The story of Valéria Molnár Péterné
The first tenants of were Valéria Molnár Péterné — known as Vali — and her partner, Albert Jónás. Their story became deeply intertwined with the history of the organisation itself. Although this year marks the fourth year since Vali passed away, we chose to begin by sharing their story to demonstrate the impact of our work. You can read more about Vali and the early years of the organisation in her obituary and in the book Paths in the Forest.
Before founding the organisation, today’s leaders of ULE, Anna Bende and Vera Kovács, were housing activists with . We first met Valéria Molnár Péterné in 2012, when she had already spent more than fifteen years living in a hut in the Terebesi Forest in Kőbánya. Their shelter, built from discarded materials collected during bulk waste disposal, represented a home for them — even if it existed outside mainstream society. We met them at a moment when the fragile security of their life in the hut was collapsing. Without any official written notice, they received a verbal warning that their hut was facing demolition.
For more than six months, we worked together on a weekly basis to prevent the couple from becoming completely destitute. During this time, Vali showed extraordinary strength and resilience. She participated in numerous negotiations and shared her difficult personal story before the Social Committee and the Assembly of the 10th District Municipality. She played a key role not only in securing support for herself and her partner, but also in convincing the district to support the newly forming organisation and its programme. Today, dozens of formerly homeless people are able to participate in our Housing First-based From Hut to Home programme because of these early efforts.
After a decade and a half spent living in a hut, Vali’s health deteriorated. Even though they continued to live in poverty after moving into their apartment, they were finally able to do so with dignity. For ten years after moving in, Vali cared for and cherished her home until she passed away following a short but serious illness.
We are proud that Vali was able to live the final decade of her life in safety and stability. Her example demonstrates both the importance and the transformative power of our work. Today, many elderly and ill people still participate in our From Hut to Home programme — and we continue this work in Vali’s memory as well.
