One of our members - Sauron40 (aka Vincent Kowolik) needs your help.
He has not asked me to shout out about this, but I would do this for any of you if I knew you were going through what he is. I have asked and been given his permission to tell his story, and to give out his email, so that you know...
Some background -
Vincent is a 49 year old registered disabled man who suffers, amongst other ailments heart problems, asthma, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (the list goes on).
Last year his landlord decided that he wanted to sell Vincent's studio apartment. This was solely an economic right being pursued by the landlord and Vincent, who has lived at the same apartment for 22 years had always been a good tenant and was never in breach of his tenancy agreement.
Now as a registered disabled man, Vincent was advised by his social worker upon receiving his eviction order to remain in the property and continue paying his rent. He is also "guaranteed" :2funny: under the French "Dalo" law the right for suitable alternative accommodation to be organised for him by the French state, which they have failed to do. As from the time of the eviction notice he was also looking for suitable housing in the private sector himself, but was unable to secure any, as many landlords/agents in Strasbourg and surrounds will not accept publicly funded tenants. The duty of the French state to accommodate him is on going, as is their continued failure to discharge their statutory duty to him.
On the morning of 31st October a police officer evicted him from his home in compliance with the eviction order, despite the fact that the French state is still responsible for his care as a "vulnerable person". This action was all the more reprehensible by the Prefect of Strasbourg as Vincent would have been protected by another law (the treve hivernal or winter truce), which prevents people being evicted during the winter (for obvious reasons), which commences on the 1st November!!
Having been evicted from his flat through no fault of his own as his landlord wished to sell, since 31st October he has been out on the streets of Strasbourg France, and occasionally has managed to be accepted into a public temporary homeless shelter. At first he was able to stay occasionally for a short while with his girlfriend at her apartment (in another town), so things were not quite as bad, but they have now split up. He has already collapsed once on the street, and taken by ambulance into hospital overnight. At one point he was seriously thinking of taking an overdose of painkillers because of his situation.
To illustrate the hopelessness of the situation he emailed me from a cyber café:
"I cannot phone here and must try even if its useless the 115 to ask them (usualy over 30 to 50 calls before I can reach them) to ask them "if" they have something...If I don't the counter is reset and I can wait longer than 5 days wich was the longer since I'm homeless...I got a dormitory for 5 days after beeing outside for 5 days despite beeing taken by ambulancy to urgency 10 days ago..."
The situation of people living on the street in Strasbourg is utterly dire. Of the 3,000 or so homeless and mostly living on the street in Strasbourg on average 4 homeless people die each night from hypothermia and other causes. This time of year Strasbourg is a bloody cold place. Bear in mind that with over 3,000 homeless people in Strasbourg on the street, he faces a lot of competition for shelter. In some respects he is relatively fortunate - homeless women in are particularly vulnerable from the immigrant gangs who prey on them. Just a couple of weeks ago Vincent and several other homeless people managed to protect an elderly lady who was accessing a food bank from being robbed (and possibly worse). He has since been the target of verbal abuse from such people. I can only guess at what he has been going through, and whilst I have sent him some money it is not enough to keep him safe (and I'm on welfare due to disability myself!). He does get his disability pension, but as the most reliable "cheap" accommodation is a commercial 'bed and breakfast' his own money doesn't get him very far.
It is the cold that is his biggest problem. When I asked him about the recent terrorist attack in Strasbourg he emailed me " Don't worry its not a bullet so far wich could kill me but rather coldness... Staying in the Tram in the morning and travelling waiting that the shoping center open and then the Malraux center. Otherwise when I have to go to the "bain municipaux" I take all two days a hot shower wich are free for homeless peoples since 2015..."
https://eu.usatoday.com/story/news/2018/12/11/four-dead-terror-attack-near-french-christmas-market-strasbourg/2283185002/
https://www.tvlibertes.com/edition-speciale-strasbourg-frappee-par-le-terrorisme-journal-du-mercredi-12-decembre-2018
What can you do?
All I'm asking is that you spare a thought for a fellow Grog who is really suffering. If you can send him some Euro's via Paypal to help him, then that is very practical and kind of you. If you cannot or don't want to help him financially for whatever reason then that's OK too, but at least send him a message of support.
For a vulnerable person trapped in an awful situation not of their making, knowing that you are not invisible and that other people actually care you about is a huge motivation to survive.
