Newsletter 122 of January 28, 2023



Winands family still waiting for a suitable apartment
https://www.express.de/koeln/obdachlose-familie-zwangsgeld-gegen-die-stadt-koeln-beantragt-418845

Housing shortage
On the past Sunday, 22.January 2022, the picture on Sunday on the sides 10 – 12 titelte: HOUSING EMERGENCY. In the Federal Republic 700,000 dwellings are missing.
Falling new construction figures: Federal Minister of Construction Geywitz considers the target of 400,000 apartments per year achievable in 2024 at the earliest
https://www.spiegel.de/wirtschaft/klara-geywitz-haelt-ziel-von-400-000-wohnungen-fruehestens-2024-fuer-erreichbar-a-f8ba0d08-468c-4add-849c-e30f5df8e11f
Real estate industry expects ten years of housing shortage
https://www.report-k.de/immobilienwirtschaft-erwartet-zehn-jahre-wohnungsnot/
The Cologne Round Table announced in July 2022 with its study “Equal Opportunities in the Housing Market” that Cologne lacks 86,008 apartments. https://www.rundertischkoeln.de/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Chancengerechtgkeit-auf-dem-Wohnungsmarkt.pdf (see p.20)
Although social inequality continues to increase and, as a result, the number of homeless people living on the streets, there is no evidence that the Council and administration are responding adequately to this need.
The Cologne City Council declared a “climate emergency” on July 9, 2019, confirming that mitigating climate change is a high priority in city policy and must be fundamentally considered in all decisions in the future.
https://www.stadt-koeln.de/artikel/69223/index.html
If the city has already failed for years to meet its self-imposed goals of building 6,000 homes a year, it is overdue to declare a housing emergency.
Getting the homeless off the streets and out of homeless hotels and other emergency shelters and into real housing is possible because over 5,000 apartments are vacant. They belong in seizure.
Further misappropriation of living space: “Home to go” alone offers 3,200 vacation apartments in Cologne. https://www.hometogo.de/
Air bnb has over 1,000 accommodations on offer in Cologne. https://www.airbnb.de/s/Cologne–North-Rhine-Westphalia–Germany/homes?adults=2
In Tübingen, vacation rentals are no longer tolerated in residential areas. https://www.tuebingen.de/amtliche_bekanntmachungen/2022-03-14_satzung_ueber_das_verbot_der_zweckentfremdungvon_wohnraum_zweckentfremdungsverbotssatzung.pdf
The increase in homelessness as a result of evictions can be stopped by imposing a moratorium on evictions. One in two homeless people lost housing because of rent arrears.
There must be an absolute ban on the conversion of rental to owner-occupied housing. The eviction of elderly people from their homes where they lived for decades is an intolerable disgrace that must no longer be tolerated.
In a state of emergency, recourse must be had to the common good obligation of private property: Expropriation for compensation https://www.nachdenkseiten.de/?p=48543
One lever for rent increases is the so-called modernization apportionment. Modernization levies should be abolished.
A new non-profit housing association, as demanded by the Left Party in the Bundestag, could permanently create social housing and indirectly have a price-reducing effect on the commercial housing market.
https://www.nd-aktuell.de/artikel/1120894.wohnungsmarkt-verwertung-einer-mieternation.html
A city wants to build more apartments itself
In Mönchengladbach, investors are hardly building any apartments because of high interest rates and maerial costs, and this could continue for years. Now the city wants to take action – and also introduce a quota for social housing.
https://rp-online.de/nrw/staedte/moenchengladbach/bauen-kaufen-wohnen/moenchengladbach-stadt-will-mehr-wohnungen-selbst-bauen_aid-83169891
Construction Minister Geywitz is sticking to the 400,000 apartments per year target and estimates that the actual need is even higher.
https://web.de/magazine/politik/bauministerin-klara-geywitz-exklusiv-interview-mantra-bauen-umbauen-umnutzen-37738942

Seventh Overview of Housing Exklusion 2022
https://www.feantsa.org/public/user/Resources/reports/2022/Rapport_Europe_GB_2022_V3_Planches_Corrected.pdf

In order for more affordable housing to be built in Cologne, GAG must be given land. The fact that Stadtwerke and Moderne Stadt, as wholly owned subsidiaries of the city, do not have a non-profit orientation must be corrected. For them, too, the leasehold decision must apply to the construction of multi-story apartments.
Franz-Xaver Corneth, chairman of the Cologne Tenants’ Association: “As things stand, we already need 70,000 new apartments. But the council has obviously decided that Cologne is finished building,” he says. Which will lead to ever greater distortions in the urban society – those who can still afford the rents and those who are already at the limit.” (Kölnische Rundschau 20.01.2023, p.22)
On August 22, 2022, the Statistical Information Office of the City of Munich reported 1,578,667 inhabitants on the 310.7 kqm of the city’s territory. The city of Cologne counts a population of 1,072,306 with main residence in Cologne on its 405.01 kqm urban area on December 31, 2021.
Who knows why Munich, with almost 100 square kilometers less than Cologne, has over 500,000 more people?

