Homelessness in
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
is a significant social issue, one that is estimated to affect around 678,000 people.
Since 2014, there has been a 150% increase in the homeless population within the country due to the inclusion of refugees. Reportedly, around 22,000 of the homeless population are children.
Researchers maintain that the legal definition of homelessness in Germany is quite narrow.
In addition, the country has yet to publish statistics on homelessness at a Federal Level
despite it being an ongoing and widespread matter.
Background
Prior to WWII
In 1933, the
Nazi Party
The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party (german: Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei or NSDAP), was a far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that created and supported t ...
passed a Law "against Habitual and Dangerous Criminals", which allowed for the relocation of beggars, homeless, and the unemployed to
concentration camps
Internment is the imprisonment of people, commonly in large groups, without charges or intent to file charges. The term is especially used for the confinement "of enemy citizens in wartime or of terrorism suspects". Thus, while it can simply ...
.
WWII and its impact
In 1942, British bombing raids destroyed a total of 3.6 millions homes, with 7.5 million Germans left homeless.
Current statistics
The homeless levels have risen more than 4% between 2017–2018.
In addition, according to BAGW's report, refugees are more likely to be homeless.
The number of homeless people with a refugee background increased by 5.9%. A majority of the homeless population is men (three in four).
There is a worrying increase in the amount of young homeless in some countries including Germany.
Housing
The Federal Government acknowledges that homelessness in Germany is caused by multiple factors, "such as financial, domestic, and individual psychosocial reasons" and that it is not merely rooted in the lack of affordable accommodation
According to Global Homelessness Statistics, "Around 50% of poor households spend more than 40% of their disposable income on housing".
The
Berlin Homeless Shelter Association provides housing to the homeless population in Berlin, Germany.
Prevention
Research has been conducted to investigative proactive ways to prevent homelessness. People being evicted from their homes is one of the most common factors for homelessness. Some instruments used to stop the
eviction
Eviction is the removal of a tenant from rental property by the landlord. In some jurisdictions it may also involve the removal of persons from premises that were foreclosed by a mortgagee (often, the prior owners who defaulted on a mortgag ...
process, include financial support, legal provision for cases of hardship, and assistance negotiations with landlords.
As stated by Dr. Busch-Geertsema, coordinator of the European Observatory on Homelessness,
prevention
Prevention may refer to:
Health and medicine
* Preventive healthcare, measures to prevent diseases or injuries rather than curing them or treating their symptoms
General safety
* Crime prevention, the attempt to reduce deter crime and crim ...
is categorized in several ways:
primary prevention
Preventive healthcare, or prophylaxis, consists of measures taken for the purposes of disease prevention.Hugh R. Leavell and E. Gurney Clark as "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life, and promoting physical and mental hea ...
(larger risk groups),
secondary prevention
Preventive healthcare, or prophylaxis, consists of measures taken for the purposes of disease prevention.Hugh R. Leavell and E. Gurney Clark as "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life, and promoting physical and mental hea ...
(those being threatened with eviction), and
tertiary prevention (persons who are already homeless).
See also
*
List of countries by homeless population
It is estimated that 150 million people are homeless worldwide. Habitat for Humanity estimated in 2016 that 1.6 billion people around the world live in "inadequate shelter".
Different countries often use different definitions of homelessness. It ...
References
{{Homelessness
Society of Germany
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...