Press release
Târgu Mureș, 25.10.2024
Clarifications on the tasks of the Targu Mures Social Assistance Department regarding homeless people
Taking into account the reactions in the local media and in order to correctly inform the readers about the discovery of the body of a woman's corpse in the vicinity of the County Emergency Hospital of Targu Mures, a person who would be categorised as homeless, the Directorate of Social Assistance Targu Mures makes the following clarifications:
- The Night Shelter of the Targu Mures Social Assistance Department, located on 36 Rozmarinului Street, offers homeless people a warm place at night, clothing, hygiene items, medical counselling, social and professional counselling in order to reintegrate them into society.
- One of the problems we face is that some of those identified as homeless do not want to come to the Shelter, even during periods of very cold temperatures at night, and prefer to stay on the streets. We, as a structure specialised in the administration and provision of social welfare benefits and social services, cannot force them to accept the services we offer at the Shelter. However, in the case of people who come to us or are brought to us by police, ambulance, SMURD, etc., they are received on an emergency basis and, in addition to overnight accommodation, are provided with all the necessary infrastructure and materials for personal hygiene and clothing. The intervention also goes further and our staff counsels and supports the homeless people in their social integration: identifying resources, possibly integrating them into the labour market, so that when they leave the shelter they do not have to return to the streets. Possibilities exist, but it requires co-operation and determination on their part to escape from this socially constructed identity.
- According to our records, at the moment, about 19 people from Târgu Mureș, who are on the streets at the moment, are refusing access to the services offered by the Night Shelter.
- We express our regret for what happened, assuring the citizens that we, as an institution specialised in the administration and granting of social assistance benefits and social services, carry out our legal duties with professionalism and whenever we are informed or we identify such a social case, we go out to the field to analyse the situation and we try to convince the homeless person to come to the Night Shelter and benefit from the services we offer.
We therefore appeal to the people of Targu Mures who identify homeless people in open spaces, abandoned buildings or basements of blocks of flats, to call the following telephone numbers: 0365/422575, 0265/253234 (Night Shelter) or 0265/250760 (Local Police Dispatch) in order to take the necessary measures or to direct them to the headquarters of the Night Shelter located in Targu Mures, 36 Rozmarinului Street.
At the moment, within the Social Service "Night Shelter", a number of 30 people identified as homeless, benefit from the services offered, the maximum capacity being 100 places.
Târgu Mureș Social Assistance Department
