Berlin doctor Jenny de la Torre: A voice for homeless people falls silent
Berlin doctor Jenny de la Torre: A voice for homeless people falls silent
Pflugstraße, 10115 Berlin, Deutschland - On June 11, 2025, the 71-year-old doctor Jenny de la Torre Castro died in Berlin. Her death was confirmed by the foundation she founded, which is dedicated to the medical care of homeless people. De La Torre, born in the Peruvian Andes, has worked tirelessly for the homeless in Berlin since the 1990s. The ruling mayor Kai Wegner paid tribute to her lifelong commitment to people in need and described her death as a loss of an important voice in the fight against homelessness.
After studying medicine in the GDR and the specialist training at the Charité in East Berlin, de la Torre returned shortly to Peru, where her degree was not recognized. Her professional career in Germany initially started with the project "Pregnant women and mothers in need", where she recognized the social problems of homeless women.
commitment to the homeless
In 1994, De La Torre opened her first practice for homeless people at the Ostbahnhof in a small basement. Because of her tireless efforts, she founded the Jenny de la Torre Foundation in 2002, who provides unbureaucratic medical help for people without a permanent residence. Her health center, which was opened in Pflugstraße in Berlin-Mitte in 2006, offers important services for homeless people and illustrates de la Torres that medical help is a human right.based on the statutes of her foundation and her work, de la Torre also demanded government support for homeless people and always emphasized the responsibility of society. For her tireless efforts, she received the Federal Cross of Merit in 1997 and in 2002 the "Golden Henne" award.
Health challenges of homeless people
The health constitution of homeless people is often very bad. According to Ärzteblatt are exposed to homeless extreme weather conditions and suffer from psychiatric and somatical Diseases. These difficult conditions are reflected in the alarming statistics. Data from Germany show that homeless people have an average age between 42 and 52 years.
Financial, health and social causes contribute to the lack of homes. According to the DetailsOrt Pflugstraße, 10115 Berlin, Deutschland Quellen
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