Smell of homelessness

As temperatures rise in the summer or fall in the winter, state-of-the-art trams with well-regulated climate control become the refuge of homeless people who mark off their territory by the distinctive smell they emit. Soon they have semi-private quarters, as other passengers turn up their nose and move to greener pastures. Deník reported recently that Prague 1 is battling a rise in general homelessness and is looking for solutions. Comparing the situation across various countries is difficult, according to an OECD report, because of differences in the way homelessness is defined and counted. By one measurement, the CR is No. 3 of OECD countries in the number of people experiencing homelessness, behind only the U.K. and France, and ahead of Germany, Ireland, the U.S. and New Zealand. An estimated 105,000 people in the CR are homeless, up by 25% in five years. As a recent Financial Times article pointed out, the homelessness problem is compounded by housing shortages, cuts in benefits and job layoffs. These are all factors that herald a steady spread of the smell of homelessness in Prague trams in coming months and years.