OK. The ball is in your court... thanks for paying attention so far. :)
You can contact him at vincent.kowolik@yahoo.fr
That's a really lousy situation to be in. I hope he has some good news soon.
Boggit, is PayPal the way you were able to send him some funds?
I hope he does too. He is constantly looking for accommodation, but it is a tough market as many landlords will not accept tenants like him on disability pensions, even though he was a stable and good tenant. The French state has been utterly useless in their statutory duty to house him as a vulnerable person.
It is telling that homelessness in France is also an issue for the Gilets Jaunes protests against President Macron. Until Vincent told me, I had no idea of the scale of the problem at a national scale. I know that homelessness is a big issue here in the UK, but it seems that in France it is endemic in comparison. The problem for the homeless is further exacerbated by the fact that many of the French "charities" involved in homelessness relief are just focused on helping migrants, rather than native French people who suffer just the same but can't get the help. Here in the UK it is different with most homelessness charities helping anyone based on need. From what Vincent has told me, many homeless people just feel that they are invisible to a society often in denial about the prevalence of homelessness. That is another reason why any message of support is important.
Yes, I used Paypal. There is a small service charge for the currency exchange, but it is not much.
I wish there was something i could do besides send money but I hope it helps at least a little.
How do you Paypal Sauron money? Do you just need to go to your Paypal account and send it to his Email?
"Migrants". Cute euphemism these days (in western Europe at least) for useless freeloaders. To add insult to injury, not only freeloaders but ones who utterly despise those that they live off of. If I came from a shithole country and went to a better land seeking a new life, I'd damn well be grateful and make every effort to learn the language and integrate. That's the kind of migrant that built the US.
Sorry for the rant.
Quote from: Ubercat on December 20, 2018, 10:37:36 PM
How do you Paypal Sauron money? Do you just need to go to your Paypal account and send it to his Email?
Same question. Do we just the email address through paypal to send money?
Hang in there Sauron!
"Same question. Do we just the email address through paypal to send money?"
Yep, that worked for me. (I only mention this for sake of the technical question.)
Thanks for posting here, Charles. Going to my PayPal now.
Does Sauron have some kind of long term solution?
Hello fellow wargamers, I write you from the Malraux media center wich allows me a free internet connection. I want to thank you for your support and especially JasonPratt and Staggerwing for having sended me money. Please accept my most gratitude. In fact now I can finish the month since during Christmas periode the hotels and even rb and b chambers were sold out or the price for renting tripled or more. I feel guilty for not having showed up more often at the forum but my life issues growed to the extent I could realy only use my spare time to deal with the most urgent issues to prevent the worse and it wasen' enough to prevent it last Oktober. In France we experience a worsening in the living conditions for peoples for quiet some times but now it became to the point peoples are getting desperate and desperate times usualy means depserate or extraordinary measures taken either by the citizen themselves or by peoples who have the means to change it drasticly like the army and-or police...Time will tell, maybe France will again experience a drastic change but usualy that means worse before it goe better as History teached us before...
I wish you all a merry Christmas and grog on! ;)
Funds sent. Take care Sauron. If you can at some point, post your status again here.
Hi Gusington, I will post updates of my current moves to get a decent home. In fact papers are already filled but its the french State wich is slow since the social flats are now top priority for migrants...We french peoples are put in competion with them and always get the shorter stick...The Malraux center will be closed for Christmas and I guess between new years eve also so maybe I can post between maybe not but after new year I will. As I said to my lawyer wich gave me a meeting for the 2 January, I live from day to day and cannot forseen in wich situation or shape I will be in two weeks but I do everything I can to prevent to get in harms way.
As Charles said, always look at the bright side of life! ^-^
Stay strong, we're here for you.
Quote from: Boggit on December 19, 2018, 10:16:54 PM
Yes, I used Paypal. There is a small service charge for the currency exchange, but it is not much.
...looked like there was no service charge from Germany
Probably due to Euros either way.
Yeah my donation was instantly converted to Euros.
Stay safe Sauron!
Funds sent. Stay strong brother.
Hi fellow wargamers, last message from Malraux before Christmas. I wish to thank MikeGER, Michael Colello, Lucas Rhodes for their generous money sending. In fact for now I have enough money for the 3 or even 4 upcoming weeks so thanks to you all for your support, I realy appreciate your kind words and your financial support as some of you must surely deal with life issues too like Charles (boggit). :)
Today another protest march for the gilet jaunes, 10 of them died at the Streets since the beginning of the protests; crushed by cars some accidentlly, some intentionaly by peoples who can't stand to have to wait a few minutes or by pas the barricades 30 meters farter... >:(I was with them in november, the merdias are lying when they say they are nazies or anarchists! They let pass nurses, doctors or pregnant women but when you challenge the french state, always you will be branded as nazies, or something like that but when the antifa tries to burn policemen in their cars and burn shops and assault ramdomly peoples then its ok for the merdias...
