Homeless shelter in Gauting: Living between dirt and mold – Starnberg

When Peter B. surprisingly lost his room in a shared flat in Gauting within four weeks in December last year, he suddenly found himself without a roof over his head. It was not possible for the 31-year-old to quickly find a new place to stay in the area – also because he only earns 1000 to 1200 euros net per month as a restaurant manager. “So I went to City Hall and registered as homeless,” he says. A few days later he found himself in the community’s homeless shelter on Ammerseestraße – and could hardly believe his eyes. The rooms were so run down and dirty that the young man was disgusted. Nevertheless, in his emergency situation, he had no choice but to move in. “But I want to get out of here as soon as possible,” he says.

In this house at Ammerseestraße 14, the municipality of Gauting runs its homeless shelter.

(Photo: Franz Xaver Fuchs)

That’s only understandable. While the screams of children can be heard from the playground across from the elementary school, Peter B. sneaks down the stairwell to his room in the morning. He doesn’t want to wake up any of the other four residents. It smells of cigarette smoke and urine, advertising newspapers lie on the floor in the hallway. When Peter B. arrived last year, he found neither a bed nor a table – only a broken closet and a small sofa on which he curled up to sleep was in his room. The kitchen he has to share with a drug addict roommate has only a leaking sink and two broken stovetops. The men cannot prepare hot meals. In addition, the water heater is broken, only cold water comes out of the tap. “It’s so dirty that I don’t even use it to brush my teeth,” says Peter B. in disgust.

The walls are knee-deep in black mold, the only window in the room cannot be opened. A toilet that the residents of the three apartments on Peter B’s floor have to share – currently there are three men – is in the corridor. A shower and a bathtub for all residents of the house are in the basement. The sanitary facilities are regularly used by intruders as a public toilet – the front door is open day and night. How does the municipality regulate cleaning and maintenance? “The stairwell is cleaned once a week,” says the municipality. The lighting in this area and in the outdoor area is also checked once a week. Nothing else happens.

Social: Peter B. in his room that he furnished himself with furniture.  Originally there was only a broken closet and a small sofa in the room.

Peter B. in his room that he furnished himself with furniture. Originally there was only a broken closet and a small sofa in the room.

(Photo: Georgine Treybal)

Social: The sink is leaking.  Some of the walls are knee-deep infested with mold.

The sink is leaking. Some of the walls are knee-deep infested with mold.

(Photo: Georgine Treybal)

Social: All residents have to share the bathroom in the basement.  Because it is accessible day and night, it is regularly used as a public toilet by intruders.

All residents have to share the bathroom in the basement. Because it is accessible day and night, it is regularly used as a public toilet by intruders.

(Photo: Georgine Treybal)

Peter B. leads into the bathroom. About five weeks ago there was a loud and bloody argument between residents and intruders, the sink was torn out of the wall. Only a few days ago, the municipality had the shared bathroom cleaned up, and there is now a note on the door saying it cannot be used. “I can’t shower like a normal person,” complains Peter B. “I can’t prepare a warm meal. I can’t even lock my room.” The certainty that not even his approximately 20 square meters of privacy and his belongings, which he has stowed in a backpack, are private and safe stresses him.

Peter B. has had depression since he was young and takes antidepressants. He currently does not have the strength to go about his everyday life every day – let alone take care of a part-time job and an apartment. He needs support, “everyone here needs it,” he says. “But they just leave you here.” With the he means the community. When asked to what extent the municipality looks after the residents, the town hall said: “The accommodated are regularly invited to appointments in the regulatory office.”

Social issues: The bathroom in the basement was destroyed in a dispute a few weeks ago and has been unusable ever since.

The bathroom in the basement was destroyed in a dispute a few weeks ago and has been unusable ever since.

(Photo: private)

Since 2017, the municipality has been using its own property as accommodation for the homeless. A total of eight apartments, each with two rooms, are available. The accommodation is almost never fully occupied. In the past four years, four men, two women and four families or couples have been accommodated. “It’s inhumane,” says Heiko Braun. The man from Gautingen has been on the municipal council for the Greens for almost a year and met Peter B. at an event at the Condrobs meeting place. Since then he has regularly warned about the conditions in the accommodation.

Mayor Brigitte Kössinger (CSU) confirmed a need for action in the most recent municipal council meeting. However, it is less about whether the equipment is reasonable. On the contrary, in 2021 the administrative court dismissed the lawsuit brought by a homeless couple against the accommodation on Ammerseestraße. No, it’s about fire protection, which no longer meets current requirements. Therefore, a new accommodation is already planned, but there is currently no money for it. “That was pushed to next year,” says Braun. The house on Ammerseestraße would have to serve as emergency accommodation for at least a year. “That’s not an option,” says Braun, who advocates an interim solution and has suggested a site visit with the local council. “After all, this is not Berlin-Neukölln here, we live in one of the richest districts in Germany.”

The municipalities in Bavaria are legally obliged to eliminate “homelessness as a disturbance of public safety and order”. The municipality in which the affected person becomes homeless is responsible for housing the homeless. “Homeless people should primarily be housed in community-owned accommodation or in accommodation available to the community (rented apartments, guesthouses or inns),” the text of the law reads.

In view of the shortage of real estate and fluctuating demand, many communities are switching to cheap guesthouses or renting containers. “Why doesn’t Gauting do that?” asks Heiko Braun. Or do neighboring communities work together to provide accommodation: one provides the living space, while the other takes care of the care of the residents by a social agency?

Social: The ceiling light in Peter B's room is missing.  Instead, the power connections protrude from a hole in the ceiling.

The ceiling light in Peter B’s room is missing. Instead, the power connections protrude from a hole in the ceiling.

(Photo: Georgine Treybal)

Social: The walls are porous, the plaster is crumbling in many places.

The walls are porous and the plaster is crumbling in many places.

(Photo: Georgine Treybal)

Social: The ceiling in the toilet is dilapidated.

The ceiling in the toilet is dilapidated.

(Photo: Georgine Treybal)

Peter B. has put some order in his room in the past few weeks. He filled the holes in the wall with putty, got rid of the dirty PVC floor and put a mattress on the wooden floor. He also organized a small floor lamp because there is no electric light in the room. He has placed a table and a chair in the corner by the window, where he sometimes plays his keyboard. Otherwise, he deliberately does not keep any personal items in the accommodation, he has put his cat with friends. “I don’t want them here in the dirt.” The young man tries to spend as little time as possible in his room in the homeless shelter and usually goes to the Condrobs addiction counseling center in Gauting in the morning. Here he can shower for free and eat cheaply – and draw hope. Above all, he feels like a human being here.

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