By Ulrich Jonas
Homelessness is supposed to be eradicated by 2030. But Germany’s federal and local governments are failing to take the measures needed, reports Hamburg street paper Hinz&Kunzt.
When Hamburg’s Social Democrat (SPD) senator Melanie Schlotzhauer presented her plans for this year’s winter emergency programme to members of Hamburg’s parliament, she almost burst into song. “We are leading the way in Germany,” she declared to the Committee in mid-September.
From the beginning of November, the city will be able to offer 1,090 people experiencing homelessness a bed in emergency accommodation. And, Schlotzhauer says, it’s not just a place to sleep: the core of the programme is to “be highly proactive in offering people advice and guidance.”
This article first appeared in Hinz&Kunzt, a magazine sold on the streets of Hamburg, Germany, by people who have limited other ways of earning an income.