Dresden (dpa / sn) – Before the refugee summit by Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD), Saxony’s district council warned of bottlenecks in the accommodation of refugees. “It is becoming increasingly difficult to find acceptable and suitable accommodation at all,” said Deputy Managing Director Veronika Müller of the German Press Agency. All districts have the same goal of avoiding emergency solutions as long as possible. Gymnasiums in particular should not be occupied if possible. “The challenge also lies in not just finding a place to live, but suitable living space with the appropriate infrastructure and which also finds the necessary acceptance among the population,” emphasized Müller.
For a long time, the district administrators have pointed out that the housing situation is getting worse. Müller called for stronger border controls, accelerated asylum procedures and the deportation of rejected asylum seekers. Overall, the federal government needs more support for the accommodation of refugees. The federal government is late, but has now apparently recognized the problems faced by the municipalities, Müller told the “Sächsische Zeitung” (Wednesday).
In her opinion, what is needed is a “housing offensive” made up of federal property and full reimbursement of the accommodation costs by the federal government, since it has an influence on the number and length of stay of refugees. In addition, the districts needed financial compensation for the necessary staff.
On Thursday, Federal Interior Minister Faeser wants to speak to representatives of the federal states and local authorities about the challenges of accommodating and caring for refugees.