Anyway, I prey (and I'm not even religious lol) they will prevail in their struggle against the corrupt french governement. :bd:
Again a merry Christmas to your all and thanks to you I will not sleep in the cold those upcoming weeks! Many thanks to your all! :) :) :)
Great to hear, Sauron! O0 [I'm the Michael Colello you listed. 8) ]
Good news, Sauron.
Not much to add as Sauron is making already himself known.
All I can really say from the emails I get from him, is that he deeply appreciates the generosity and kindness shown to him by fellow Grogs. He is not yet out of the woods, but you have all made a significant difference to him.
For me, I am heartened that when so many bad things are happening in the world there still remain such thoroughly kind and decent people willing to help someone they may know little or not at all. I am proud to be associated with you. :hug:
I hope you all had a great Christmas/Hannukah/Saturnalia etc (insert here ;)) holiday, and I wish you all a very happy New Year. :)
O0
Hello fellow wargamers. I write you from Haguenau (40 Km or so north from Strasbourg) where thanks to your support I could rent a chamber (wifi include ;) ) by using the RB&B service on a cheap offer considering the period. It prevent me from beeing exposed the new year eve wich is very chaotic in Strasbourg (the burning of cars first occured in Strasbourg in the late 90's...) and homeless peoples are often the target of the "youths" (maghrebians and africans gangs) because they are considered easy preys...So this is my last post for this year. I hope the next one will be better and thanks to you I'm in good condition to face it and already the 02 January I will meet my laywer in Strasbourg since the french state made his moves and now I will make mine as some incriminating papers who should have been send before my expulsion only came 2 weeks later in my, by then, unaccessible physical mailbox so I hope it will be soon payback time. ;)
Have all a good new year eve! :)
Vincent alias Sauron
Same to you, Vincent! Good luck with everything. O0
Good luck Sauron.
Good luck, brother.
Hello brothers in arms, I wish you and your family a very happy and good new year, stay all healthy and away from harms way. Enjoy all our favorite hooby and lets sleep the dogs of war! <:-) :D ;)
My lawyer is gathering all the papers and soon she will let me now how it will work out. As for my home search I have maybe a good news, I will tell you more when its realy offcial but for now lets say a fellow homeless buddy, an old 69 years former Historian professor gave me a usefull tipe and asked one of his friend to rent me a chamber at Mulhouse (a town roughly 100 km from Strasbourg) since he got a better offer for himself also at Mulhouse. So maybe next tuesday I will have a home (a temporary one since all my belongings are still in a rented box in Strasbourg and I'm still enttled to get a social flat) for now it will be enough and allows me to be no more dependend from filthy dormitories (ask Charles he will confirm you since I sended him nice pictures of my condition when I was eaten alive by vermine before in early december but that's will be history and also thanks to you who helped me! :)
Sounds like great news, Sauron! I will say a prayer for you and hope things work out as you have described them.
Here's hoping for the best!
Hello fellow wargamers, my first mail from Mulhouse where I start to find my marks. I write you from a mediatheque also there and now its official I have a chamber in Mulhouse and I'm no more on the streets. <:-) This will help me to make pressure on the french state to find me the social appartement I'm entitled to get and in the meanwhile beeing sheltered from the cold winter we have and to have a basis for operations without having to worry where I will sleep the next upcoming nights. :)
Again I value greatly your moral support from you all and also wish to thanks again for their financial support : Jason Pratt, Frederik de Raad, Lloyd Sabin, Michael Motzkus, Michael colello and Lucas Rhodes (I hope I diden't forget one lol! ;D) Your help will not be forgoten! :hug:
I will redeem myself and write more often on the forum from time to time, I have now much paper work to do and from time to time must travel between Strasbourg and Mulhouse to get paper signed and so on but this year now is starting on a good side and you all made it possible for me to be where I'm now. Again thank you all! :) :) :)
You are quite welcome. Good luck with everything.
Quote from: Gusington on January 09, 2019, 01:30:58 PM
You are quite welcome. Good luck with everything.
