Kehl The cold protection voluntarily offers homeless people protection from the elements again this winter. 15 people have already taken advantage of the offer in the four weeks before Christmas. There were a total of 211 overnight stays (as of December 19th).
“Achieve more together”
The quarters have five heated containers, each with three beds. Once again the Algeco company is providing the containers. Sparkasse Hanauerland, Volksbank Bühl and the Lotte and Dieter Klumpp Foundation each contribute 2,000 euros for ongoing operations. The Ortenaukreis subsidizes the Diakonisches Werk in the Ortenau Evangelical Church District to take on the locking services. Mayor Wolfram Britz praised the joint commitment to socially disadvantaged people at a joint on-site visit: “Together we can achieve more,” he is certain.
Nadine Jamieson, an employee at the Café Kanne social day care center in the parish hall of St. John Nepomuk Church, opens the containers for users in the afternoon. This is advantageous because she already knows many of the homeless people from Café Kanne. Homeless people can register for an overnight stay in the day care center, which has been in existence since 2021.
More women are taking advantage of the offer
There are 15 simple steel tube beds available on site, i.e. three per container. Two are reserved for women only. Their number is constantly increasing, notes Nadine Jamieson. “Four people have already stayed here since it reopened,” she reports. One of them, a woman from Moldova aged around 70, was in poor health when she arrived. Communication was difficult due to the language barrier. Diakonie employees looked after her at Café Kanne and ensured that she received medical care. After a few days, her condition had improved significantly and she was able to travel home independently.
The two employees of the Diakonisches Werk are impressed by how much the users pay attention to cleanliness in the accommodation. “Most of them are very tidy and clean their sleeping areas without us asking,” says Nadine Jamieson. But even though protection from the cold has become established among voluntarily homeless people in Kehl, some people choose not to take advantage of the offer, as Nadine Jamieson knows. Her persuasion doesn’t change that.
background
The cold protection quarter closes a gap for voluntarily homeless people in Kehl. Before the shelters existed, homeless people had to go to either Offenburg or Strasbourg for warm accommodation. In the last cold protection season, both the number of overnight stays (912) and the number of total users (36) increased compared to the previous year. In addition to the containers, Algeco also provides beds, mattresses and toilets. Socially acceptable dogs are also allowed to stay overnight. The containers will be opened from 2 p.m. On weekdays, overnight guests must leave their accommodation clean between 8 and 9 a.m. On weekends and public holidays, the cold protection shelter is open all day long.
2023-12-27 17:28:55
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