The number of people housed in collective accommodation due to homelessness has increased in Brandenburg. The Brandenburg State Poverty Conference and the League of Independent Welfare Organizations in Brandenburg pointed this out on Wednesday on Homeless People’s Day.
According to the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), as of January 31, 2024, the municipalities in Brandenburg housed 4,095 homeless people. A year earlier, the figure was 3,290 people. The statistics include people without their own home who were, for example, in collective accommodation or other facilities for the homeless on the night of January 31 to February 1.
There was also an increase nationwide, as Destatis announced in July. However, it should be noted that this is mainly due to improvements in data reporting.
Demand to politicians: Secure affordable housing
“Homelessness is not always visible. People who move from couch to couch at friends’ or relatives’ homes are not recorded in any statistics,” stressed the chairman of the Brandenburg League, Andreas Kaczynski. The future state government must deal with the issue more intensively. “We need to act now, for example by boosting social housing, in order to be able to provide affordable housing tomorrow.”
The spokesperson for the Brandenburg State Poverty Conference, Angela Schweers, emphasized that young people and families with children are increasingly affected by homelessness. The state must ensure that people do not lose their homes in the first place. The Brandenburg State Poverty Conference includes the leading associations of the independent welfare sector, but also initiatives, unions and the churches.
© dpa-infocom, dpa:240911-930-229966/1
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