Largest emergency shelter for the homeless in Frankfurt subway must close immediately

Background to the closure

The emergency shelter at Eschenheimer Tor had been hastily set up at the end of 2018 during a winter emergency to assist homeless people. Since then, homeless individuals have sought shelter there daily, could spend the night and receive breakfast. During the past winters, up to 180 people slept in the facilities on individual nights, although they were designed for a maximum of 150 persons. The number of sleeping places had previously been increased, and the upper limit was regularly significantly exceeded, according to the VGF.

In response to the clearance, the city erected a tent camp within a few hours in the nearby Eschenheimer Anlage park. Since Monday evening, five large tents with 20 sleeping places each, totaling 100 places, have been set up there. According to the Department of Social Affairs and Health, all 100 places were occupied on the night from Monday to Tuesday. The tents are equipped with camp beds and seating and were set up in the shade under trees. During the course of Tuesday, mobile toilets were to be installed on the site.

Tent camp as an emergency solution

Fire chief Markus Röck stated: „Wir haben aufgrund der humanitären Krisensituation eine absolute Notlösung umgesetzt.“ The tents had been the only means to quickly accommodate the people. They were set up by the fire department together with volunteer emergency personnel. Until the closure, helpers on site had also distributed water, caps and sunscreen, as the city had to act immediately in view of the extreme heat.

Elke Voitl, head of the Frankfurt Department of Social Affairs and Health (Greens), told Hessischer Rundfunk that the city had to react immediately due to the heat burden. She turned to other departments of the city administration (Magistrat) with the request to jointly search for suitable buildings or areas for a replacement shelter. Among the spaces examined were rooms in the former techno club U60311 at Roßmarkt, but the VGF did not find any suitable replacement areas.

Search for a permanent alternative

The emergency shelter at Eschenheimer Tor was operated on behalf of the city by the Frankfurter Verein, which also runs a heat bus for homeless people at night. The city stated that it would continue the search for a permanent replacement shelter in the city center. The tent camp was explicitly intended to remain only a temporary solution.

The immediate clearance raises questions about the city's precautionary planning: the fire protection assessment had already been available since the end of May, without a viable alternative being in place by early June. Only the acute heat and the imminent closure shortly before the weekend led to the erection of the tent camp. Voitl appealed to the solidarity of the urban community and to all relevant bodies to participate in the search for premises.

Overall, the case illustrates the precarious supply situation for homeless people in Frankfurt. Despite years of use of the B-level as an emergency shelter, there was no long-term, fire-protection-compliant solution. The current tent solution can, in the assessment of those involved, only be a temporary answer as long as temperatures and the number of people seeking help remain high.