No Help for the Homeless in Holon
ACRI, together with Physicians for Human Rights-Israel, sent an appeal to the mayor of the city of Holon on September 15, 2026, following information that the municipal department to aid people experiencing homelessness had been closed and that social workers had been instructed to stop providing services. According to reports, following the department’s closure, the dedicated municipal services for people experiencing homelessness in Holon were discontinued or reduced, including outreach to people on the street; psychosocial care; assistance in applying for benefits; referrals to emergency and rehabilitation services; and coordination with health, welfare, and housing services. Our inquiries indicated that Holon residents in need of this assistance are being referred to other local authorities or to services outside the city, and at times encounter difficulties obtaining care or funding in the absence of an authorized municipal body.
In the appeal, ACRI Attorney Michal Tadjer and social worker Dana Halevi of Physicians for Human Rights argued that closing the department for people experiencing homelessness infringes on human dignity. Those experiencing homelessness are especially vulnerable and depend largely on proactive, accessible professional services and on assistance in accessing benefits and dealing independently with the authorities. The absence of these services are likely to, impede access to emergency and rehabilitation services and benefits such as rental assistance, and can even put lives at risk.
Shuttering the department without establishing an equivalent alternative also raises serious concerns about the municipality’s operations, and is a breach of the municipality’s obligation to provide welfare services to city residents and to people experiencing homelessness who are staying within its jurisdiction. Wanting to reduce the visibility of people experiencing homelessness or encourage them to move to a different municipality are not legitimate or appropriate factors in deciding to shutter the department.
We demanded that the municipality state on the record whether the department had in fact been closed and, if so, that it provide the formal decision for the closure, including the identity of the authorized official who made the decision, as well as the meeting minutes, professional opinions, policy documents, budget documents, and any other relevant documentation. We also demanded updated data on the number of people experiencing homelessness in the city and details regarding what alternative services are currently being provided to them.
Appeal by ACRI and Physicians for Human Rights, September 15, 2026 (Heb)