Payment strike against energy prices
Electricity prices are too expensive! You can’t pay? You don’t want to pay? We do not pay. We are on strike!
3757 people have pledged to strike when we are 1 million.
Be there, declare your willingness to strike!
https://wirzahlennicht.info/

Winter aid telephones to protect against frostbite
Cologne Warmth Bus phone 0176 24071312 is only manned from 6pm – 11pm, say Friends of the Street, if you call out of hours.
https://fdks-obdachlosenhilfe.de

The Cologne winter help phone from the SKM is manned around the clock: 0221 56097310
https://www.skm-koeln.de/hilfe-in-groesster-not-das-winter-telefon-soll-hilflose-personen-vor-erfrierung-schuetzen/


Nachlese – In the Ferkulum 8
Our rally on December 22, 2022, which we reported on in newsletter 117, made a difference for Mrs. K and her son
https://www.express.de/koeln/wohnung-in-koeln-pia-kagelmacher-bekommt-hilfe-402111

To read
Extent and structure of homelessness – The Homelessness Report 2022 of the Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs
https://www.bmas.de/SharedDocs/Downloads/DE/Soziale-Sicherung/wohnungslosenbericht-2022.pdf
Seventh Overview of Housing Exclusion 2022
https://www.feantsa.org/public/user/Resources/reports/2022/Rapport_Europe_GB_2022_V3_Planches_Corrected.pdf

Broadcasts, messages, news
Housing First against homelessness
An interview with Kai Hauprich (Project Manager Housing First at the ecumenical Cologne homeless counseling center Vringstreff)
https://www.domradio.de/audio/ein-interview-mit-kai-hauprich-projektleiter-housing-first-bei-der-oekumenischen-koelner
Kalle in the interview: Crisis in the housing market !
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=riwluSKw_yg
Own need – life on the ejector seat
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o1cO8SZ2YGw
Dom-Radio interview with Linda
https://www.domradio.de/audio/ein-interview-mit-linda-rennings-gruenderin-heimatlos-koeln-e-v
Report-Mainz 24.01.2023
https://www.ardmediathek.de/live/Y3JpZDovL2Rhc2Vyc3RlLmRlL2xpdmUvY2xpcC9hYmNhMDdhMy0zNDc2LTQ4NTEtYjE2Mi1mZGU4ZjY0NmQ0YzQ
Out of fear on the street
Female, traumatized, homeless
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9sLe52lwBhY
Squatting in Frankfurt: Temporary free space
A squat in Frankfurt offers space to homeless people as well as active visitors. They are still tolerated, but construction work is to begin in April.
https://taz.de/Hausbesetzung-in-Frankfurt/!5907406/


Dates
28.01.2023, 20 Uhr Fim: THEY DON’T BREAK (LES CHIFFONNIERS D’EMMAÜS) About Abbé Pierre and the foundation of Emmaus
F 1955 – DF – 100 min. – b/w – 35mm Director Robert Darène
Special event – free admission! – Donations requested
Filmclub 813 e.V. Cinema 813 in der BRÜCKE, Hahnenstr. 6, 50667 Cologne, Germany
31.01.2023, 7 pm Werner Rügemer: What and who is behind Blackrock? Part 2
Friedensbildungswerk, Obenmarspforten 7-11, 50667 Cologne, Germany
31.01.23 an online conversation about an example of how urban development can also be done differently: “A center for all – inclusive neighborhoods in Hamburg-Altona” In the series “Every Tuesday 7 p.m. – an hour of building culture” of the HdAK (House of Architecture Cologne) https://www.hda-koeln.de/kalender/230131_hdak/

06.02.2023, 7 pm, next meeting of Recht auf Stadt, Alte Feuerwache, Open Meeting
09.02.2023, 14:30 Council

For a city without homelessness
For a city without evictions
For a city without drug deaths
For a city without violence against women and children
For a city without deportations
For a city without poverty
January 28, 2023
Klaus Jünschke and Rainer Kippe
https://wohnungsnot.koeln

PS
Call for donations
To further improve our public relations, we need money:
Donation account MachMit! e.V. IBAN: DE53370501981011342704
Intended purpose: Aktionsbündnis


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