In condemned buildings

“We have no means of dealing with them”

Only rarely does a room in an illegally used condemned building look as "habitable" as it does here. In "camps" without electricity, danger is usually imminent.(Bild: zVg)

In the past, beggar clans used to "live" in tent camps in public spaces in Linz - nowadays this is only rarely the case, as these people often occupy privately owned condemned buildings - often with the owner's acquiescence. Danger is always imminent. 

Before Corona, it happened much more often that Eastern European emergency travelers had entrenched themselves in tents, for example at the chemical traffic circle or in underpasses, before they were discovered and expelled as part of coordinated actions by the city police command and the collection service. "Those days are over, nowadays these groups are more likely to break into unoccupied condemned buildings or even rent them," explains Helmut Haas, head of the investigation service.

Which makes the officers' work much more difficult. This was also the case this week. Several Eastern European beggar families were found in two old houses in the city. In the first, the people there at least had electricity, so they were only served with official documents and administrative fines.

"Imminent danger"
In the second shelter, 15 people - including children - were found, some of whom were living in catastrophic conditions. "There is usually imminent danger in such houses, as people are also working on wooden floors with gas stoves and open fires because there is no electricity," says Haas. Letters were also delivered here, but people were also taken into custody due to outstanding alternative custodial sentences.

Take better care of your own homes
The head of the collection service appeals to homeowners: "It would be desirable for people to take more care of their own properties. We are usually alerted to suspicious buildings by complaints from residents in the immediate vicinity, if we are not already aware of them. However, if the owner allows the families to stay in the mostly dilapidated condemned buildings, we have no means of dealing with them."