The Seen and Unseen: Visitors of the “Rescue Hangar”

Abstract

The article discusses a field study of the “Rescue Hangar” — a day care center in Moscow, where people in need can get low-threshold help. The article illustrates how the “Hangar” is integrated into the urban environment and what this proximity means for both its visitors and for the people who live and work in the area. The main feature of the “Hangar’s” location and its visitors in this area is invisibility — existing outside the field of view and attention of local residents. The article describes three reasons for this invisibility: the appearance of the visitors, which is not significantly different from that of other passersby; the limited number of potential “meeting points” between the “Hangar’s” visitors and local residents; and the “Hangar’s” hidden location, which is in a space cut off from its surroundings and is not perceived as either a place of assistance or a dangerous area. These three factors are both a drawback and an advantage of the “Hangar”. It is hidden both from the eyes of those who live and work nearby and from those who come seeking help. On the one hand, this makes it harder for people to access assistance, and on the other hand, it prevents city residents from forming any preconceived notions about what a place that helps the homeless looks like or what the homeless themselves look like. This ultimately has a positive effect on the organization’s work but may possibly reinforce the stigmatization of homeless people throughout the city.