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Most recently at Action Coalition
- Newsletter No 140 of 03 June 2023Action Alliance against Housing Shortage and Urban Degradation, Newsletter 140 Palmstraße 19Kalle Gerigk had announced a protest rally against the eviction in front of the house for June 1, 2023. To protect the property, the police were on site with a large contingent. For the protection of the people in the OMZ in Gummersbacher Straße one rarely saw such a posse.https://www.express.de/koeln/zwangsraeumung-von-koelns-aeltester-wg-in-der-palmstrasse-583035Cologne’s oldest residential community must move outhttps://www1.wdr.de/nachrichten/rheinland/koeln-aelteste-wohngemeinschaft-kuendigung-100.html Andre Salentin after the eviction of the OMZI am really sorry for my behaviorThat I mention here nowBut somewhere there is also a point before the endNow that the OMZ project is overand… Continue reading Newsletter No 140 of 03 June 2023
- Newsletter No 139 of 27 May 2023Action Alliance against Housing Shortage and Urban Degradation, Newsletter 139 Wednesday, May 31, 2023 OMZ Open Day.We live in a city where it is possible to spend a billion euros on the renovation of the theater and opera house, while social inequality increases and the poor become more and more and poorer. We live in a city where the police have counted 50 so-called drug-related deaths every year for 20 years. We live in a city that has been calling for a third women’s shelter for 17 years. The two women’s shelters had to turn away 600 requests from women… Continue reading Newsletter No 139 of 27 May 2023
- Newsletter No 138 of 20 May 2023Action Alliance against Housing Shortage and Urban Degradation, Newsletter 138 Protest rally before the meeting of the Social CommitteeThursday, May 25, 2023, 3 p.m., Theo Burauen Square, City Hall.One of the agenda items will deal with the SPD’s motion to protect families from homelessness, which was brought to the Council last Tuesday by the SPD, and which Elfi Scho justified in an impassioned speech, and which was referred to the Social Committee by the Council majority. The SPD expects that the council majority will reject this motion, since it calls into question the entire homeless policy as it developed in… Continue reading Newsletter No 138 of 20 May 2023
- Newsletter No 137 of 13 May 2023Action Alliance against Housing Shortage and Urban Degradation Newsletter137 Protest rally for homeless familiesMay 16, 2023, 3 p.m., Alter Markt in front of City Hall.In the council meeting, the SPD parliamentary group requests that the special situation of families in housing need be brought more into focus in Cologne’s homeless assistance system. The best interests of the child must be given priority in the provision of housing and support services:3.1.7 Motion of the SPD parliamentary group concerning “Be-and homelessness – providing housing for families in housing need.provide.” https://ratsinformation.stadt-koeln.de/getfile.asp?id=931700&type=doSince their eviction in January, the Wienands family has been living in a… Continue reading Newsletter No 137 of 13 May 2023
- Newsletter No 136 of 06 May 2023Action Alliance against Housing Shortage and Urban Destruction, Newsletter 136 Rally in front of the Real Estate Fair in the Gürzenich May 6, 2023 at 10 a.m. Last Saturday we stood in front of the villa of the landlords of the house Wallstraße 31, who are to lose their apartments because they are commercial premises. Neighbors of the Graf family in the Hahnwald villa district sympathetically followed our rally inviting the landlords to join us on the street. Rainer Kippe really did this with the tongues of angels and quoted from Article 14 of the Basic Law: “Property is an… Continue reading Newsletter No 136 of 06 May 2023
- Newsletter No 135 of 29 April 2023Action Alliance against Housing Shortage and Urban Degradation, Newsletter 135 Rally “We don’t want to lose our home! Submit a building application and prevent homelessness!” April 29, 2023, Im Hasengarten 11, Cologne-Hahnwald.About our rally for the tenants of the house Wallstraße 31 in Cologne-Mülheim, many reported, because the scandal is simply not to grasp. Tenants are being asked by the city of Cologne, where there is a housing shortage, to vacate their apartments because the landlord has failed to have the former hotel converted into a normal apartment building. That should have happened 11 years ago when the oldest tenant… Continue reading Newsletter No 135 of 29 April 2023
