Help without prejudice

Janice Schmelzer

At the age of 13, Janice Schmelzer had an experience that touched her: On her way to buy presents in the run-up to Christmas, she saw a homeless person and spontaneously decided that she would rather buy clothes and a hot coffee for him. That was the start of the "Rosalie the piggy bank" initiative: since then, Janice Schmelzer has been setting aside half of her pocket money every month and appealing for donations. In the Maker of the Week interview, the 17-year-old explains why helping homeless people and those at risk of homelessness is a matter close to her heart.

Mrs Schmelzer, what do you want for Christmas?
Janice Schmelzer: That I achieve the goal I have set myself for this year: That I can help lots of people again with Rosalie. I'm happy if I can put a smile on my clients' faces again and give them a little bit of that Christmas feeling. And then I want my family to be well and for things to continue to go well at school.

What is the goal?
We're not packing winter bags like we have done in the past three years. Of course we will be giving out donations again, but this year the plan is to fulfil personal wishes. We are looking for voucher sponsors. The idea is to issue around 50 clients in the housing projects with a voucher that they can use to fulfil a heartfelt wish in a shopping centre. This is aimed more at the personality of each individual, whereas the winter bags always had the same contents. We are planning a 10 euro voucher for everyone. That doesn't sound like much at first, but for 50 people it's still a considerable sum to raise. And it's better in terms of time, because I can't manage to pack that many bags this year alongside school.

How is it going so far?
We have around 15 sponsors so far, and someone has already transferred 30 euros to us. I really thought that was wow!

That's the special campaign in the winter time. Apart from that, how do you go about helping? Do you meet the homeless on the street?
No. I'm currently in contact with two organisations: Tagestreff Haltestelle and Wohnprojekt I at Heinrich-Schütz-Straße 84, the emergency shelter. I ask them every month what is needed. Then I put a call out on Facebook, for example, and say: 'We need shower baths right now.' We also buy some things that are always needed in stock, for example when they are on offer - like tinned soups or toothpaste. I've been doing less street work recently, partly due to the pandemic. I have to make sure that I can still visit the facilities and not endanger anyone there.

And you go shopping with the donations?
Exactly. Whatever is needed: Now in winter, it's hats, gloves and scarves, but also hygiene products such as shower gels and creams and, of course, food. We have already equipped a facility with ten kettles. Good second-hand clothes are also needed.

How many people do you reach with this?
That's difficult to say. With many people, you can't tell at first glance whether they are homeless or not. There are people who go to work every day, have an office job for example. They put on their suit every day and go to work, but still don't have enough money to afford a flat. People often become sofa-hoppers before they become really homeless, which means they stay with friends or acquaintances or sleep in the garden shed. These are the homeless.

At the end of September, 34 people were living in Housing Project I. Ten of them were only using the emergency accommodation in the night shelter. The Haltestelle day centre also offers people without their own home the opportunity to set one up. Every month, around 450 people receive help from the City of Chemnitz to end or prevent homelessness.

Do you give the donations directly to the people?
No, I leave that to the organisations. Their managers know their clients much better. But I'm already known there by now and it's always nice to have a quick chat, for example when they help me carry the donations in. I have the feeling that it's good for the homeless people to simply chat about trivial things without any prejudices. Because it happens to them quite often that people walk past them with their heads full of prejudices.

How do people in the centres react to you?
When I come in, I notice that people start to smile. They now know that I come every month. They notice the consistency. And that my help is still unconditional, and it will stay that way. They are happy about the smallest things. I sometimes feel bad when I come home and realise how much luxury I live in.

The motto you have given yourself fits in with this: 'There are many reasons why someone ends up on the street. But there is not a single reason not to treat them like human beings'.
Many people walk past homeless people and treat them like dirt. I can't understand that. People forget that they are just as human as we are. With my campaign, I also want to give those affected a bit of their dignity back, which other people have destroyed. And at the same time, I want to encourage society to rethink its prejudices against people living on the streets. I hope that people will become more sensitive to their fellow human beings in need.

Janice Schmelzer has since been honoured several times. Among other things, she received the Youth Prize at the Chemnitz Peace Prize and an honourable mention and prize money of 3,000 euros in the "Solidarity" category of the German Children's Fund's Children and Youth Prize.

How do the donations come to you?
On the one hand, I regularly receive donations in kind. For example, there are people who knit diligently: hats, scarves, gloves, socks - all sorts of things. I'm super grateful for that. There are also a few companies that support us. Private individuals regularly donate a small amount of money or bring food or toiletries. These are often people who are not doing too well themselves, who may have suffered strokes of fate. On the one hand, I find that sad, but on the other, it's an absolute role model.

How has corona changed your work?
The willingness to donate is there, but handing over donations is more difficult. People have become more cautious. Unfortunately, it's also not possible to bring home-made soup, for example, for hygiene reasons. That's why we only distribute packaged food.

Do you do all this on your own?
No, I'm still under 18, but my parents are very supportive. We develop ideas together. My dad drives a lot, picks up and drops off. And my mum helps me with my Facebook presence and deals with emails. I couldn't do it without my parents. Our project has been placed with an association so that we can also run the donation account separately.

Her father Wolfram Schmelzer, who accompanied Janice Schmelzer to the interview, interjects: "We are incredibly proud of her and are thrilled that she is now in her fourth year of doing this. We support her wherever we can." This commitment came as no surprise to her parents: Janice Schmelzer organised a flea market back in fourth grade to raise money for victims of a tsunami in the Philippines.

How do you manage that in terms of time? You still go to school, don't you?
Yes, it's quite a lot sometimes. I'm in year 12 at a vocational school centre and next year I'm doing my A-levels in health and social work. I have a lot to learn.

Do you get a lot of support from your peers?
That is difficult. I tended to fall on deaf ears with my former classmates. There are a few in the current class who think it's really cool. But nothing more has come of it so far. There are definitely committed people in my generation, but more for other things like the environment and climate. I would be happy if I had just as many 'followers', even if it was only for a week.

Where does Rosalie actually stand?
I'm not giving away my original Rosalie, I've had it since I was a child and it's staying with me. But there are still a handful that are on sale or in physiotherapy centres. Half of my pocket money ends up in my Rosalie, usually five to ten euros a month, or what I earn from tutoring.

What do you want to do later in life?
I'm not sure yet. I want to leave this commitment to my free time, because the heavy fates are already stressful. After my A-levels, I want to try out a lot of things and go to the USA for a year. I was already there for an exchange programme when I was 15 and helped in a home for homeless children, among other things.

What happens next with Rosalie?
There are homeless people in every city. That's why I would like to see a Rosalie donation piggy bank in every large city and a group of young people to continue this in a similar form. It's a good way to give the younger generation the opportunity to do something for other people. We tried to set this up in Leipzig, but it takes a lot of networking. It's difficult to establish personal contacts during the pandemic. I would like to be further along. But I'll keep at it, I promise.

Donation account: Schönau e.V. Donation piggy bank Rosalie DE98 8306 5408 0104 1862 73