“The falling temperatures pose a life-threatening threat to homeless people,” said Landau. Despite many offers in warming rooms and homeless facilities, people can be found spending the night outside in temperatures in the double-digit minus range. “A call to the cold telephone can make the difference between a person sleeping on the street with or without a sleeping bag – and thus save lives,” says Landau.
Anyone who dials the cold hotline number will be connected directly to a Caritas street worker, says Landau, who can then be informed immediately regarding the location and condition of those affected. These can be provided with frost-proof sleeping bags, warm meals or a place to sleep in one of the Caritas emergency sleeping centers.
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“If you don’t dare to speak to a stranger on the street, you can still provide vital help by calling the cold telephone,” says Landau, “so save the cold telephone number on your cell phone and call as soon as you see a homeless person notice who spends the night outdoors in cold temperatures. Our colleagues can react quickly and reliably and often provide vital help.
The aid organization has opened its emergency hotline lines in all federal states, as Caritas emphasizes.
In Linz, the B37 association takes care of the street work on behalf of the city council. Contact: Association B37, Telephone: 0732/77 67 67-560, Email: kaelteschutz@b37.at – Tue, Thu & Fri, (10 a.m. – 12 p.m.) -1. November 31st March.
In Vienna, the cold hotline can be reached on 01/480 45 53 from midnight to midnight. All other cold telephone numbers in the federal states can be found at www.caritas.at/kaeltetelefon.
