A way out of generational poverty – Márti’s family’s story
Homelessness and housing poverty can be passed down from generation to generation, and escaping them rarely happens overnight — but change that spans generations is possible too. That is why we launched our Role Model series as part of our 1% tax donation campaign: to show what the housing crisis means in the lives of families, and what it means when they are given a real chance to break free. We share stories that prove there is a way forward even from the most difficult situations — where homelessness is not the end of the road, but part of a cycle that can be broken. Márti’s story shows that when parents receive real support and a genuine opportunity to change their lives, the next generation can already build a stable future for their own children through their own efforts and family support. The beautiful portraits in the series were taken by Chripkó Lili..
Márti’s family came from one of the most disadvantaged regions of Hungary. They lived in a segregated environment where neither jobs nor quality educational opportunities were available to them. When her parents became homeless, they moved to Budapest in search of work, but they could only do so at the cost of living for years in a shack they had built themselves in the forest, commuting to work from there every day.
They worked as cleaners for large companies where their managers and colleagues generally had no idea about the conditions they lived in: that they heated with firewood, charged their phones with a generator or at work, and carried water to the shack in containers. But even more painful than all of this was the fact that, in order to be able to work, they had to leave their little daughter with relatives, because children cannot live in homelessness. Breaking the cycle of generational poverty is one of the most important — and most difficult — tasks of social work. It is especially meaningful for us when we can improve children’s housing situations, and even more so when this gives an entire family a chance to break the cycle of housing poverty passed down through generations.
Whenever they could afford the travel costs, Márti’s parents spent every free day visiting their daughter. After nearly a decade of struggle, they were finally able to move into a one-room municipal rental apartment through ’s From Shack to Home Housing First programme, making family reunification possible. Márti moved back in with her parents, and with the support of our social worker colleagues she achieved a higher level of education and vocational qualifications than her parents had ever had.
For several years, the family’s situation became stable. Yet it is important to understand that one generation alone can rarely solve the challenge of full social integration — especially when a family has already experienced losing their home.
As Márti grew older, the tiny one-room apartment became increasingly cramped for the family, but they continued to deeply appreciate the opportunity it represented. Márti’s mother, Márta, personally re-wallpapered the small apartment by hand, and together they furnished it beautifully. Despite the limited space, the home shines with cleanliness from morning until night.
Today Márti is a grown woman in her twenties and has become a mother herself after earning a qualification as a nursery assistant. Together with her partner, she rented a previously unused room in the same apartment building, close to her parents, and they are now working to transform it into a real home for themselves. This means that Márti’s little daughter will grow up with a place she can call home from an early age, and she will not have to live separated from her family because of housing insecurity. Their story shows how the path out of housing poverty can progress slowly but steadily: while the renovation of Márti’s parents’ apartment was supported by the Association, the second generation — Márti and her partner — are now able to renovate their own rental home through their own efforts and the support of their family.
Ending the housing crisis requires work that spans decades, both for individuals and for society as a whole. Márta and Márti’s story demonstrates better than almost anything else that this work is truly an investment in the future. Even in the hardest circumstances, they found the strength to keep their family together.
Their story clearly shows that dignified housing and social work can create real change, allowing our clients to begin new lives. To help more people like them, we need your support. Thank you for donating 1% of your income tax to us and for helping spread the word about our work.
