Program by the Utcáról Lakásba! Association
The book is introduced by: Lakner Zoltán political scientist
Participants: Kassai Zsigmond (Kossuth Kiadói Csoport, Noran Libro), Kovács Vera (the book’s author), Vörös Anna photographer
host: Papp Dóra
Vera Kovács works at the Utcáról Lakásba! Egyesület (From the streets to a home! Association); she is a social policy expert, housing activist, and PhD candidate. Having been involved with housing issues for 10 years, she had been planning to write a book on the topic for a long time. The book is a collection of interviews with homeless people who are living or have spent years living on the streets of Budapest, in wooded areas of towns, or in public places. The title (Paths in the woods) has several meanings: it refers to the paths these people tread through these forests, among desolate ruins, covered with debris and weeds, or on the side of embankments, as they make their daily runs for food, water, and batteries. At the same time, it signifies the difficult life paths that these people, and indeed often their entire families, have to go through. Thirdly, the title implies a degree of hope, the faint possibility of a way out.