Newsletter 121 of January 21, 2023

Action alliance against housing shortage and urban degradation, newsletter 121

WHO CAN HELP:

SIX HEADS NEED A HOME!

The Winands family is homeless.

The city wants to deport them to a shelter in Ehrenfeld.

But the Winands are at home in Porz, where their children go to daycare and school.

The city does not want to rent anything, but is willing to pay the costs for a temporary accommodation – so it is not because of the money!

We ask all readers to look for a suitable apartment with us.  Also an accommodation for only a few days is helpful.

You can reach us at

r.kippe@icloud.com

gerigk.kalle@gmx.de

winands.jaqueline@gmail.com

Please forward!

Starting Monday, January 23, 2023, we will meet every weekday at 12 o’clock for a vigil in front of the City Hall on Alter Markt – until the Wienands family has a suitable apartment.

Social department head Dr. Rau occasionally defends himself against the accusation that the city is doing nothing, which no one has ever made. In fact, we are always concerned that the city stands by its publicly made promises. And not just when it comes to building housing.

With two expert colloquia on the sustainable fight against homelessness, the social department has publicly committed itself to Housing First. As we have repeatedly criticized, this only means supplementing the Cologne assistance system for homeless people, not replacing this assistance system with Housing First. This assistance system is neither suitable for increasing the life expectancy of those affected nor for preventing the annual increase in the number of homeless people.

https://www.stadt-koeln.de/artikel/71903/index.html

The City’s press release of January 17,2023 violated its duty to protect the Winands family at risk of homelessness. How can it be that the City does not publicly and honestly address its errors and omissions in dealing with this family and instead blames this family for their plight?  How can it be that a city allows forced evictions into homelessness?

https://www.stadt-koeln.de/politik-und-verwaltung/presse/stadt-macht-familie-zusaetzliches-angebot

In doing so, the city is participating in the devaluation of homeless people. As is to be learned today from the city indicator, Mrs. Winands defends itself against it with a criminal complaint. In a publication of the Federal Center for Political Education on prejudice and discrimination against homeless people, it states:

“Homeless people need a lobby, but they also need to be encouraged to join together and resist exclusion and stigmatization. Their ‘natural allies’, namely social workers working in the field of homelessness, have to deal self-reflexively with their own images of their clientele. Often, a deficit logic prevails here as well, which does not perceive those affected as acting subjects and thus generates further exclusions. With the perception of the political mandate of social work and an association of politicians who are open-minded towards the target group, media representatives, civically engaged citizens and the people affected themselves, it could be possible to create new and individual images of homeless people – with all their problems, but also existing abilities and resources.”

https://www.bpb.de/shop/zeitschriften/apuz/270886/unangenehm-arbeitsscheu-asozial/

The Cologne media were on the side of the Winands family this week

Cologne family without an apartment: court criticizes city

The housing of homeless people by the city of Cologne is illegal in many cases. This was decided by the Cologne Administrative Court in summary proceedings.

https://www1.wdr.de/nachrichten/rheinland/koeln-obdachlose-unterbringung-gericht-stadt-100.html

Cologne Administrative Court rejects family accommodation

https://www.rundschau-online.de/koeln/porz/gremberghoven/verwaltungsgericht-koeln-weist-familien-unterbringung-zurueck-395802

Eviction case of Cologne family could change controversial city practice

https://www.express.de/koeln/koeln-familie-droht-zwangsraeumung-wegen-mietschulden-397387

JOBCENTER DID NOT PAY RENT Mother of five evicted!

City wanted to put family in homeless shelter even though court banned it

https://www.bild.de/regional/koeln/koeln-aktuell/koeln-fuenffach-mutter-zwangsgeraeumt-weil-jobcenter-miete-nicht-zahlte-82587384.bild.html

Eviction protest and tears – Cologne family must leave apartment

https://www.ksta.de/koeln/erfolgloser-protest-wohnung-von-familie-aus-koeln-zwangsgeraeumt-398491

City evicts apartment of family with five children

https://www.rundschau-online.de/koeln/porz/gremberghoven/koeln-gremberghoven-stadt-raeumt-wohnung-von-familie-mit-fuenf-kindern-399069

Forced eviction tearful farewell for Cologne family, but now there is great hope

https://www.express.de/koeln/koeln-familie-muss-nach-zwangsraeumung-in-notunterkunft-398547

WDR local time from minute 12:

https://www1.wdr.de/fernsehen/lokalzeit/koeln/videos/video-lokalzeit-aus-koeln—2266.html

Eviction of family from Porz raises questions

Cologne family still without an apartment – social department head criticized

https://www.ksta.de/koeln/zwangsraeumung-von-familie-in-koeln-kritik-an-sozialdezernent-402855

Six heads are looking for a home

Family files criminal complaint against city of Cologne because of sensitive information

https://www.ksta.de/koeln/porz/gremberghoven/zwangsraeumung-familie-zeigt-stadt-koeln-an-404840

Cologne family homeless after eviction – charges filed against city

https://www.express.de/koeln/koeln-streit-zwischen-familie-und-der-stadt-eskaliert-anzeige-404621

Housing emergency – the end of the social city

“This is how you can destroy Cologne.” When Franz-Xaver Corneth, chairman of the Cologne

Mieterverein, gets rolling once, stopping is difficult. But in his view, there are

also weighty reasons, which drive the wrinkles on its forehead: ?Which we experience at the moment, is the end of the social city Cologne ?, say it and mean thereby in particular the lining up political resolutions of the advice to the regional plan.”

