Berliner Stimmen - On housing for refugees in the capital

The housing crisis in Berlin continues to worsen. More and more people are on the search for an affordable flatbut there are simply not enough housing opportunities on offer. These conditions are particularly hard on people with limited financial resources who tend to be on the margins of society. People with refugee experiences especially have fewer and fewer opportunities to find a suitable home for themselves and their families in Berlin. The negative consequences are manifold: overcrowded accommodation, high costs for the general public, health restrictions for refugees and no capacity for integration services such as language lessons or job hunting. 

Between summer 2023 and spring 2024, we have therefore held over 60 interviews with key players in the field of housing for refugees in Berlin. These included committed individuals from politics, administration, civil society, the property industry and academia. They all shared their look at the current challenges and made suggestions as to how the crisis could be overcome (to the project). From this, project manager Julia Kaesemann has compiled a publication that summarises the key aspects of the debate, including

• the landscape of Berlin's refugee accommodation and its challenges
• the Berlin housing market, especially in the affordable price segment
• Various strategies for creating more living space
• Forms of discrimination against refugees on the Berlin housing market
• Special risks for vulnerable people in the area of housing
• the current difficulties of the Berlin administration in dealing with refugees
• the contribution, but also the needs of engaged civil society

The project was supported by the Open Society Foundation.