Belgrade homeless face extreme heat, lack adequate shelter

Around 5,000 people are estimated to be homeless in Belgrade, many without personal identification documents, which prevents them from accessing social and health services. Social worker Milena Blagojević of the non‑governmental organization Adra warns that the current heat wave leaves them with no safe alternatives; while experts advise staying indoors, the homeless have nowhere to go but the streets, exposing them to severe temperature shocks.

The city's sole shelter for adults, temporarily relocated to the Gerontological Center Voždovac due to building renovations, now offers only 75 beds instead of the original 104. Blagojević stresses that capacity is already reduced while the number of people without homes is rising. She calls for the opening of day‑center facilities this summer to provide cooling spaces, noting that currently the only relief options are limited to public parks such as Ada Ciganlija or isolated cooling stations.

Without proper shelter, older individuals with chronic illnesses are especially vulnerable to heat‑related illnesses, and lack of identification further marginalises them from medical care.