Stephan May, the current hospice worker in Berlin, had a difficult childhood. Especially between the ages of nine and eleven he often found himself “homeless and homeless,” says Berliner “rbb24”.
This is precisely why May founded the “Bike Tour for the Homeless” project 15 years ago. Every night, at one in the morning, after working at the hospice, the Berliner spreads bread, gets on his bicycle and brings breakfast to the homeless.
“I do a breakfast run every morning, all year round, almost every day if possible,” says May. “I take care of people who wake up in the morning or who come home from work and go to work. homeless or homeless people.”
Stephan personally covers most of the costs of caring for the homeless.
With about 15 volunteers, it now reaches those in need from Charlottenburg to Neukölln. The food came mainly from the Berliner Tafel, and the costs of the cargo bikes and the “breakfast tour” came from private funds.
Long conversations often took place during their delivery tour. As soon as she has sufficiently understood the social situation of his counterpart, she tries to organize practical solutions with him.
“It's not just about helping people, but also giving them perspective,” May says, “to make sure they don't lose their jobs or get them into jobs.”
The unusual working hours of his service were not coordinated with his work in palliative care nor were they chosen arbitrarily. During the day there are quite a few supply centers in Berlin where homeless people can go. Their service fills a void that experience has shown opens up in the early hours of the morning.
For some children, the street means “protection from home”
The street is not only living space, but also protection of the home. “The street can sometimes be, above all, a protective space for young people and children who live on the street,” says May, and the same thing happened to her during her childhood. “At home the spiral of violence was so high that it was necessary for the street to offer itself as a refuge.”
A young couple consciously chose homelessness
A young couple's statement that they had consciously chosen to become homeless recently made headlines. The two said they were “too smart to work” and that homelessness was actually “a flex,” a show-off.