“Our only focus was to get out of this situation” – Judit and Sanyi’s story
For a long time, the security of housing can feel self-evident. A place we return to every day, where everyday life happens, where our lives unfold. Yet today, more and more people in Hungary are experiencing just how fragile that security can be. A sudden life event, mounting debt, or a health problem can turn what once seemed like a stable life into uncertainty overnight. Through the work of , we meet people every day who once worked, made plans, built homes — and then lost them because of a crisis. Judit and Sanyi’s story is one of these. Four decades together, a lost home, and a long journey that eventually led to a new beginning. Their story is not only about how everything can be lost, but also about what it means to endure and to be given another chance at an independent life. The portraits in our Role Model series were taken by Chripkó Lili.
Judit and Sanyi have been together since 1986, building their life side by side over the decades: working, saving, making plans. Like many others, they believed that hard work would eventually provide security. And they had something to be proud of — a home of their own, built through many years of effort. It was not just a property to them, but the result of a lifetime of work, a stable point in their lives that truly belonged to them.
Losing Their Home
Today’s housing crisis no longer affects only those who started out in difficult circumstances. Increasingly, people who once lived stable middle-class lives — who worked and paid their bills — find themselves in situations that are incredibly difficult to recover from.
For Judit and Sanyi, the turning point came in the form of utility debts. The mounting arrears became impossible to manage, and eventually the bank auctioned off their house. They lost the home they had spent decades working for.
Losing their home was not only a financial loss. They also lost their sense of stability and the peaceful future they had imagined for themselves.
They Never Gave Up
Even during the hardest periods, one thing remained constant: they did not give up.
For nearly forty years, Sanyi worked maintaining the parks of Budapest’s thermal baths. He performed demanding physical work, contributing day after day to the beautiful grounds of the Csillaghegy Bath.
Judit is still active today, working as a cashier in a shop. Her colleagues value and rely on her, and she is a respected member of the community there.
For them, work was not only a source of income but also an anchor — a sense of continuity during a time when everything else felt uncertain.
Workers’ Hostels and Transitional Years
After losing their home, Sanyi’s workplace initially provided some help: they were able to move into a workers’ hostel in Csillaghegy. At first this seemed temporary, but because of soaring housing prices and the impossibility of paying a two-month deposit, the arrangement eventually lasted for years.
Although the hostel was relatively decent, it never felt like a real home. They lacked privacy, peace, and the freedom to live according to their own rhythm. They longed for a place where they would not have to adapt constantly to others, where they could close the door behind them and truly feel at home.
Workers’ hostels are designed for temporary accommodation, not for long-term living. Yet Judit and Sanyi spent seven years there, all the while dreaming that one day they would once again have a household of their own.
A Real Opportunity
One of the greatest problems of the housing crisis is that even people who work, have regular incomes, and want to live independently often cannot access affordable housing.
This is where the Housing Agency operated by the Association offers a genuine solution.
We run a system that provides security for landlords while also giving opportunities to people who would otherwise be excluded from the housing market. Through our programme, clients can move into housing without paying a deposit and at rents significantly below market prices. Combined with personalised, intensive social work support, this method provides a real pathway out of housing insecurity.
Judit and Sanyi found their home through this programme as well.
“When we won the housing application through the Utcáról Lakásba! Association, we were incredibly happy.”
After seven years spent in workers’ accommodation, Judit and Sanyi moved into one of the Association’s privately owned apartments last October, immediately throwing themselves into making it feel like home. Today, they return each day to a warm and welcoming apartment — a space that truly belongs to them and where they can finally live in peace.
Their move, however, was not without difficulties. Because of illness, Sanyi has been unable to work for an extended period, so the household currently relies mainly on Judit’s income. Despite this, the love and solidarity between them helps them get through this difficult time. What matters most to them now is that they no longer start each day from a hostel, but from a home of their own. This feeling provides not only safety, but also a new perspective. Judit enjoys discovering the neighbourhood and experiencing the small freedoms of daily life, while Sanyi now returns home after his medical treatments instead of to temporary accommodation.
Even though they have left their uncertain years behind, they never forget those who are still living through situations similar to the one they once faced. Whenever they can, they try to help others too — most recently by donating a microwave oven to clients for whom even such a basic household item would otherwise be unattainable.
Why This Story Matters
Judit and Sanyi’s story is not unique. More and more people are finding themselves in similar situations: they work hard, they try their best, and yet they still lose their homes. The housing crisis is a systemic issue affecting not only the most vulnerable, but also people who once lived stable lives. At , we work so that these stories do not end in permanent uncertainty. Safe, dignified housing is something everyone deserves. If it is important to you that more people have the chance to access secure housing, please donate 1% of your income tax to the Association.
