Helping the homeless prepare for the cold season
In the larger cities in Thuringia, cold weather assistance for the homeless has begun. "The social welfare office is well prepared for the winter," said a spokesperson for the city of Erfurt. Weimar, Jena, Meiningen and Altenburg as well as Caritas in the diocese of Erfurt, which runs day shelters in Erfurt, Leinefelde and Eisenach, are also well prepared for the cold season.
In Erfurt, the "Restaurant of Hearts" run by the Protestant City Mission is due to open on December 6. In other municipalities, day shelters or similar offers provide support for cold days. The emergency overnight accommodation is generally well utilized, but there are still reserves in case of unexpectedly higher demand, according to the consensus.
No significant increase in the number of homeless people was observed in any of the municipalities surveyed. Only Erfurt reported a slight increase in emergency overnight stays by single women. In Meiningen, the occupancy rate of the emergency shelter has actually decreased in recent years, explained a spokesperson. The reasons for this are not known.
The social welfare office in various municipalities, including Erfurt, is actively preparing for the cold season to ensure adequate social affairs for the homeless. In Meiningen, despite decreasing occupancy rates in their emergency shelter, they remain prepared to accommodate additional individuals as needed.
Source: www.dpa.com
