Hamburg Reduces 10,000 Refugee Accommodation Places Despite Opening New Facilities

Local authorities in the German city of Hamburg announced a reduction of more than 10,000 accommodation places designated for refugees during the current year.

This measure comes in parallel with the closure of several large centers that had been accommodating refugees, despite the start of constructing new facilities with limited capacity.

According to official data, the reorganization program includes building new accommodation centers on Tangstedter Landstraße in the Hamburg-Nord district and on Bockauer Straße in the Wandsbek district. These facilities are expected to provide a combined total of only about 800 new places by the end of the year.

At the same time, many temporary accommodation sites inside hotels previously rented by the city to house refugees are being dismantled, in addition to the closure of major centers in locations such as Schwarzenberg Square in Hamburg and the Überseering area north of the city.

The closure decision came in response to a parliamentary inquiry submitted by the Left Party bloc in the Hamburg state parliament.

In a development that sparked widespread controversy, January saw the sudden closure of a shelter for refugee women affected by violence in the Altona district, citing the need for urgent renovation work at the initial reception center. This prompted MP Carola Ensslen to criticize the decision as a breach of trust and to call for the provision of an alternative shelter offering specialized protection for women.

In addition, the Hamburg Senate announced plans to close the women’s shelter on Logostraße in the Eppendorf district next July, raising further concerns about the city’s policy in managing refugee accommodation, especially for the most vulnerable groups.

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