Refugee accommodation in Harvestehude: closure causes excitement!

Refugee accommodation in Harvestehude: closure causes excitement!

In Hamburg-Harvestehude, the future of a refugee accommodation, which has become a new home for many residents in recent years, is currently being discussed. In June, six children from Afghanistan stood outside the facility, curiously watching as furniture was brought outside. One girl expressed the worrying thought that her family would soon have to move because the ground floor of the accommodation would become empty. The accommodation, which has been repeatedly criticized since it opened in an affluent area of ​​the city about ten years ago, has an eventful history behind it.

The last refugees moved out at the end of July 2023, and the building, which was renovated with major investments in 2015, is scheduled to be demolished this year. Already in 2014, over 5,000 migrants sought refuge in Hamburg, with 43 percent of locals skeptical about further admission. Despite these conflicts, Olaf Scholz, the then governing mayor, advocated for the accommodation to be located in Harvestehude. Residents, on the other hand, feared that accepting refugees would have a negative impact on the security and value of their properties.

A dispute is reopened

It now appears that the situation surrounding the accommodation on Sophienterrasse is far from over. The plan was to close in September 2024, but the social authority has now started discussions with residents to clarify the situation. 174 people currently live in the accommodation, including many families with children. In order to reduce the pressure to accommodate more refugees, we are urgently looking for space for more refugees, as the existing capacity is not sufficient.

The Left Party's refugee policy spokeswoman, Carola Ensslen, is demanding clarity from the Senate about the stressful situation of the refugees, and it was agreed that the discussions between the social authorities and the residents would take place in a protected setting. In Hamburg, refugee accommodation continues to be a challenge, there are already over 200 accommodations and ten more are planned to be added this year.

Growing needs – new accommodation in Klein-Flottbek

The increasing number of refugees has been particularly noticeable since the end of February 2022, when many people sought protection from the war in Ukraine. Hamburg has responded to this by setting up short-term interim locations. These also include permanently rented hotel locations that can be used as accommodation. According to the Hamburg social authorities, further developments are pending that will also address accommodation capacities.

However, the situation could worsen because the ongoing costs for accommodation are rising and the search for further options to accommodate the refugees continues. In Klein-Flottbek in particular, work is underway to create container houses for up to 144 refugees, where offers of help from the population are very welcome. It will be interesting to see what happens next on Sophienterrasse and whether a new compromise can be found.

In summary, it should be noted that refugee accommodation in Hamburg remains a dynamic and challenging issue. Whether and how the accommodation in Harvestehude will continue to exist remains to be seen, but what is certain is that the city must continue to accommodate refugees and great efforts are being made to find humanitarian solutions. Welt provides more information about this. NDR and [Hamburg.de].