State decides on new refugee accommodation in Gera
The former Wismut hospital in Gera is to house refugees again next year. The new accommodation is intended to temporarily relieve the overcrowded initial reception facility in Suhl in 2024, announced Georg Maier (SPD), the new Interior Minister responsible for migration, on Tuesday. The former women's clinic of the Wismut Hospital in Gera-Ernsee is expected to be able to take in the first refugees in January and offer 200 places.
Temporary relief
However, Gera is not a new initial reception facility, as there will be no registration or medical examination of asylum seekers there, the minister clarified. The refugee accommodation there is intended to relieve the initial reception facility in Suhl in the short term for a period of one year. However, this is only a first step. In order to permanently alleviate the refugee accommodation situation, further accommodation options would have to be sought in the medium term. The state is in talks with the municipalities and districts in this regard.
Initial reception in Suhl under scrutiny
The migration situation is challenging, emphasized Maier. On average, 20 asylum seekers and 20 Ukrainian refugees arrive in the Free State every day. The initial reception center in Suhl currently accommodates 1328 asylum seekers, the Eisenberg branch 137 and Hermsdorf 650 refugees. There are currently 2254 places available at the three locations.
The initial reception in Suhl has repeatedly reached its capacity limits in the past. The question therefore arose as to whether Suhl would continue to be a suitable location in the future after the lease expires in 2026, said Maier.
The former women's clinic in Gera already served as refugee accommodation from 2015 to 2017. The building has been empty since October 2017. Until the sanitary facilities have been renovated, washing and toilet containers are to be set up in the courtyard. As the property is owned by the state, there are no rental costs. Maier also explained that Gera could be connected to the grid as quickly as possible. The total costs for the operation, management and care of asylum seekers in Gera in 2024 are expected to be just under 3.8 million euros. "The funding for this is in place."
Criticism comes from the AfD parliamentary group. Due to the ongoing overcrowding in Suhl, it is foreseeable that the use of the facility in Gera will not just be temporary, they said. It is to be feared that the accommodation will gradually be converted into a permanent solution.
From December 1, the Ministry of the Interior will be responsible for immigration and asylum law as well as the reception and accommodation of refugees. To this end, two departments from the office of Migration Minister Doreen Denstädt (Greens) will be transferred to Maier's department. Denstädt has been heavily criticized for her migration policy. Local authorities had accused the minister of a lack of communication, among other things. The Ministry of the Interior has now announced a new form of communication.
The government's decision to use the former Wismut hospital in Gera as temporary refugee accommodation in 2024 is aimed at alleviating the overcrowding at the initial reception facility in Suhl. To address the long-term refugee accommodation situation, the state is engaging in discussions with municipalities and districts to explore additional accommodation options.
Source: www.dpa.com