+1 O0
I've just had an email from one of Vincent's friends. He has recently been admitted hospital in Mulhouse, France with suspected heart problems. Hopefully, it is just a warning and that he'll be ok. I'll let you know if I hear anything more.
Feel free to send him any messages of support on his email (vincent.kowolik@yahoo.fr) so he can read them when he gets out of hospital. He has been overwhelmed by the support from Grogs on the forum, and I'm sure it will do him some good to learn you guys are rooting for him
I just sent him a message of support. Hope he recovers soon.
I'm so glad you worked out your housing problem!
Hoping for a speedy recovery, brother. :hug:
Get well soon Sauron \m/
Sorry, I've been out of the loop for nearly 2 weeks without my PC!!! :o
Anyhoo, Sauron is still quite ill, but is slowly recovering. He asked me to pass on his news to you all, asked me to thank you all on his behalf, and to tell you all that he deeply appreciates all the kind thoughts.
The latest from Sauron is he's now just out of hospital and on antibiotics. It turns out he had both lungs severely infected, which had an impact on his heart function. I'm glad to say that it sounds like he's on the mend, although he still has quite a way to go. At least he now has a permanent roof over his head, and his life is moving towards normality. His social work support is chaotic, but he is managing.
Given his health issues got so much worse from his being out on the street, I think it is probably fair to say that those of you that helped him out financially probably saved his life. As a result of your generosity he was able to afford shelter at a very difficult time for both him and his health.
I hope that he will soon be in a position to come back to the forum to share his thoughts with you.
He did ask me to not make "Nurgle" jokes about him, but it's sooo hard not to! >:D :2funny: :-"
Latest update from Sauron ...
Hi, sorry for the long silence but I had to be realy carreful since if I had a "rechute" it would mean the antibiotics would not be working anymore and since my black veil I realized how dangerous it would be to play with my fragile health. Last week end I stoped finaly the antibiotics, I finished the last of them. The side effects were weakness and digestive troubles so you can figure out I diden't get out much except for the 6 february were I stoped for one day the antibiotics to go to Strasbourg but after that I was exhausted... I will write from the mediathèque to grogheads soo. Tomorrow is the audience for the appeal for my laywer for the DALO, lets hope for the best. And the 28 february I go bakc to hospital for final checks, radio and examen to check how my lungs improved. It was the most serious lung deseases I had since I lived. Usualy I had bronchities but this time it was a pneumonie wich if doesen't healed properly evolded into embolie pulmonaire (sorry I haden't the time to search translation) wich is deadly... I write you from a cyber coffee so it mean I pay sorry for not writting to much its much closer to my chamber but not free so...
Take care of you and say hi to all at grogheads, as said toward the end of the week, friday or saturday I will write to them from the mediathèque. I promise.*;) Clin d'œil
Thanks for the update, Boggit.
+1 O0
Get well soon Sauron \m/
Hang in there Vincent! Stay strong!
Hello fellow wargamer brothers. It took a bit longer as I wished to write to you, but as Charles explained you my life and health were pretty chaotic... At least he is right, your help came in time to prevent the worst in Strasbourg since it would have been a death sentence in my condition on the streets... Again many thanks to all of you for your moral and financial support, it realy mean a lot to me. The court audiance was the 26 february and my laywer mailed me and said the decision will come in a week so I still wait for it. Speaking of streets, in France things are turning realy ugly now. During my recovery I was isolated from news and the horrors the gilet jaunes are facing with police and military repression... >:( Things are turning slowly but surely into a civil war and I'm angry that on my level I cannot do much except telling my support to the gilet jaunes when I meet them during their protest on the streets Their average age is between 30 to 70 and its the every day citizen not hooligans, antifa or neo nazies but desperate peoples wich are facing extrem poverty and watch how their own kids are starwing with them unable to help them. During the 70's and 80's parents could hope a better life for their children but now its the opposite and its getting worser and worser... They were 3000 or 4000 3 weeks ago and I was upset by the military presence wich were superior as during the terror shooting in Strasbourg in last December... Anyway lets hope for the best but alwaysbe prepared for the worst as I always say. Speaking about the peoples, I hope the legimity of the english peoples votes will be respected and that the british citizen will not be screwed like were Finland and France before (brexit)...
