Berlin – Recently they were often on the street in Friedrichshain and demonstrated against the eviction of their homeless shelter: former residents of the tent city in Rummelsburger Bucht, who had been housed in a hostel on Boxhagener Strasse at the Senate’s expense since the beginning of February.
Now they are back on the street. On Wednesday, the accommodation expired as part of the so-called cold aid, as in other places in the city. “From this day on, the building is no longer housing for homeless people, the contract has ended,” said the Senate Department for Social Affairs on request. “The placement was supposed to end at the end of the cold relief on April 30th, but then, like other facilities, was extended because of the vaccination campaign for homeless people.”
On the other hand, after Monday and Tuesday, homeless people protested on Wednesday, security guards and police were on site, the eviction was largely peaceful, according to the hostel. The residents are already used to being evicted: At the beginning of February, the Lichtenberg district had the homeless camp on Rummelsburg Bay evacuated with a good 100 residents in a nocturnal lightning operation. About 50 of them were accommodated in the hostel in Friedrichshain, some left it prematurely, others joined them.
“It was always clear that this was only a temporary accommodation and a time-limited offer,” said the Senate Administration. “As far as we know, all residents of the accommodation have received offers for social advice in the districts on social housing assistance.”
Outrage over the eviction at minus 10 degrees in February
The dissolution of the wild camp in the dead of winter had caused outrage, it was unclear whether the cold was really the reason or whether the fallow land should be cleared for a planned tourist attraction. Left activist groups demonstrated against displacement at minus 10 degrees.
“Now many of them are back on the streets and are left to their own devices without the protection of the group,” says André Hoek, an expert on homelessness who used to live on the streets himself.
According to the hostel, around 180 homeless people recently lived there, many of them apparently from Romania or Bulgaria. According to estimates by the Senate, the accommodation and care of the homeless in hotels and hostels during the pandemic cost several million euros.
“The districts are responsible and legally obliged to accommodate homeless people,” the Senate Administration announced, pointing out: “There will be further 24/7 accommodation for homeless people in Berlin.” Most recently, Berlin received an additional almost 37 million euros from the European Union Social fund for social projects that Social Senator Elke Breitenbach wants to invest in permanent housing for the homeless.
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