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Homelessness in Germany on the rise

November 11, 2019

Homelessness levels rose in Germany by almost 30,000 people between 2017 and 2018, according to new figures. The situation is even worse for those from migrant backgrounds.

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A homeless woman in Berlin
Image: DW/Shamsan Anders

The number of homeless people in Germany rose by more than 4% between 2017 and 2018, according to new government figures.

Some 678,000 people in 2018 did not have permanent accommodation, up from 650,000 in 2017, according to Germany's BAG, a nationwide consortium aimed at helping the homeless. Of that number, 41,000 are out on the streets.

"Compared to the previous year 2017 this means an increase in the total annual figure of 4.2%," Werena Rosenke, head of the BAG, said on Monday.

Read more: Opinion: Berlin Wall's fall did little to help Germany's guest workers

Additionally, the increase in homelessness for Germans with a migrant background was much more dramatic than in Germans who are not migrants.

Among those with without a migrant background, homelessness levels went up by 1.2%, compared to 5.9% among those with a migrant background.

According to Rosenke, factors that may have led to this state of affairs include the decrease in affordable housing, cuts in social housing and rises in poverty levels.

ed/ng (Reuters, KNA)

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