Some words on gaming lol. Well thanks to a little netbook my childhood friend send me from Madrid I can still play some games, it was helpfull during my recovery and in Mulhouse in the mediathèque I can play some free online game so here a like to a very hard game most of you surely know but maybe not all so here it is but I hope you like loosing!... >:D
https://topfreegame.com/flash/aliens-the-board-game
https://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/408816
The this "light" version of a nice tactical gel from the late 90's wich was called Incubation, not as hard as the previous game. ^-^
https://armorgames.com/play/12509/xenosquad?via-search=1
Here a post apocalyptic, heroic fantasy clone of Final Fantasy Tactics
https://armorgames.com/play/18262/worlds-end-chapter-3?tag-referral=strategy
Here a nice tactical rpg
https://armorgames.com/play/13615/legend-of-the-void-2?game-referral=world%27s+end+chapter+3
I also enjoy much the emulation on my pc of this game for the GBA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NtsdxxvL3YI
And here the must have for all trekkies. ;)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thl4gqxbWTc
And so I must now leave so I say to you all "live long and prosper" see you soon again. :)
Vincent, aka Sauron
Good to hear from you man!
Hello everyone, some news from France, the french state is condemned to find me a decent home before next May or it must pay each months 200 euros fees to the court. I got also a little repaiements but considering what I went trough 500 euros is not much but its only the first step since it was about the home I rejected as not proper last Oktober (not appropriated for my health condition, stairs to climb and too isolated from everything and not even ready before january of the then next year because of renovation works...) Now since the rejection hasted my expulsion but was justified, the expulsion itself will now be figth and I hope, there, the state will got the real bitter pill! Again thanks to you all for your support and when something new happen I will keep you informed. Since then Grog on! ;)
Woohoo! I'm happy that things are looking up. :)
Sounds like the really difficult part is over.
Hello everyone, I'm still waiting that the decision of the court takes effect. Well they have up to the 1 May to find me a decent home so its still "wait and see" for me. Winter is still there in Alsace whenever I go to Strasbourg to check my mails and got my monthly médicaments drugs prescrition or Mulhouse where I go seldom except for food and drink purchase out because its a desolate town and not much secured after the evening hours... The chamber is not much appelaling either, last day I removed a dead mouse (not the computer interface lol) Under my chair of the desk so its a nasty place but it was still better than the streets... Today I'm in Strasbourg for the day and will go back this evening so I write you from Malraux where I have a free connection. I'm not aware of the newest games or mods but I will have to check them all when I will be finaly a my home I guess. :P On my little netbook I play the open excom mods for both UFO and XCOM terror from the deep, great games, and also Emperor of the Fading Suns (modded when its doesen't crash lol) and Birth of the Federation heavely modded also. All retro gaming I know, I'm getting old I guess... :D
I'm still watching religiously what happen in my country each week because the "gilets jaunes" movement went personal when a guy, Jérôme, 33 years old, I befriended last december was crushed by 4 CRS (anti riot french militia...) last March in the town of Montpelier during a gilets jaunes rally, and now he will be at best 2 or 3 year in a wheel chair or maybe not even walk one day again... :( Everyday I exchange sms with him because he is bored to death in his bed... :(
France is no more a free country whatever the "merdias" are telling on the "mainstream" channels. Maybe this summer it will be a Historical one, who knows... ;)
So I say hello all of you and see you on my next visit one a computer, at Mulhouse or Strasbourg.
Hello fellow wargamers, sorry for the long delay but I had some minor and less minor issues to deal with, but now I can say I have a real new decent home and roughly 150m from Germany! I'm next to the Kehl bridge and the Sherman tank at 1 rue Kentzinger in Strasbourg in a social flat of 44m²living space. It was a long call since the 31 oktober and the trials and laws moves are not yet over. But at least I have a roof through were no rain is pooring like the shady horrible chamber in Mulhouse but I had realy no choice then. Its over now and I will now start sloooooowly to open all boxes and re install all my stuff. I will only be online permantly toward november or december since I had expenses to deal with the retrieval of my stuff in the box I rented for and open energy and other services so be patien but toward December the evil spam mord as Charles often called me will rise again from the shadows of Mordor! ;) Thanks again to all of you who helped to save me this last winter. :hug:
here the link to the tank
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Sherman_tank_memorial_in_the_port_du_Rhin_(Strasbourg)
Great to hear! Good luck with everything.
Sauron!
Good to hear you are forging ahead. Stay strong man!
Hurra, that are promising good news :)
+1. Glad to hear things are improved! O0
Good news!
Hey Sauron,
If you read this, I was just wondering how things are going for you. I hope you are doing ok.
BUMP