- Newsletter No 134 of 22 April 2023Action Alliance against Housing Shortage and Urban Degradation, Newsletter 134 Rally against arbitrariness of authorities22 April 2023, 11 a.m. , Wallstr.31, Cologne-MülheimIn Cologne, tenants are to leave their apartments after more than ten years because the landlords never registered the building as a residential building.https://www.express.de/koeln/wohn-posse-koelner-lebt-13-jahre-in-kneipe-jetzt-droht-aerger-553339andhttps://www.ksta.de/koeln/muelheim/muelheim-veedel/koeln-mietern-eines-hotels-droht-zwangsraeumung-554845Comments on the report of the Stadt-Anzeiger on facebook: Dirk Störck: And once again our “competent” city administration impressively proves that it does not work for, but against the citizens! Instead of intervening here helpfully once again only “negative decided” and “no discretionary scope” is shown! More citizen distance and work refusal does not go! Otti… Continue reading Newsletter No 134 of 22 April 2023
- Newsletter No 133 of 15 April 2023Action Alliance against Housing Shortage and Urban Degradation, Newsletter 133 Rally against vacancy and gentrification15.04.2023, 11 a.m., Rosenstr.7-9, 50678 Cologne, GermanyThe owner of the house Rosenstr.7-9 was forbidden to turn six apartments into three. The Express reported on February 24, 2022: “Apparently, the structural changes were carried out illegally despite the rejection of the building application. The building inspection office determined in January 2021 that building and statute law had been deliberately violated and that unlawful faits accomplis had been created, for which the builder had now subsequently applied for legalization.”https://www.express.de/koeln/wohnungen-in-koeln-wut-ueber-leerstehendes-haus-in-der-suedstadt-88646?cb=1681200045419Gentrification explained on wikipedia: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/GentrifizierungMichael Schleicher, head of the Cologne… Continue reading Newsletter No 133 of 15 April 2023
- Newsletter No 132 of 08 April 2023Action Alliance against Housing Shortage and Urban Degradation, Newsletter 132 Rally against forced eviction April 13, 2023, 9:30 a.m. Seidenstr. 4, Cologne-Mülheim.The language of property conveys who is in charge in the city.An excerpt from the bailiff’s letter of March 6, 2023 in this “foreclosure case”: “I will take possession of the property on Thursday, April 13, 2023, at 10:00 a.m.Even without any further court order, I am authorized to forcibly open locked doors and receptacles as well as break any resistance with the help of the police. You will not be authorized to enter the premises after possession has… Continue reading Newsletter No 132 of 08 April 2023
- Newsletter No 131 of 31 March 2023Action Alliance against Housing Shortage and Urban Degradation, Newsletter 131 The Wienands family and the minimum standards in housing for the homeless “We wanted justice and got the rule of law” (Bärbel Bohley). Contrary to the usual case law throughout Germany, the Cologne Administrative Court had ruled in January that the city of Cologne had to provide a homeless mother with five children with an apartment near her previous place of residence. The accommodation in a homeless hotel is not humane. The search for a suitable apartment should not fail because of money.The Higher Administrative Court of Münster overturned this… Continue reading Newsletter No 131 of 31 March 2023
- Newsletter No 130 of 25 March 2023Action Alliance against Housing Shortage and Urban Degradation, Newsletter 130 Housing Action DayOn March 25, 2023, initiatives against housing shortages are making their voices heard together in many cities across Europe. The demands include the abolition of homelessness, the immediate suspension of evictions and of electricity, gas and water cuts, consistent vacancy bans in cities and a nationwide rent cap.On this occasion, we will stand in front of two vacant houses on Saturday, March 25, 2023. The Aachener Str.240-244 in Lindenthal belongs like the Friedrich-Engels-Str.7 in Sülz to the Russian Federation. Come by and be there.https://www.housing-action-day.net/ Housing shortage in CologneIn… Continue reading Newsletter No 130 of 25 March 2023
