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Homeless people in downtown Hamburg: "Condition unreasonable"
Photo: imago images / Chris Emil Janßen
The exact circumstances of his death are unclear.
But one thing is clear: the men died on the street.
A passerby discovered a 45-year-old in front of an apartment building, an older man was found dead on Hamburg's Reeperbahn.
Another man apparently burned to death in his tent that he had set up in a cemetery, according to the street magazine "Hinz & Kunzt".
The homeless man must have wanted to warm himself up on his gas burner.
Three dead homeless in the past few days in Hamburg alone.
And there are other cases: since the beginning of the year, five people have died in the Hanseatic city who lived on the streets.
For comparison: In the whole of last winter, according to the social authority in Hamburg, there were two.
This development in the middle of the corona pandemic, in which the weakest in society are even more difficult to protect, calls not only to charities, but also to politics.
"The death of five homeless since New Year's Eve could have been avoided, at least in part."
Andreas Grutzck, social policy spokesman for the Hamburg CDU parliamentary group
The opposition parties, the CDU and the Left, are calling in unusual unity: Hotels must become emergency shelters for the homeless.
You could spend the night there in single rooms, well protected from the cold - and an infection with the coronavirus, so calls, among other things, Andreas Grutzeck, social policy spokesman for the Hamburg CDU parliamentary group.
"The deaths of five homeless people since New Year's Eve could have been avoided at least in part if enough hotel rooms had been available," says Grutzeck.
According to this logic, the hotels themselves would also have won.
Because they are mostly empty because of the shutdown.
With a financing solution for the homeless, money would finally come back into the coffers.
The city of Hamburg, however, takes a stand.
Homeless people could "in exceptional cases" be accommodated in single rooms in the hotel, says Martin Helfrich, spokesman for the SPD-led Hamburg social authority - just like in other winters.
Basically, however, Helfrich insists that the existing offers are sufficient.
According to Helfrich, the city has around 1,000 overnight accommodation in its winter emergency program, mostly spread over several large collective accommodation.
On January 10th, 607 places were occupied, a few dozen more than a year earlier.
The conditions in the emergency shelters are basically in need of improvement, homeless people report violence and theft, there is no privacy there.
The residents are accommodated in shared rooms, usually four people share a room.
The homeless have to leave their accommodation every morning and are only allowed to return in the evening, this rule still applies.
Many have lost weight
The problems are exacerbated during the pandemic: Because of the fear of an infection with Corona, many homeless people did not even go to the emergency accommodation this winter, says Christiane Hartkopf from the Cold Bus Initiative.
On her journeys through the Hamburg night she made a terrifying impression this winter.
"The current situation is unreasonable for the homeless," says Hartkopf. People are far worse off than in other winters.
"The point now is to save lives," says Hartkopf.
The homeless that Hartkopf meets would have decreased significantly in the pandemic.
They lacked donations from commuters who would otherwise come to the city center, and the Christmas markets, from which someone would bring them something to eat.
Many would have to get by with one meal a day - and would have lost weight.
"Our closet only needs sizes S and M," says Hartkopf.
"I've never seen it like this before."
The homeless are particularly at risk in the pandemic.
Many of them have previous illnesses or are immunocompromised - they are considered corona risk patients.
But daily offers, which are normally open in winter and offer protection and warmth, are largely closed due to the pandemic.
Hygiene recommendations can hardly be adhered to.
Even regular hand washing becomes a challenge.
The city defends the emergency program
The authorities only do what is legally prescribed, says the former SPIEGEL editor and today's »Hinz & Kunzt« editor-in-chief Annette Bruhns.
With the current winter emergency program, the city is protecting people from acute cold death.
But it does not protect the homeless from the corona virus.
"From an infectious point of view, the accommodation of people in collective accommodation is absolutely crazy," says Bruhns.
Like Christiane Hartkopf from the cold bus, she is also demanding hotel accommodation for the homeless.
The social authority defends the current emergency program.
»There are no higher numbers of corona cases in public accommodation in the city of Hamburg.
We have comprehensive hygiene concepts that work, «says agency spokesman Helfrich.
Hamburg provides comprehensive advice for the homeless as part of the winter emergency program and offers help so that the people affected can improve their personal situation.
Such help cannot be provided in the case of predominantly decentralized accommodation in hotels.
The authority therefore rejects the demands of the CDU and the left for comprehensive accommodation in hotel rooms.
"Anyone who talks badly about the winter emergency program will prevent people from using it and thereby endanger them," says Helfrich.
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Hotel manager Myléne Delattre: “We can't help everyone.
But we want to give everyone the chance «
Photo: Charlotte Lensing / DER SPIEGEL
The concept is not new - and has already proven itself elsewhere.
80 homeless people are already quartered in rooms in several Hamburg hotels.
This made a merger of different aid organizations possible - and a large donation of 300,000 euros from the Reemtsma company, as reported by the NDR and the "Hamburger Abendblatt".
The city is not involved in the project.
Myléne Delattre is one of those hotel managers who has been taking in the homeless since last March.
It has been providing accommodation to 45 people for months.
The 30-year-old explains on the phone that she has almost exclusively had positive experiences with it.
For her homeless guests, she has a separate floor in each of her two "Bedpark" hotels.
Everyone has their own room there, and the offer is valid until at least March.
Business travelers will continue to stay on the other floors.
"It works wonderfully," says Delattre.
"The people are so grateful." In addition, the homeless are entitled to the care of a social worker who helps with problems and is always available.
The project is financed exclusively through donations; an overnight stay for a homeless person costs between 20 and 30 euros.
Usually travelers pay more than twice as much for a room - but Delattre says it is happy to grant the discount.
According to the hotel operator, there are seldom problems.
Only one homeless person has had to move out so far.
“We can't help everyone.
But we want to give everyone the chance, ”says Delattre.
In other cases it goes all the better.
She has now employed two of her guests as caretakers, says Delattre.
Another was recently placed in a permanent apartment.
"Of course that is the best that can happen."
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