Surviving near freezing temperatures in the streets of Tel Aviv
The homeless population of Israel faced record low temperatures this week, in addition to their typical daily challenges, 'Distance yourself from the ground, that's how you survive.'
Slava set up at the corner of Allenby and Shienkin, at the entrance to the Carmel Market. He was trying to survive the crippling cold that could be felt on Sunday and Monday night in any way possible, like other homeless people in Tel Aviv and around Israel. "I got a hold of a sleeping bag, and that helped a lot, Slava said.
Slava made Aliyah alone from the former USSR, and found himself living in the streets merely three months ago. Social workers gave him a mattress and sleeping bag, which he keeps in a supermarket cart. "It was very cold at night, it's really not easy," he said.
"I chose to sleep here for my personal safety, because its not only the cold that can get you, its attacks and robberies. It's better to freeze here than near the Central Bus Station."
After surviving near freezing temperatures, homeless people were searching for any sunlit spot to warm up. Slava said that, "The night time is the hardest part, and as such we cover ourselves with as many layers as we can, creating a layer between our bodies and the floor, and adding more blankets to cover us, that’s how we survive."
Slava added that, "My goal is not to make money, but to survive the day. I make a few shekels and I can maybe buy coffee or warm soup." Some of the city's homeless also received sufganiot today. A woman who walked by said, "It hurts my heart to think that these people have to sleep here all night."
Another homeless person in the area also said that the most important thing was to create a layer between the sidewalk and your body. According to him, "The sidewalk is frozen, you have to put as many cloths or blankets between them in order to distance your body from the floor, and then add more layers on top, that’s how you survive. There is no electricity, and we can't light fires, it’s the only way to warm up."
Temperatures of four degrees were measured in the Tel Aviv area on Sunday night alone, with temperatures reaching as low as -9.8 degrees Celsius in the Golan.
The Tel Aviv municipality said in response, "The treatment of homeless people in Israel is in the hands of the Housing Ministry. With that said, the municipality has a special unit which works intensively towards identifying and helping homeless persons.
The unit, which was established 23 years ago, treats about 580 homeless residents on a regular basis. The unit provides treatment which includes: nightly patrols which search for at risk persons, providing shelter at "Leshova" shelters, rehabilitation assistance, provides help dealing with National Insurance and the Housing Ministry, and job assistance.
