After heated weeks and debates about a planned refugee shelter in the Hamburg district of Klein Flottbek, the city is inviting people to an information event. Supporters of the Botanical Garden location are much more present.
Suddenly the criticism has died down. In recent weeks, a planned refugee shelter in the wealthy Hamburg district of Klein Flottbek has divided residents. At an information event on Thursday evening, the administration of the Hanseatic city explained its plans in detail to around 250 interested people – and was met with great approval.
Hamburg plans to build emergency accommodation in the visitor parking lot of the Botanical Garden in the second half of the year. Starting next spring, the two modular buildings will house up to 144 people, primarily families. After the plans became known, resistance quickly formed, criticizing the location as unsuitable. A solidarity group was then formed to support the accommodation.
The authorities’ statements showed how much pressure the administration is under to act. Space is one of the scarcest commodities in the city, said Petra Lotzkat, State Councilor of the Department of Labor, Social Affairs, Family and Integration in Hamburg: “We need every space!” Every week the city counts the spaces and is worried about capacity.
In May alone, Thomas Melchert, head of the refugee department, recorded 700 arrivals that the city had to accommodate. Although the seasonal increase is currently being delayed, this is no reason to be complacent. “The situation on the escape routes is anything but relaxed,” he stressed. As things stand, Hamburg will exceed its capacity in July. “There is a risk of acute homelessness,” he warned. Especially since acquiring real estate is becoming increasingly difficult. That is why the city is examining every possible location: “We have no choice.”
Hamburg currently has around 42,000 people in public accommodation, in February 2022 there were 27,500. The 250 locations in the Hanseatic city are permanently at 97 percent capacity, and 5,800 places will have to be created this year alone. “We will probably need emergency capacity to be able to cope with the situation,” said Melchert. For Klein Flottbek, the location at the Botanical Garden car park is the first accommodation in the district and is planned for five years. The city expects costs of ten million euros.
Equipped with self-painted flags, the citizens’ initiative “Flottbek is colorful” made its presence felt at the event and acknowledged every supportive contribution with loud applause. “Open your hearts,” said a resident of a refugee shelter in Lurup, promoting a welcoming culture.
She was very touched to see the often traumatized people arrive and how, over time, the smile returned to their faces. “I am glad that accommodation is taking place under better conditions today,” said a man born in 1948. He still remembers the queues in front of the toilet in his home because the family had to take in other refugees. He thinks the Botanical Garden is a good location.
When another speaker asked supporters to show their support by standing up, almost the entire hall was standing – many Klein Flottbek residents clearly want to welcome the refugees. “More could come,” said the resident about the 144 places in the emergency shelter in view of the high demand. The citizens’ initiative “Flottbek is colorful” is celebrating the solidarity with a neighborhood picnic this Friday in the Botanical Garden. Critics of the shelter, however, are planning to start a citizens’ or referendum, reports the “Hamburger Abendblatt”.
The supporters felt vindicated after the information event. “That was better than expected,” said Pia Noe-Runge happily. “It is shocking how great the need is and how little we are doing in this part of town.” It also showed how much work the city has to put in even for a relatively small accommodation facility. It is much more complicated than expected, observed Heidrun Wörle. “Some points were discussed frankly,” she praised. A lot of false information has been circulating in recent weeks and the administration has refuted criticism of the poor infrastructure in Klein Flottbek. From her point of view, nothing now stands in the way of the accommodation facility.