The corona virus has a firm grip on Germany. Homeless people in particular are hit harder than ever. Life on the street is currently unacceptable. But there are bright spots in this dark time.
Hamster purchases and increasingly aggressive behavior when shopping show that in the Corona crisis, many people are apparently just thinking about themselves. The needy and the homeless are suffering even more from the crisis. Because the fewer people there are on the street, the fewer donations will be made. And hygiene regulations are sometimes difficult to comply with in auxiliary facilities.
In many facilities for homeless people and the contact and advice centers nationwide, the offer has been restricted, such as in Dortmund and Cologne. This measure had to be introduced “to reduce the risk of infection”, as a spokeswoman for the city of Cologne told t-online.de on request.
There are also restrictions across Germany when it comes to serving meals. Meals within the facilities are no longer allowed. Cities try to reduce the distances between the people who sleep there, but this would also mean a reduction in the number of places.
But the needy and homeless are not in crisis without help. The facilities are increasingly accessible via email and telephone. The city of Cologne emphasizes that it is working “with high pressure” to provide a supplementary offer. So the administration tries to use vacant apartments and is in talks with hoteliers, it is said.
Temperature measured in homeless people
In Frankfurt, the city and providers want to keep the offer for the homeless as long as possible, said a city spokeswoman t-online.de. However, individual facilities for homeless people have already reduced their offer somewhat due to staff shortages. For those who seek emergency accommodation, the temperature is measured in advance. That is a decision of the carrier. The city is currently looking for a property in which homeless people can be accommodated separately in suspected cases.
A drug-addicted woman crouches on the asphalt in front of the integrative drug help room in Frankfurt’s Bahnhofsviertel: drug help in Frankfurt continues to work even during the Corona crisis. (Source: Arne Dedert / dpa)
But additional help is also needed. “We expect that due to the loss of earning opportunities, for example by collecting bottles and begging, we will have to make additional food offers,” said the city spokeswoman.
Demand for “isolation” of the homeless
Düsseldorf is also trying to provide the best possible protection for the homeless during the coronavirus pandemic. Although the city has emergency shelters for the homeless, two formerly closed facilities have reopened especially because of the Corona crisis. However, the shelters are avoided by the homeless for fear of being infected.
“The homeless are particularly affected because they are particularly vulnerable due to their living conditions on the street,” explains Hubert Ostendorf. He is the managing director and founder of the street newspaper “fiftyfifty”, which is sold by homeless people in the city. That is why “fiftyfifty” campaigns for the isolation of the homeless. They should be provided with tents and sleeping bags so that they are not dependent on overnight stays in the accommodations.
Distribution of meals for homeless people
Institutions of the city of Bonn also advocate this. Homeless people have recently been able to collect sleeping bags from Caritas free of charge.
Bonitas Caritas also continues to offer free meals. The food is served in front of the facilities at a prescribed distance from each other. In Dortmund there are packed lunches instead of the original meal distribution, in Munich they are called care packages. In addition, the well-known “Möwe Jonathan” is out and about in the Munich city area: a so-called tea bus that distributes hot meals and drinks to the needy.
For the necessary small change will continue in Dortmund the homeless magazine “Bodo” sold. No longer on the street, but online instead. There is a digital edition for five euros, the income will be given to the homeless.
Medical care – “ArztMobil” continues
While most of the help offers for homeless people in Hamburg have disappeared because of Corona, the “ArztMobil” continues. The volunteer team of doctors, nurses and dedicated helpers works from a minibus and takes care of the medical care for the homeless in Hamburg. Even in the times of Corona, they want to continue their offer – “as long as possible”.
But the “ArztMobil” employees also face a dilemma, as they describe it on Facebook: on the one hand, they want to help, on the other hand, they also want to protect themselves and their families. In it, they also describe what their everyday life currently looks like: “Thickly masked, with masks and overalls, we will make an astonishingly normal consultation hour”. So far, “luckily no one suspected of having Covid-19 disease” among the patients.
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