The Raggi di Sole Daytime Center for unhoused people in Rome is a place where, when people are experiencing extreme situations like loneliness and the loss of a home, it is possible to find a family again, begin slowly to step outside themselves, and rediscover their capacity for sharing. Two people who attend the Center tell us about how their time with us has set them in motion, giving them hope for a better future.
«I am F., born in Egypt and a resident of Rome since 1990. I had a normal life and was satisfied with my work and responsibilities as the manager of a bistro. In 2023, following a heart attack, I lost everything, first my job and then my home. After a long hospital stay, I sought help from social services, which introduced me to the Raggi di Sole Center. In the past, I always gave to charity, but the world of the homeless felt distant to me; never would I have imagined that I would find myself in a situation of poverty! At the Center I learned that the stories of the people with whom I share my days are not so different from mine and that each person, with their own uniqueness, has a lot to give. When I arrived at Raggi di Sole, I was scared and very sad. The Center’s team welcomed me easily, and I immediately felt part of a little community. I hope to be able to start working again, but I am grateful to life for giving me new eyes.”
“I am M. and I had a difficult time after the death of my parents. Not able to afford a hotel and not wanting to sleep on the street, both because of my health and because of the risk I would be constantly running, I asked for hospitality for the night at the Diocesan Caritas hostel. Here the workers offered me a daytime center where I could spend the hours that I would otherwise have spent wandering the city. My first feeling upon entering the Center was that I was being accepted and welcomed. They were waiting for me, they offered me lunch, and we had a conversation. I felt perfectly comfortable. At the Center, it is a little like finding oneself at home: there is acceptance, sharing, and peacefulness; we are offered a hot meal and, far from being on the street, I can wash my face, express my opinions, watch TV, have a snack and lunch, use the computer, and do my laundry. I feel safe here and I have found a second family. And for now, I reflect patiently and calmly on a possible solution for my future. Raggi di Sole and other similar places are a true starting point and re-starting point for people who find themselves without a home. I hope that everyone who finds himself in a situation similar to mine can find his own raggio di sole (“ray of sunlight”) like I have found here. And now I look to my future with more optimism.”
Welcoming, listening, and accompanying are three words of being in a relationship that we live at the Raggi di Sole Center day after day, experiencing joy and challenges at the same time. We welcome and look at the other person with the heart’s eyes that “see” beyond appearance; we listen and recognize the face of a brother or sister asking to find their wounded dignity again; we accompany and support the other person in the most difficult situations so that he or she does not feel alone.
