Wednesday 27, March
Berlin’s refugee accommodation: 16 new locations planned
On Tuesday, the Senate made the decision to build 16 new container villages, with up to 6,130 places for refugees in Berlin, as reported by rbb.
The accommodation is to be built across 9 of Berlin’s twelve districts between 2025 and 2026. The smallest facility will have places for 150 refugees and the largest, 620.
According to Social Senator Cansel Kiziltepe (SPD), the planned accommodation will alleviate the need for short-term and emergency refugee housing. Green party leader Bettina Jarasch said on Tuesday that container villages, like the ones planned, are always preferable to mass accommodation centres, similar to those currently set up at Tegel.
Police are still investigating a fire at the Tegel refugee accommodation that broke out on Tuesday 12, March. While arson has been suspected, some officials (including the spokesperson for Berlin’s State Office for Refugee Affairs) believe the cause of the fire was simply down to overcrowding, and the camp’s general unsuitability for long-term housing.
