Friday, 1 November
Cold relief season begins, homeless buses are deployed
Berlin’s cold buses will be back in operation from November 1st. They provide assistance services to the homeless population in the city, offering sleeping bags, food and warm drinks. The buses also take people to emergency accommodation that provides protection and, above all, warmth.
The buses will take people, if they are willing, to one of the 1,050 cold relief places available in Berlin this winter. Both city mission and the German Red Cross are expecting a significantly increased need this season due to the increased number of refugees in Berlin.
While the city mission organisation was previously able to place many homeless people in regular assistance systems, this is now hardly possible. An estimated three quarters of the homeless population have no legal entitlement to social benefits, mainly because they do not have a German passport.
One particular problem is locating shelter for people with limited mobility that require wheelchairs or walkers. “The fact that we cannot find places for these people this winter is a huge scandal that breaks my heart,” stated Ulrich Neugebauer, co-fonder of the cold bus at the city mission.
There is not a single barrier-free emergency shelter in Berlin and the facilities do not have the necessary staff to provide people with medical and nursing assistance. The consequence is that the cold weather buses usually have to leave people in wheelchairs on the street and can only provide care on site.
