipation takes away her sleep. She tells her friends a joke about Einstein, then she starts leafing through Calvino’s Cosmicomiche: «They talk about the universe, they will be useful for my thesis», she explains.
Meanwhile, some of the guests appear at the door: asking for a towel, shaving cream, a roll of toilet paper. From the large wardrobe that clutters the wall comes a bit of everything, from toothbrushes to slippers. From the comings and goings he emerges Tommy, recently retired but volunteering for over ten years. San Martino is now a second home for him, so much so that guests consider him an added caretaker: “Whoever has to leave before 7 – he says – can knock on my door at any time”. The lights go out at 10pm sharp: it’s time to lie down. Above his head are sixteen slats of light wood, half a span of mattress under his back and in his nostrils the fresh scent of fabric softener that permeates the pillowcase. Even the courtyard sinks into darkness. The voice of silence whispers that to reach dawn there is no other way than the night.
