Lockers for the homeless set up in Bucharest’s District 2

Twenty lockers where people experiencing homelessness can store their belongings safely and charge their phones have been set up in Bucharest’s District 2.

The project, which was awarded at this year’s Bucharest Architecture Annual and at the Public Participation Awards, is a public-private partnership between its initiator, Atelier Adhoc Comunitate and the District 2 City Hall, the District 2 Social Assistance and Child Protection Department (DGASPC), and District 2 Public Domain Administration, and four other non-profits, namely Carusel, Parada Foundation, the Bucharest Salvation Army, and Samusocial.

The non-profits manage the lockers and select those who have access to them.

The lockers are set up in the area of Armenească, at the intersection of Carol I Blvd and Paleologu St, in a previously abandoned venue.

“Many, too many, prefer to ignore or chase them away. Few understand what happens when people lose their home […] What Alina Seghedi, my councilor who has many years of experience in social issues, together with DGASPC and Carusel proposed was to set up these lockers where people without a home can store the few belongings they have, keep their clothes dry, and charge their phones. These lockers also have PV panels, so they can be used during the day to charge a phone,” District 2 mayor Radu Mihaiu explained.

(Photo: Primaria Sectorului 2 Bucuresti Facebook Page)