3-point plan against impoverishment at Hamburg's main railway station
Hamburg's Senator for Social Affairs Melanie Schlotzhauer (SPD) wants to take action against the impoverishment of people around Hamburg's main train station with a three-point plan. The 52-year-old announced this in an interview with "Welt am Sonntag" (Hamburg regional edition). Hamburg's main railway station and its immediate surroundings have increasingly fallen into disrepute in recent months due to the large number of homeless people and drug addicts. "The visible impoverishment around the main station and especially on the forecourt of the Drob Inn and in August-Bebel-Park represents a major challenge and stressful situation for the entire city," Schlotzhauer told the newspaper. Schlotzhauer wants to work with the homeless and drug help organizations to offer help to those affected. As a first measure, she has initiated top-level talks. "We are sitting at the same table with all those involved in the various support services around the main station - a total of more than 20 representatives, including the responsible district office in Mitte," explained the politician. The next meeting is scheduled for the beginning of January. According to Schlotzhauer, in future there will be a "social work coordination office" for the main station and the surrounding area. The office will ensure cross-system cooperation between drug and addiction support and homelessness assistance. "At the same time, it will improve links with government agencies such as the job center or the specialist agencies for homeless assistance," Schlotzhauer told the newspaper. The third measure is to create so-called sheltered housing for those affected in order to get them off the streets quickly. "We want to make these available to street social work in order to offer people in psychologically stressful situations a shelter for a limited period of time," reported the politician. "They should be able to calm down there and be approachable for help."
The three-point plan by Hamburg's Senator for Social Affairs Melanie Schlotzhauer aims to address the issue of homelessness at the main railway station. This includes collaborating with homeless and drug help organizations to offer assistance, setting up a "social work coordination office" for improved cross-system cooperation, and providing sheltered housing for quick removal from the streets.
Source: www.dpa.com
