Homelessness has risen over the last few years, thanks to an ongoing lack of affordable housing. Though exact figures are difficult to ascertain, the German government estimates that there are around 375,000 homeless people in the country, while the Federal Working Group on Assistance for the Homeless (BAG-W) puts the number at 600,000, some 50,000 of whom live on the streets. Those figures include anyone who doesn't have a rental contract or their own home. German authorities are obliged to provide emergency shelters for people living on the streets, but many opt to stay outside because such shelters often cannot guarantee either privacy or safety.
To combat the problem, the German government released a "National Action Plan" in late April to tackle what it calls the "mammoth task" of ending homelessness in the country by 2030 — the first time a German federal government has ever put together such a document.
The 31-point plan, published by the Federal Ministry for Housing, Urban Development and Building, offers ideas like giving money to state governments to build social housing, combating discrimination on the housing market, helping people get access to health insurance, and making counseling services more accessible.
To combat the problem, the German government released a "National Action Plan" in late April to tackle what it calls the "mammoth task" of ending homelessness in the country by 2030 — the first time a German federal government has ever put together such a document.
The 31-point plan, published by the Federal Ministry for Housing, Urban Development and Building, offers ideas like giving money to state governments to build social housing, combating discrimination on the housing market, helping people get access to health insurance, and making counseling services more accessible.
"More affordable housing is at the heart of the fight against homelessness," Germany's Social Democrat Housing Minister Klara Geywitz said in a statement. "The existence of this nationwide guideline was an explicit wish of civil society, the many people who care for homeless people."
How Germany plans to end homelessness
The German government has released a National Action Plan to eliminate homelessness by 2030. Homeless people and charities think the plan is admirable — but much too vague.
The government's new plan is an attempt to tackle that — but for the activists, it is little more than a statement of intent.
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