The Federal State Government in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, claimed the number of people without their own tenancy agreement is increasing sharply, according to German media.
The Ministry of Social Affairs said that a total of 108,590 people did not have a permanent flat with its own tenancy agreement at the end of June 2024. According to the data, this is about 30,000 (38.6 per cent) more homeless people than last year. Most of these people were housed (98.7 per cent). They lived in emergency housing or in flats provided by municipalities, in homelessness centres or with friends.
The state government highlights a range of reasons for this exuberant growth in local homelessness. One of the main factors lies in the continuing displacement of refugees, in particular due to the ongoing Ukrainian-Russian conflict and the mobilisation system in Ukraine. The homeless statistics include many war refugees from Ukraine.
Nearly all refugees are able to reside in state or municipal accommodation, at least initially, they will feature in emergency housing reports. Recognised refugees made up the majority (62.8 per cent) of homeless people in North Rhine-Westphalia.
NRW Social Affairs Minister Karl-Josef Laumann (CDU) observed that this occurs mainly because many refugees are initially housed in municipal institutions. He also mentioned the authorities should not slacken their efforts to combat homelessness, as it is the worst form of poverty after hunger.
