30 people living together on 220 square meters. Around seven square meters per person. There isn’t much room for individuals. This is now a reality for 30 men who have fled from Syria and Yemen. They have been living in a two-family house in the Plieningen district of Landsham-Moos since Monday. Having fled wars and crises, they have now found a new home in the village of 302 people.
The fact that refugees should be accommodated in Landsham-Moos was not a decision that was made overnight. According to his own statements, the Mayor of Pliening, Roland Frick (CSU), was informed in October that two private houses in his community had been rented to accommodate a total of 32 asylum seekers. It remains questionable how many people will move into the second property when 30 people live in just one of the two houses. What to expect According to Frick, nothing further is known – only that there are plans to accommodate families in this house.
“People are afraid”
In order to inform the citizens about the current status and the developments regarding the accommodation of the refugees in Landsham-Moos, Mayor Frick invited to a citizens’ meeting last Friday. About 40 people were present. “People are afraid,” says Frick in a telephone conversation with the SZ. They would worry about what the influx of men from Syria and Yemen means for them and their families. But it doesn’t seem to be just concern for their own well-being that worries the residents. According to Frick, they are also wondering how the men could develop and integrate in such a small space – especially in such a rural area. Questions for which the mayor shows understanding: “It’s a break in community life,” he says.
An incision that is not only felt in the Ebersberg district. “The state asylum and refugee accommodation in Bavaria is close to full capacity,” says a written statement from the Bavarian Ministry of the Interior. With a total of around 216,600 asylum seekers and war refugees from Ukraine since the beginning of the year, the highest level since 2015 has been reached in Bavaria this year – the anchor center is overcrowded. Accordingly, there are currently no more free places available. The situation in the follow-up accommodation is also becoming increasingly tense.
A tension that has long since arrived in the Ebersberg district: the responsible authorities have long been overloaded and the capacities of accommodation have been exhausted. For the future, the Ministry of the Interior expects even higher numbers of new arrivals – to such an extent that the previous accommodation places will probably be completely occupied in the coming months.
The Ministry of the Interior has warned the counties and urban districts
A development that will not stop at the district borders – since the beginning of September the Ministry of the Interior has repeatedly prepared the districts and urban districts for the situation in the coming months and urged them to urgently acquire new accommodation in order to to accept asylum seekers. After District Administrator Robert Niedergesäß (CSU) had sought to stop admissions in October due to the overload, it was decided in mid-November to use the meeting room of the former savings bank building at the Ebersberg train station as refugee accommodation.
The 30 refugees who are now accommodated in Landsham-Moos were housed in the hall of the administration building on Kolpingstraße until they moved on Monday. Since another bus with 45 people is supposed to arrive in Ebersberg this Wednesday, it was necessary to move the men, according to the district office. The people, most of whom come from Turkey, are now to be accommodated in the former Sparkasse hall.
The gymnasiums are to be retained for school and club sports
So what’s next? Will the district office remain true to its position of not using the sports halls as refugee accommodation? If District Administrator Robert Niedergesäß has his way, yes. When asked by the district office, he said he was very committed to keeping the sports halls for school and club sports after the corona restrictions. In addition, due to refurbishment measures, among other things, only a few of the few halls owned by the district were still available. The use of the savings bank building should reduce the lack of space, but appropriate conversions are necessary to make this possible. In addition to the hall, where space has been created for 50 people, 120 more sleeping places could be created in the former offices, according to the plan of the district office. So far, however, there are still fire protection problems.
In order to make it easier for the districts and urban districts to provide accommodation for refugees, the Ministry of the Interior has suspended the guidelines on the type, size and equipment of communal accommodation and comparable decentralized accommodation for asylum seekers until further notice.
“In the current situation, it’s about being able to provide people with a roof over their heads,” said the press office of the district office. Ultimately, however, the occupancy in Landsham-Moos also corresponds to a “normal” occupancy in the context of asylum accommodation.
A fact that Plieninger Mayor Roland Frick sees differently. “30 people together in a two-family house are not responsible,” he says. But his hands are tied, after all the contract was signed by a private individual with the district. Nevertheless, he does not want to simply accept the situation. According to his own statements, he had arranged for a fire protection check and requested a possible change of use. The result is still open. “The district is facing a difficult situation,” he admits. Who knows what else is in store for Ebersberg.
What the district office already knows is that there is no end in sight to immigration in Ebersberg. The arrival of another bus with refugees is already planned for December 21st.
The district is particularly looking for larger buildings in which refugees can be accommodated. Developed plots of land on which containers could be set up would also be helpful. If you can help here, it is best to contact us by e-mail [email protected] to the responsible department in the district office.