Vienna
2,000 years
of European history,
in one city
     
 
Do-Gooders
Image: iStock

If you travel on holiday then you're doing alright.
As a tour guide working in Vienna I am doing alright.

The following organizations are four of many in Vienna who support people who at this time in their lives are not doing alright. Some are local people, some have travelled a long way from home, but all are in need of care and support and these four organizations offer that.

The Gruft
"For more than 30 years the Gruft has been Vienna's best-known Caritas institution for supporting the homeless. The Gruft offers people living on the streets both a safe refuge and human warmth. 365 days a year. Round the clock! Visitors to the Gruft receive a hot meal, a place to sleep, clean clothing and facilities to shower. The team at the Gruft support the homeless to find their feet again."
(Text from website | Translation by Martin Bradley)

The Gruft


Image: From website

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Integrationshaus
"Based in the Vienna district of Leopoldstadt, the Integrationshaus is a center of excellence for the reception and integration of refugees and migrants.

For the past 28 years, Integrationshaus has offered them assistance with needs-based support in the fields of lodging and accommodation, psychosocial care, support and consulting as well as educational guidance.

A particular focus is on the needs of people requiring special care, such as those who have undergone trauma, single parents, and both accompanied and unaccompanied minors."
(Text from website)

The organization was co-founded by the musician Willi Resetarits in 1995 as a follow-up to the biggest demonstration in Austrian history: Das Lichtermeer (the sea of light) in 1993. Willi Resetarits died in 2022.

Integrationshaus


Image: From website

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VinziRast

Every evening – 365 days a year – the VinziRast-Notschlafstelle in Vienna's 12th district offers 60 homeless people shelter for the night. They are given a bed, a hot meal, if necessary clothing and before they leave in the morning, a breakfast.

The VinziRast-Notschlafstelle was opened in 2004, the first in a series of VinziRast shelters and establishments.
(Text adapted from website | Translation by Martin Bradley)

The organization was founded in 2003 by Cecily Corti.

VinziRast


Logo: From website

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Ute Bock
"The Ute Bock refugee project offers shelter, counseling service, education and immediate aid as well as a mail and registration service for refugees in Vienna."
(Text from website)

The shelter was run by Ute Bock from 1979 until her death in 2018.

Ute Bock



Image: Alamy

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