Germany: Why Homeless Numbers May Rise Amid Cost-of-Living Crisis?

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has warned that the number of homeless citizens will rise as a result of the current economic crisis.

He said on Sunday that the wars and crises can cause more people in Germany to experience housing shortages this winter. The poor, especially families who are no longer able to pay rent or additional expenses, risk losing their homes, according to the president.

The effects of Western sanctions on Russia over Ukraine were reflected in the economic situation in many countries and were manifested in the rise in electricity, fuel, and food prices, especially in Europe and the United States.

 

The President Warns

Hundreds of Germans may become homeless this winter amid soaring costs of living, adding pressure on vulnerable households, President Frank-Walter Steinmeier warned on Sunday.

"More than 300,000 [people do not have their own house] is a huge figure! And let us be clear: this number may rise in the coming months. The war and crises may increase the number of people suffering from lack of housing in fall and winter," he said.

According to a 2020 report by Volker Busch-Geertsema, 337,000 people in Germany are without a home, and 45,000 of them sleep on the streets.

"We have no right to leave anyone in our country who no longer knows how to pay for the apartment and utilities," the president told a conference at his Bellevue residence.

Germany marks September 11 as Homeless Day when the German president invites politicians, doctors, housing officials, and formerly homeless people to his Berlin residence in the upscale Tiergarten district.

Steinmeier is aware that the problem of homelessness was more acute than ever at a time of crisis in his country, calling on politicians to make sure "not to put the issue at the bottom of the political agenda."

On the other hand, Klara Geywitz, Federal Minister for Housing, Urban Development, and Building, said that localities, states, and the government cannot face the homelessness crisis alone, stressing the need for communication at all levels.

She continued to explain that "the western industrial nations and the global south had to join forces to find solutions for the global challenges and concerns of humankind that had become significantly greater and more complex. Issues that needed to be addressed included climate change, digitalization, economic competition, the greater number of people who have fled their homes, and rapid urbanization," as quoted by the Federal Government website.

 

Homelessness in Germany

Homelessness in Germany is a significant social issue that has recently aggravated to affect nearly 678,000 people.

It is reported that approximately 22,000 of the homeless population are children.

The Federal Association for the Assistance of the Homeless in Germany said that 300,000 people do not own a house, 180 men and women live in homeless shelters, 45 sleep in the streets, including refugees, and 80 percent of them do not have health insurance.

Based on 2020 statistics, the association estimated the total number of people who missed out on residing in an ordinary home with a rental contract for a period of time at 256,000 people, compared to 237,000 people in 2018.

There are 160,000 refugees residing in shared hostels or in other hostels. This number had reached 440,000 people in 2018, but no large numbers of refugees have come to Germany since that date.

According to the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), nearly "178,000 people were reported as homeless in Germany and accommodated, for example, in temporary overnight accommodation facilities, emergency shelters or collective living quarters" at the end of January 2022.

Destatis reported that "under 74,000 of the homeless people accommodated were unattached (41%), as is shown by the statistics compiled for the first time from reports of municipalities and institutions. Just under 59,000 (33%) homeless people were accommodated as families or couples with children living in a joint household. Roughly 23,000 people (13%) (including the children) lived in lone-parent households during the accommodation. Approximately 4,500 people (3%) were accommodated as couples without children. The remaining about 18,000 people (10%) were recorded as living in "other multi-person households" or the type of household was not known."

 

The Crisis Deepens

Since 2014, there has been a 150% increase in the homeless population due to the inclusion of refugees.

Angela Merkel, the retired German politician who served as the chancellor of Germany until 2021, allowed nearly a million refugees to enter the country in 2015, and it is clear that the main cause of the problem is poor housing policy and the inability to fight poverty.

The Coronavirus pandemic has also increased the number of homeless people and those without private housing in Germany. Verena Rosenke, CEO of the Federal Consortium for Aid for the Homeless (BAGW), said that many relief organizations were forced to reduce their offers of housing and advice, not to mention the current external factors, including the inflation crisis and the soaring of energy prices.

As Germany's cost of living crisis deepens, more people are at risk of facing poverty and homelessness, including families with children.

More than 3 million children in Germany are living in poor conditions as the country's cost of living crisis is pushing more parents into poverty, according to children's charity Die Arche.

"More and more people are coming to us, asking for support," Bernd Siggelkow, the charity's founder, told Anadolu Agency, stressing that authorities are not doing enough to find solutions.

"It seems that nobody will do anything until a child dies of hunger in Germany. Authorities should act now, they should not wait for next year," he said.

"There's not enough support for poor people. The food banks are not accepting any more people."

Die Arche's facilities in Germany help thousands of poor families with their siblings to meet the basic needs of children, providing both hot, cooked meals and educational support.

Bernd Siggelkow pointed to the rising energy prices and inflation that make it difficult for families "to afford basic needs and that more and more people are contacting his charity seeking support for their children."

"Prices are rising, and in fact, this started last spring. Since then, many families are not able to cope with this," he said.

"Many people are working for low wages. The rich are getting richer and the poor poorer."

However, the lack of an official definition and nationwide statistics on homelessness in Germany is still the major factor that further contributes to the challenges in assessing the needs of persons experiencing homelessness and poverty.