Cathy’s Hot Coco

Serve the City leader Cathy Zeroug spends time on a weekly basis with people who live on the street. Recently she was featured for her work on Belgian television. Serve the City asked her about her experience. Here’s her story…

In December 2008, I went alone for the first time on the streets, with 5 litres of hot chocolate and 10 packs of tissues. When I arrived, I met Dany, who lives on the street and told me his story. He showed me where I could find other people from the street. He opened the way for me, to what I called “The Hot Chocolate and Present Boxes Company.”

They are wonderful when they can see that you have real interest in them, with discretion and willingness to know what their expectations are. They are very clever, and most of them have had very exciting lives. Great jobs, cars, a family. And then one day, divorce, loss of child custody, and unemployment. Alcohol or drugs have torn them away from the rest of society.

They need brand new hygiene kits, beautiful colours, and little customised presents. For that to happen, you have to know them well—birthdays, celebrations—, and offer presents for no reason, only to show that you love them.

As far as administrative things and the Street CPAS* are concerned: some get money and spend it all in buying alcohol, and they eat little because alcohol damages their digestive system. However, you can talk with them about rehabilitation, but be careful and patient.

During one year, friends from the street had been telling me about alcohol, and one day they told me: “I am ready.” I encouraged them to go, and they were rehabilitated. We kept in touch by phone from the hospital. Since then, they’ve been living in proper flats, some with jobs, and others getting social assistance in form of €725 per month.

I also discovered one thing: people are afraid of beggars because they are afraid to become like them. So, they become aggressive and nasty: in fact, they themselves feel in danger. Life’s hardships mean that they will not give money, because they think it will be used to buy alcohol, while they suffer to work, pay taxes and obey their bosses’ orders… They can nevertheless be open-hearted and take action when they know that they are not taking risks. They would like to do more, but they can’t overcome this blockage: the fear of risk taking.

Our role when we serve people living on the street is to spend long hours with them and to be faithful to them; to come back regularly to build the relationship; and then to start encouraging them to think about their future. Some will stay on the street all their life, but others can still leave it.

My motto is “Smile today—Remember it all the way.” Faithfulness, patience and love are the ingredients of the recipe for kindness and helping hands.

*CPAS (Public Centre for Social Action) sometimes provides public financial support (including a few euros a week) to some people living on the street.