Offenbach: Out of the emergency shelter

• fromFabian Scheuermann

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After an increase in staff, the CariJob advice center is again providing people in Offenbach emergency accommodation with more living space this year

On a daily average, over 500 people in Offenbach who do not have a regular roof over their heads need emergency accommodation – these are either communal accommodation provided by the city or the simplest hotels that are rented. It has to be rented constantly, as the capacities in the Offenbach communal facilities are still insufficient despite an expansion from 260 to 350 beds this year. The number of overnight stays in emergency shelters is increasing from year to year, but recently the increase has flattened somewhat.

Many of the people who have to leave known overcrowded apartments also find shelter in emergency shelters. Above all, families in emergency accommodation are given “intensive support when looking for accommodation”, says Offenbach’s municipal job center Mainarbeit. The consultations are carried out by the CariJob advisory center commissioned by Caritas, whose advisory team is centrally located in Kaiserstraße.

Placement had become more and more difficult in view of the tight housing market in recent years. This is shown by the statistics: While CariJob was able to find new living space for 49 Offenbach communities in 2017, there were only 32 successful placements in 2018 and only 26 in 2019.

“Schufa entries often prevent renting an apartment. Especially for large families, single mothers and fathers, it is not easy to find sufficient living space in Offenbach, ”says a report by the Mainarbeit.

However, current figures now indicate a small trend reversal: According to Caritas division manager Anette Bacher, CariJob has already placed over 30 apartments this year. The greater success of the consultation could be due to the fact that the CariJob team was increased from two to three positions in the fall of last year.

According to Bacher, an architect who speaks Bulgarian is now part of the team – both of which should prove to be helpful when arranging housing in Offenbach.

The CariJob advice center can be reached by email at [email protected] or by phone at 069 / 80077-810.

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