- Newsletter No 129 of 18 March 2023Action Alliance against Housing Shortage and Urban Degradation, Newsletter 129 Rally against displacement, March 18, 2023, 11 a.m., Kornstr.4The home of the tenants* is in danger.With the help of notices of own need, the landlord wants to DISMISS the house in Karl-Korn-Straße 4 in Cologne’s Südstadt and thus snatches the people from 5 apartments their home of many years.March 16, 2023 by whThe Anno-Riegel was once part of the Stollwerck chocolate factory and was replaced with social housing and condominiums.The rent control for the social housing expired after 30 years at the end of 2021.In 2020, the building was sold… Continue reading Newsletter No 129 of 18 March 2023
- Newsletter No 128 of 11 March 2023Action Alliance against Housing Shortage and Urban Degradation, Newsletter 128 Rally against vacancy, March 11, 2023, 11 a.m., Neusser Str. 39In the house Neusser Str.39 only one apartment is still inhabited – by the owner of the house.The housing shortage in the city does not interest him.Again and again it was reported about it:13.02.2022Cologne million real estate turn in case ghost house – nevertheless no auction by order of the courthttps://www.express.de/koeln/immobilie-in-koeln-wende-im-fall-geisterhaus-8691204.12.2020Cologne ghost house Instead of auction for 1.6 million – now everything comes differentlyThe former butcher’s shop Kuske has been deserted for about ten years – only the owner of… Continue reading Newsletter No 128 of 11 March 2023
- Newsletter 127 of March 03, 2023Action Alliance against Housing Shortage and Urban Destruction, Newsletter 127 Rally against vacancy on March 4, 2023, Deutz-Mülheimer Str.168On Saturday, March 4, 2023 we will meet at 11 a.m. in front of the house Deutz-Mülheimer-Str. 168. On the other side of the street there should have been apartments long ago, but all that can be seen is a huge construction pit and half a shell that has not been worked on for years. We demand that the city brings the properties back into municipal ownership and commissions the GAG and cooperatives to build social housing there.The city leadership around Mayor… Continue reading Newsletter 127 of March 03, 2023
- Newsletter 126 of February 25, 2023Action alliance against housing shortage and city destruction, circular 126 Rally against vacancy on February 25 at 11 am, Glasstraße 6.The Left in the Ehrenfeld district council on 07 May 2018:“In the Ehrenfeld district alone, the houses Glasstraße 6, Hansemannstraße 49 and Senefelderstraße 74 have already been empty for years. This must be changed!Resolution:The administration is instructed to,(1) to convert vacancies that existed before the housing protection statute came into force into residential use by means of building bids in accordance with § 176 of the German Building Code (BauGB)(2) to issue building bans for the vacancies at Glasstraße 6,… Continue reading Newsletter 126 of February 25, 2023
- Newsletter 125 of February 17, 2023Action Alliance against Housing Shortage and Urban Destruction, Newsletter 125 Rally against vacancy: February 25, 2023 at 11 a.m. in front of the house Glasstr.6.Our tour through the vacancy in Cologne leads us after Friedrich-Engels-Str, 7 and Engelbertstr.37 to Ehrenfeld.Although in Cologne over 5000 dwellings stand empty, social departmental head Dr. Rau maintains that the housing market in Cologne does not permit it to accommodate the homeless in lockable single rooms and in dwellings. In view of the need and the misery on the street, this is not acceptable. The apartments, which have been vacant for years, must be requisitioned… Continue reading Newsletter 125 of February 17, 2023
- Newsletter 124 of February 10, 2023Rally against evictions and vacanciesand for the accommodationof all homeless people in lockable single rooms We insist on housing all homeless people in lockable single rooms. We insist on the conversion of all multi-bed rooms in the emergency shelters into lockable single rooms.To emphasize this, last Saturday we stood in front of the empty 80 apartments in Friedrich-Engels-Strasse for the last time for the time being. We will protest against the vacancy in the coming months on Saturdays from 11 am from week to week in front of other vacant apartments and houses.On Saturday, February 11, 2023 we will be… Continue reading Newsletter 124 of February 10, 2023
