"We're up to our necks in water": District Administrator Eder on the current refugee situation in the Lower Allgäu

Unterallgäu – The situation in the accommodation of refugees is not only precarious in the city of Memmingen (we report), but also in the district of Unterallgäu "it's up to its neck in water".

At the mayoral meeting on February 9, 2023 in Lachen, District Administrator Alex Eder gave an insight into the current refugee situation in the Unterallgäu district.

Eder explained to the 51 municipal representatives present how serious the topic is.

Because compared to the other federal states, Bavaria is currently at the bottom of the target fulfillment rates for the accommodation of refugees from the Ukraine.

So far, the focus of allocation has been on Lower Bavaria, but this is now shifting to Swabia – and thus increasingly to the Lower Allgäu.

In the Unterallgäu, the fulfillment rate (as of 01/2023) for Ukrainian refugees is 49.51 percent.

“We took in about 900 people.

Accordingly, 900 people would still have to be admitted,” Alex Eder pointed out to the mayors.

On the other hand, things don't look so bad when it comes to the asylum fulfillment rate: This is 89.18 percent and the district still needs to take in 180 people in order to bring this rate to 100 percent.

Current status of asylum accommodation

There are currently 71 shelters in total - 66 decentralized shelters and five community shelters and two emergency shelters.

The Unterallgäu district administrator also addressed the so-called “false occupiers”.

These include recognized refugees who continue to live in asylum accommodation because they cannot find their own living space.

You can't and don't want to simply “announce” these, says Eder.

It's more about finding a place to live.

As Eder further reported, 148 Ukrainian refugees are also housed in decentralized accommodation for which there is no extension after the end of the contractual rental period.

Eder was also concerned about two factors: the new leases from December 2022 to January 2023 in Tussenhausen (ten places), Ettringen (16 places), Babenhausen (26 places),

Not to mention all the private accommodation.

What happens when private individuals who have taken in Ukrainian refugees in their homes want to use their property themselves again?

Especially with regard to the fact that another 270 Ukrainian refugees are to arrive in the Unterallgäu district in the next few weeks and need to be accommodated.

communities at the limit

There were also appeals to colleagues from the mayors of Bad Wörishofen and Mindelheim, Stefan Welzel and Dr.

Stephen Winters.

"We feel left alone at the municipal level and are reaching our limits," says Mayor Stefan Welzel with an initial reception facility on site.

"We have over 100 nationalities in Bad Wörishofen and we can't mix the different ethnic groups," Welzel complains.

"We can't go on like this alone." In Bad Wörishofen, people are open and supportive, but the breaking point has been reached somewhere.

"It is important that we all show solidarity," was his appeal to his counterparts.

Mindelheim's mayor, Dr.

Stephan Winter: “Each of our municipalities has a certain integration power.

Look for larger buildings to house refugees

Each of the municipal representatives present was also asked to report larger, free-standing buildings in their municipality to the Unterallgäu district office as possible accommodation.

More articles on this topic:

• Memmingen: More refugees in urban accommodation than during the peak phase of the refugee crisis

• Increased allocation of refugees - district offices are sounding the alarm

• Housing wanted: Another 230 refugees from Ukraine expected in Unterallgäu

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