Increasing violence against homeless people: Marburg's SOS appeal is getting louder!

Increasing violence against homeless people: Marburg's SOS appeal is getting louder!

The situation for homeless people in Germany is becoming increasingly worrying. More and more people living on the streets are not only affected by extreme poverty, but also victims of violence. Recent reports show an alarming increase in attacks on homeless people. According to the police in Marburg, the brutalization of society is increasing, which is reflected in an increasing number of attacks on these vulnerable groups. Tagesschau mentions particularly aggressive incidents, such as the attack on 33-year-old Nick, who was pelted with firecrackers.

The numbers speak for themselves: While 53 attacks on homeless people were recorded in 2015, the number rose to 116 by 2022. By May 2025, the numbers are already in the mid double-digit range. “I no longer feel safe,” reports Nick, who spends his days in the Diakonisches Werk’s day care center and is sometimes even forced to arm himself. In Marburg, homeless people's tents are often the target of vandalism; many things are damaged or stolen. The contact points are calling for more vigilance and support from the population.

Call for more protection

The growing violence against homeless people is not an isolated incident. The Federal Ministry of the Interior also authorizes a worrying trend at the national level. In 2022, 2,122 crimes against people with the “victim characteristic of homelessness” were registered, a significant increase compared to the 1,560 cases in 2018. This development is alarming and shows that society is not only faced with taking the homeless into account, but also with protecting this group. Die Zeit reports that Susanne Hennig-Wellsow, a member of the Bundestag, is calling for more protection for these people.

The rise in rental prices in many cities is one of the main reasons for the loss of housing. In 2023, the share of housing costs in disposable income was already over a quarter, and for households at risk of poverty even almost half. Statista shows that at the beginning of 2024 there were around 532,000 homeless people living in Germany, including around 47,300 homeless people. At the time of the survey, over 65 percent of them had not had a permanent residence for more than a year.

Traumatized realities of life

Street residents often live in constant danger and witness violence. Many have had traumatic experiences and suffer from mental and physical illnesses, including addiction problems. However, there is also a downside: While some city dwellers try to help the homeless, there are also voices who

Demand bans on begging. This ambivalent attitude does not make the situation any easier for those affected and leads many to silently come to terms with their fate.

As Jens Schneider, a social worker in Marburg, emphasizes, many homeless people are afraid to report it, even if they have been the victim of a crime. “The fear of further attacks prevents them from seeking justice,” he says. The city administration of Marburg is trying to reduce the pressure on this tense situation by increasing police presence and raising awareness among the public order office. It remains to be hoped that such measures will help and that society will not carry on as if it were an everyday phenomenon that people live on the streets and are often harassed.