Municipalities nationwide are reaching their limits when it comes to accommodating refugees. Local politicians say it’s a development that makes a statement: the federal and state governments should have expanded facilities long ago.
A gym, divided into 24 small plots, separated by plastic sheets, each three by three meters in size. There are beds there, there are sockets and lights. The town of Telgte in Münsterland has accommodated 45 people here, out of necessity because there is no other living space. The 110 apartments that the small town had already rented for refugees are full.
Wolfgang Pieper, the mayor of the city of 20,000, calls the situation unacceptable. Unacceptable for the people who often live here for several months without any privacy. Also unreasonable for the clubs and schools that have to forego their sports facilities. “But since we no longer have any other capacity and at the same time the allocation numbers are increasing, this was the only solution we could choose in the short term,” says the Green politician.
Bunk beds separated by plastic sheets: temporary accommodation in the gym in Telgte.
Municipalities at the limit
You want to help and at the same time you are at your limit, says Pieper, and he is not alone. All over Germany, municipalities are complaining that they have to take in more refugees than they have space for. Not only is there a lack of living space, but also daycare and school places, money and staff, says Gerd Landsberg, managing director of the German Association of Cities and Municipalities.
They also had to reactivate a gymnasium in Kevelaer, North Rhine-Westphalia – a second one could follow. By the summer, the state of North Rhine-Westphalia had allocated as many refugees as in the whole of last year, says the city’s mayor, Dominik Pichler.
This is a promising development because the state of North Rhine-Westphalia has not expanded its own facilities to the necessary extent, says the SPD politician. “And as is usual, it is then passed on to the next link in the chain. These are the municipalities – and they now have to see how they get along.”
Number of asylum applications increases by 78 percent
Nationwide, the number of asylum applications has risen sharply this year. From January to August 2023, 204,461 initial applications for asylum were made, data from the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees show. That is around 77 percent more than in the same period last year. In addition, there are the refugees from Ukraine, who are not included in the asylum numbers.
The Association of Cities and Municipalities sees the federal and state governments as having a duty. “We need more initial reception facilities from the states and also the federal government. And we want only those people who have the prospect of staying there to be distributed to the municipalities,” demands General Manager Landsberg. More money also needs to flow because in many municipalities the financial resources have been exhausted.
Concern about dwindling acceptance
In addition to the financial burden, the municipalities also fear the consequences for social interaction. In Telgte, the motivation among employees and volunteers remains high, despite all the difficulties, says Mayor Pieper. There is also a lot of understanding from the population. But how long?
“If a German family can’t find an apartment, but refugees are accommodated in apartments by the city of Telgte, then that raises questions. Then that creates points of friction,” says Mayor Pieper. “And of course I notice that the air is getting a little thinner when it comes to finding new locations to accommodate refugees and creating acceptance.”
In order to ease the situation, at least in the medium term, the city of Telgte is now building container housing complexes in various locations. But that also costs a lot of money. Money that the city doesn’t actually have.