Gyula's story
Gyula was born in Budapest into a poor working-class family. He began consuming alcohol with some regularity at the age of four, alongside learning to write, read, and do arithmetic.
At the age of seven, he went blind due to encephalitis, caused by a viral influenza and his poor nervous condition; his father had raised him with occasional physical punishment. The boy’s blindness was the calmest period of his life because, during that time, his father did not raise his voice and was kind to him. Gyula’s sight eventually returned, but he lost his genius.
He craved alcohol ever since he was given his first Dianás candy at the age of two. From then on, he constantly chased that feeling. He excelled in sports and literature, and even performed on literary stages, but by that time he was already heavily drinking two to three times a week. He became a scholarship student at the Skála department store, where he also drank every day.
Around the age of 28, he married, but his wife tolerated his alcoholism for only five years before sending him back to his parents. At that point, Gyula was at a very low point.
He already knew about Alcoholics Anonymous and sought refuge there, where he became sober. He also adopted another life goal: to do something good for his environment every day. He continued his life with these two purposes.
For more than ten years, he tried working as an employee. During this time, Fedél Nélkül (a street newspaper) began. Through distribution, he very quickly reached schools to hold awareness-raising sessions.
In 2009, he participated in the founding of the First-Hand Homelessness program. He was also a founding member of the The City is for Everyone homeless advocacy group, managing both the awareness-raising and activist programs for a long time. He participated in the establishment of the Street Lawyer Association, serving as co-chair. Meanwhile, he visited more and more schools and companies, working to dispel prejudices and misconceptions about homelessness.
Within the From Street to Home Association, he also helped clients as a peer mentor, supporting their transition out of homelessness.
Unfortunately, Gyula passed away in November 2025 at the age of 66.
At the age of seven, he went blind due to encephalitis, caused by a viral influenza and his poor nervous condition; his father had raised him with occasional physical punishment. The boy’s blindness was the calmest period of his life because, during that time, his father did not raise his voice and was kind to him. Gyula’s sight eventually returned, but he lost his genius.
He craved alcohol ever since he was given his first Dianás candy at the age of two. From then on, he constantly chased that feeling. He excelled in sports and literature, and even performed on literary stages, but by that time he was already heavily drinking two to three times a week. He became a scholarship student at the Skála department store, where he also drank every day.
Around the age of 28, he married, but his wife tolerated his alcoholism for only five years before sending him back to his parents. At that point, Gyula was at a very low point.
He already knew about Alcoholics Anonymous and sought refuge there, where he became sober. He also adopted another life goal: to do something good for his environment every day. He continued his life with these two purposes.
For more than ten years, he tried working as an employee. During this time, Fedél Nélkül (a street newspaper) began. Through distribution, he very quickly reached schools to hold awareness-raising sessions.
In 2009, he participated in the founding of the First-Hand Homelessness program. He was also a founding member of the The City is for Everyone homeless advocacy group, managing both the awareness-raising and activist programs for a long time. He participated in the establishment of the Street Lawyer Association, serving as co-chair. Meanwhile, he visited more and more schools and companies, working to dispel prejudices and misconceptions about homelessness.
Within the From Street to Home Association, he also helped clients as a peer mentor, supporting their transition out of homelessness.
Unfortunately, Gyula passed away in November 2025 at the age of 66.
Gyula’s story was shared with us by the Menhely Alapítvány. If you are interested in what they do, read more here: