Tens of thousands of people fled to Baden-Württemberg before the war in Ukraine. The country’s initial reception facilities are therefore almost full. But accommodation for refugees is also becoming increasingly difficult in the cities in the south-west.
Stuttgart (dpa / lsw) – Baden-Württemberg’s cities are finding it increasingly difficult to provide sufficient accommodation for refugees. “The situation has worsened drastically in recent weeks,” said a spokeswoman for the Baden-Württemberg City Council in Stuttgart to the German Press Agency. Since experience has shown that more refugees will arrive in the cities in the fall, “an easing of the situation is not to be expected”.
In addition to the search for and the construction of buildings, difficulties are currently causing problems with the supply of equipment for the accommodation. Individual cities have problems getting furniture such as beds and cupboards, but also electrical appliances such as refrigerators and household items such as cutlery, said the spokeswoman for the city day.
According to the Ministry of Migration in Stuttgart, the state’s initial reception facilities have now reached their capacity limits. The initial reception is currently fully occupied with refugees from Ukraine and asylum seekers, despite almost doubling capacity and further expansion, said a ministry spokesman. “In the current situation, additional refugee accommodation and short-term emergency accommodation must be created again.”
The cities in the southwest are therefore also planning to use sports halls as accommodation for refugees again. “This will also have an impact on school and club sports,” said the spokeswoman for the city day. Refugees are already being accommodated in event and exhibition halls.
Due to the sharp increase in the number of refugees, the district council in the south-west warned of a “situation that, in terms of the extent of the refugee inflow and its dynamics, is now likely to even exceed the dimensions of 2015/2016”. The system for accommodating refugees in the country is “at the limit” despite further expansion, said the board’s chief executive officer, Alexis von Komorowski.
Various districts in the southwest have already started using the sports halls as accommodation. “Container solutions and other alternative accommodation options are also being explored,” said von Komorowski. According to the city day, there are often delays in container accommodation due to delivery problems.
According to the Ministry of Migration, around 116,500 people have come to Baden-Württemberg from Ukraine since the start of the Ukraine war on February 24 of this year. In addition, the country has already taken in around 15,000 more asylum seekers this year.
