Do you still know a Wurlitzer? The (almost) ancient ‘make a wish’ when it came to music? Well, Wurlitzergasse 89 in Vienna's 17th district is home to Obdach Wien's Opportunity House. People live here who would certainly wish for something else...

People who are homeless for a variety of reasons are taken in by this centre. They receive professional support, with the main aim of helping those affected to lead a self-determined life in their own four walls.

This is exactly where the ALM Sparkassen and ALM AT teams from Balance Sheet Management at Erste Bank und Sparkassen met at the end of April to gain an insight into a world in which not everyone has the same opportunities, but which we sometimes naively take for granted. 

Social workers spoke to us objectively and calmly about their challenging day-to-day work, but above all made it clear how tirelessly they work to improve the distribution of opportunities. It became depressing and emotional when two peers shared their own, very private stories with us. Peers are people who have found themselves in a homeless situation and now use their experience to mediate between residents and helpers, among other things.

After a tour of the building, which also showed us the oppressive conditions in which people - who live there at least temporarily - find themselves, our manual skills were put to the test. Together as a team, we planted vegetables and colourful flowers, concreted umbrella stands and built seating from Euro pallets. In addition to the declared aim of beautifying the courtyard, we also had a lot of fun.

The day definitely left its mark on us. Both as a team - because we saw how well we work together - and as individuals, because each of us was inspired to think in different ways.

Author: Corinna Wolf