- Newsletter 123 of February 4, 2023Action alliance against housing shortage and urban degradation, newsletter 123 Rally against housing shortage and forced evictionsIn order to continue to make public in the urban society that the abolition of homelessness does not have to be a long-term matter, we will again stand in front of the house with the 80 vacant apartments in Friedrich-Engels-Strasse 7 on Saturday, February 4, starting at 11 a.m. But we will not stop there. Every Saturday we want to protest in front of another vacancy and demand the seizure and housing of homeless people. In Cologne, more than 5000 apartments are vacant.The Action… Continue reading Newsletter 123 of February 4, 2023
- Newsletter 122 of January 28, 2023Winands family still waiting for a suitable apartmenthttps://www.express.de/koeln/obdachlose-familie-zwangsgeld-gegen-die-stadt-koeln-beantragt-418845 Housing shortageOn 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 earliesthttps://www.spiegel.de/wirtschaft/klara-geywitz-haelt-ziel-von-400-000-wohnungen-fruehestens-2024-fuer-erreichbar-a-f8ba0d08-468c-4add-849c-e30f5df8e11fReal estate industry expects ten years of housing shortagehttps://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… Continue reading Newsletter 122 of January 28, 2023
- Newsletter 121 of January 21, 2023Action 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.… Continue reading Newsletter 121 of January 21, 2023
- Newsletter 120 of 13 January 2023Action Alliance against Housing Shortage and Urban Degradation, Newsletter 120Lockable single rooms for all those living on the streetAt the end of the year, two homeless people died in the Vorgebirgsstraße emergency shelter.Only report-k reported on it: “Two deaths in one day: Südstadt facility causes concern”.https://www.report-k.de/zwei-todesfaelle-an-einem-tag-suedstadt-einrichtung-bereitet-sorgen/The social administration has commissioned the Society for Innovative Social Research and Social Planning (Gesellschaft für innovative Sozialforschung und Sozialplanung, GISS) to conduct a survey on the living situation of homeless and houseless people in Cologne and to develop recommendations for action so that Cologne’s assistance system can be more needs-based.However, the Cologne City Council… Continue reading Newsletter 120 of 13 January 2023
- Newsletter 119 of 06 January 2023Action Alliance against Homelessness and Urban Degradation Abolish homelessness at lastA report by Hans Mörtter There is room!!! – I didn’t want to take photos. I was out early in the morning of 4 Jan with employees of the public order office around the cathedral area.The idea was to wake people up so that they would leave their night-time accommodation, which would “disturb” them during the day ….. I was impressed by the respectful and familiar way in which the public order officers dealt with each other.They know about each other and that it is like this every morning.“Every day… Continue reading Newsletter 119 of 06 January 2023
- Newsletter 118 of December 30, 2022Action alliance against housing shortage and urban degradation, circular 118 For a city without homelessnessFor a city without evictionsFor a city without drug deathsFor a city without violence against women and childrenFor a city without deportationsFor a city without poverty All year long these demands were at the end of our newsletters. In this last newsletter of the year, we have made it the headline because we need to act more decisively for this in 2023. Throughout the year, we have demonstrated in front of Council and Social Committee meetings for the placement of all homeless people in lockable… Continue reading Newsletter 118 of December 30, 2022
- Newsletter 114 of December 3, 2022Action alliance against housing shortage and urban degradation, circular 114 Substitute imprisonment – fighting against the poor, instead of fighting against poverty Those who are sentenced to a fine and do not pay go to jail. The women and men concerned were sentenced to a fine because the offenses they were charged with were more or less minor: minor property offenses, drug possession and driving without a ticket. Moderated by Martin Stankowski, Dr. Nicole Bögelein from the Institute of Criminology at Cologne University, Petra Hastenteufel from the OASE and former NRW Minister of Justice Dr. Peter Biesenbach provided information about… Continue reading Newsletter 114 of December 3, 2022
- Newsletter 111 of November 12, 2022Action alliance against housing shortage and urban destruction, newsletter 111 Voices of the homeless in the arena on Nov. 10, 2022 at 30 Years of Ass Huh: Melissa Linda Rennings and Rainer Kippe Moderator: Linda, on your sweater it says “Streetwork”, one can see directly what you do. You work on the streets with homeless people, especially with women and girls. What is the situation here in Cologne for women and girls on the streets? Linda: There are no statistics. The proportion of men is very high, that of women is small, but in recent years women have caught up.… Continue reading Newsletter 111 of November 12, 2022
