Rome: Sant' Egidio publishes new homeless 'Michelin Guide'
The Sant' Egidio Community in Rome has just published the latest edition of its guide for the homeless, which has been dubbed the "Michelin Guide for the Poor". 'Where to eat', 'where to wash' and where to sleep' among the sections in the 17th edition of 'Dove' which was launched yesterday. Sant' Egidio says there are around 7,000 homeless people in Rome. About 2,000 sleep on the street each night, near comfortable hotels and world renowned tourist attractions such as the Forum and the Coliseum. A further 3,000 sleep in charity shelters while up to 2,000 others in dilapidated abandoned buildings. At the launch, Mario Marazziti, a founding member of Sant' Egidio said that about ten per cent of Italy's poorest people live in Rome. Numbers of street homeless there have increased dramatically since the enlargement of the European Community in 2004. The new guidebook, with an accompanying map, lists the parishes and other centres offering meals, showers, baths, as well as legal aid and medical assistance. Rome's historic monuments and buildings are also marked. With a print run of 13,000 the book is issued free at homeless projects and handed out to people leaving prison.