“As of now, 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)

Misappropriation of residential space in Cologne

The 9th semi-annual report of the city of Cologne

In 441 cases, the city initiated proceedings to return the apartments to the housing market – 306 times due to misappropriation through short-term rentals and 115 due to vacancies.

https://ratsinformation.stadt-koeln.de/getfile.asp?id=913359&type=do

Tenants’ association Cologne warns against council decision

“Social upheavals such as we have never had in Cologne before”.

https://www.ksta.de/koeln/koeln-mieterverein-warnt-vor-sozialen-verwerfungen-402776

On the background:

Werner Rügemer: Housing shortage in Germany and necessary measures

Philipp Metzger: Exploitation of a tenant nation

How the current situation on the German housing market was created.

https://www.nd-aktuell.de/artikel/1120894.wohnungsmarkt-verwertung-einer-mieternation.html

Tenants’ association deplores sharp increase in index rents

More and more real estate owners apparently want to take advantage of the high inflation. The tenants’ association is now calling for a ban on index rents, which are based on price increases. But Justice Minister Buschmann is refusing to budge. https://www.spiegel.de/wirtschaft/inflation-mieterbund-beklagt-starke-zunahme-von-indexmieten-a-6346c9d5-2ed8-4070-bce3-dc69633f9749

To the memory

The 1st expert colloquium on the sustainable fight against homelessness

In which much was said about the common good orientation of Cologne’s housing policy:

https://www.stadt-koeln.de/artikel/71903/index.html

Constitutional complaint against the NRW Assembly Act.

On January 4, various people from different groups filed a constitutional complaint against massive restrictions on freedom of assembly in NRW. At the same time, an application for a temporary injunction was filed so that parts of the Assembly Act would be temporarily suspended.

https://freiheitsrechte.org/ueber-die-gff/presse/pressemitteilungen-der-gesellschaft-fur-freiheitsrechte/pm-vb-nrw

https://freiheitsrechte.org/themen/demokratie/vb-versammlungsrecht-nrw

To read

The legacy of the American urban sociologist Mike Davis (1946-2022)

The legend of social housing

http://www.berlinerhefte.de/pages/02_legende_de.html

Homelessness

https://www.bpb.de/shop/zeitschriften/apuz/270892/wohnungslosigkeit/

Broadcasts, reports, news

Young Green throws pensioner out: Crazy about own needs

A 68-year-old woman has to move out of her apartment in Kreuzberg, so that a young greenhorn from Munich can move in. He has big plans.

https://taz.de/Nachwuchsgruener-wirft-Rentnerin-raus/!5906627/

How a group of left-wing journalists made a big deal with a Berlin property.

https://www.spiegel.de/panorama/berlin-kreuzberg-wie-linke-journalisten-den-grossen-deal-mit-einer-immobilie-machte-a-f13e7c9c-3c58-427b-9430-b1c3cb50afce

Of all things, a left-wing owners’ association is planning to sell its apartment building to an investor. The tenants protest.

https://taz.de/Verdraengung-in-Berlin-Kreuzberg/!5889000/

Tenants’ association on social housing: “This is a construction error”

Ulrike Hamann of the Berlin Tenants’ Association criticizes the subsidy system for social housing. The general public must benefit in the long term, she says.

https://taz.de/Mieterbund-ueber-sozialen-Wohnungsbau/!5904576/

Housing crisis in Germany: redistribution from the bottom to the top

The demanded special fund for housing construction is unrealistic. It needs a new public utility in housing construction.

https://taz.de/Wohnraumkrise-in-Deutschland/!5905211

Hidden racism in renting – Cologne must become sensitive

Reminder: Volt is campaigning with “housing like in Vienna” and now this:

Volt with question: build apartments smaller in Cologne?

Dates

21.01.2023, 2 p.m., #IchBinArmutsbetroffen, Breslauer Platz.

21.1.2023, 8 p.m., “Ithaka” – Film and discussion about the fight for Julian Assange.

Cinema 813 in the BRÜCKE, Hahnenstraße 6, 50667 Cologne.

23.01.2023, 12 p.m., vigil apartments for all, Alter Markt in front of the city hall

24.01.2023, 12 o’clock, vigil apartments for all, Alter Markt in front of the city hall

25.01.2023, 12 o’clock, vigil apartments for all, Alter Markt in front of the city hall

26.01.2023, 12 o’clock, vigil apartments for all, Alter Markt in front of the city hall

Jan. 26, 2023, 7 p.m., Sharing Power Fairly. Karl Rahner Academy

https://www.karl-rahner-akademie.de/programm/kurs/Drei-Generationen-im-Gespraech-Macht-fair-teilen/23106

01/27/2023, 12pm, Housing for All vigil, Alter Markt in front of City Hall.

01/27/2022, 6:30pm-2pm, Enough is Enough. Against rising prices and social imbalance. Kulturbunker Mülheim.

31.01.2023, 7 p.m. 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/

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 21, 2023

Klaus Jünschke and Rainer Kippe

PS

Call for donations

To further improve our public relations, we need money:

Donation account MachMit! e.V.  IBAN: DE53370501981011342704

Intended purpose: Aktionsbündnis

*** Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version) ***

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