A look into the washrooms of the interim hygiene center in the Weser 5 diaconal center. (Photo: Salome Roessler)
More and more people are using the new hygiene center in Frankfurt’s Bahnhofsviertel. Since opening on April 1, the demand for shower facilities, toilet visits and fresh underwear there has more than doubled. In the first month, the showers were used a total of 808 times, in May 1661 times. The number of toilet visits rose from 425 to 1115 in the same period. In April, the employees of the hygiene center gave out 692 fresh underpants, T-shirts and socks, in May there were already 1350.
“The offer is very well received and is a further building block for the gradual improvement of the situation in the station district,” says Elke Voitl, Head of Social Affairs. “In the interim hygiene center in the courtyard of WESER 5, everyone can take a shower or use the toilets for free. People don’t have to sign up or even give their names. Such low-threshold help is extremely important and will continue to be consistently offered in our city in the future,” explains the city councillor.
“The hygiene center closes a significant supply gap in the station district. The cooperation between OSSIP street social work, drug help and homeless help, to draw the attention of people living on the streets to this important offer, works smoothly,” adds Stefan Majer, head of the health department.
The interim hygiene center in the courtyard of the WESER 5 Diakoniezentrum at Weserstraße 5 is operated by the Frankfurt and Offenbach Diakonie. It is financed by the city of Frankfurt. The costs are around half a million euros. The containers with the showers, toilets and changing rooms are rented until the end of March 2024. The search is currently underway for a suitable property in which a hygiene center can be set up permanently.
“We are pleased that the hygiene center in the station district has been so well received. This place is extremely important for the homeless. Here they feel that we know their needs and take their human dignity seriously,” says Markus Eisele, theological director of the Evangelical Regional Association Frankfurt and Offenbach, the body responsible for the WESER 5 Diakoniezentrum. According to him, socks, underpants, T-shirts and slippers are still urgently needed in the hygiene center due to the lively use.
(Text: PM City of Frankfurt)
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