- Newsletter 110 of November 5, 2022Action alliance against housing shortage and urban degradation, circular 110 Drug addiction and homelessness VISION e.V.. the Cologne association for accepting drug work, celebrated the Memorial Day for deceased female drug users for the 25th time on July 21, 2022. “Female drug users possess a right to human dignity just like all other people. They do not have to earn it by becoming abstinent and conforming.”https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akzeptierende_Drogenarbeit A total of 1,190 women and men died in Cologne in the past 25 years as a result of their use of illegalized substances. For us 1,190 are more than clear arguments for a… Continue reading Newsletter 110 of November 5, 2022
- Newsletter 106 of October 8, 2022Action alliance against housing shortage and urban degradation, newsletter 106 “Reker is not interested in building”. – is the title of the interview with Daniel Arnold in the business section of the Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger on page 9 of October 7, 2022. In view of the housing shortage, the chairman of the supervisory board and shareholder of “Deutsche Reihenhaus AG” also claims “You can’t win an election with housing.” The Stadtanzeiger simply lets this pass – instead of reminding who all from the profit-oriented Cologne housing industry campaigned for the election of Ms. Reker as OB. In the interview, Mr. Arnold… Continue reading Newsletter 106 of October 8, 2022
- Newsletter 105 – 01 October 2022Action Alliance against Housing Shortage and Urban Degradation, Newsletter 105 Winter Aid 2022/2023 Happy 80th birthday to Günter Wallraff. Last year he was with us at the beginning of December on the station forecourt. The three-day overnight stay with homeless people was intended to draw attention to the situation of the homeless and to urge the city to house all homeless people in lockable single rooms. Exemplary this made the small association Helping Hands Cologne registered association, which accommodated over 30 homeless ones for the second winter in consequence in a youth hotel. Two of these homeless people also spoke… Continue reading Newsletter 105 – 01 October 2022
- Newsletter 104 – 24 September 2022Action Alliance against Housing Shortage and Urban Degradation, Newsletter 104 Housing shortage in Cologne – Greens, CDU and Volt let it happen If you want to prevent homelessness, you have to stop forced evictions. Current figures from Cologne: in 2020, there were 1,728 evictions and in 2021, 1,589 apartments were evicted.https://berichte-landtag.nrw.de/uploads/345/KA%20345.pdf The Rosa-Luxemburg-Gesprächskreis Sülz-Klettenberg (Cologne) in cooperation with Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung NRW invited to an event on the topic of housing shortage at Café Lamertin on 20.09.2022. Speakers were Michael Weisenstein, council member for Die Linke and Kalle Gerigk from “Recht auf Stadt”.https://nrw.rosalux.de/veranstaltung/es_detail/26NBT/wohnungsnot-in-koeln-%E2%80%93-was-kann-die-stadt-tun?cHash=d2f1090cc18ef70648cb5442e54d902e Mayor Reker agreed on the Cologne Housing Alliance with… Continue reading Newsletter 104 – 24 September 2022
- Newsletter 104 -24 September 2022Action Alliance against Housing Shortage and Urban Degradation, Newsletter 104 Housing shortage in Cologne – Greens, CDU and Volt let it happen If you want to prevent homelessness, you have to stop forced evictions. Current figures from Cologne: in 2020, there were 1,728 evictions and in 2021, 1,589 apartments were evicted.https://berichte-landtag.nrw.de/uploads/345/KA%20345.pdf The Rosa-Luxemburg-Gesprächskreis Sülz-Klettenberg (Cologne) in cooperation with Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung NRW invited to an event on the topic of housing shortage at Café Lamertin on 20.09.2022. Speakers were Michael Weisenstein, council member for Die Linke and Kalle Gerigk from “Recht auf Stadt”.https://nrw.rosalux.de/veranstaltung/es_detail/26NBT/wohnungsnot-in-koeln-%E2%80%93-was-kann-die-stadt-tun?cHash=d2f1090cc18ef70648cb5442e54d902e Mayor Reker agreed on the Cologne Housing Alliance with… Continue reading Newsletter 104 -24 September 2022
