site.btaDemonstrators Call for Improved Access to Hygiene for Homeless People in Sofia

Representatives of the For Hope Foundation held an event in Sofia on Monday, World Health Day, to advocate for improved access to hygiene for homeless people. The gathering took place near the mineral water fountains at Sofia's Central Baths.

The organizers called for the establishment of a social resource centre in Sofia that would provide people living below the breadline with access to hygiene and community support programmes. Speaking to the Bulgarian News Agency, Viktor Nikolov from the Foundation said that the ideal location for such a centre would be at the back of the Central Baths building.

Participants in the event also advocated for the creation of a public bathing facility that could be used by rough sleepers. They demanded that the Central Baths are restored to their original function instead of housing a museum.

Everywhere in the world people value their mineral springs, said Lyuben Keranov, one of the demonstrators, adding that in Sofia, a city of two million, there is just one operating mineral bath – Pancherevska. “Everything is left to fall into ruin. Water is the greatest national treasure. What kind of nation are we, destroying our own health, sawing off the branch we are sitting on,” he added.