dox donaueschingen: It is getting more and more difficult: This is how refugees find housing in the triangle of cities

The interplay between supply and demand determines prices. This also applies to the housing market. Where demand for housing increases sharply, particularly in urban areas, the real estate market reacts with horrendous increases in rental prices.

More guesswork than confirmed figures

The triangle of cities is not a metropolitan area. Nevertheless, population growth, the influx of refugees and the obligation of municipalities to provide accommodation are influencing the local housing market. There are no reliable figures on this, but all respondents say “that it is a reasonable assumption”.

You might also be interested in

Donaueschingen

Mirrors, posts, signs: Unknown man takes out his anger on traffic facilities

It is the obligation of the municipalities to accommodate assigned refugees in reception facilities. The third level of the accommodation cascade is follow-up accommodation. The city is responsible for follow-up accommodation in Donaueschingen. In this level, refugees are also allowed to look for private accommodation. For those who have not found private accommodation, the city of Donaueschingen has rented additional accommodation and set up municipal follow-up accommodation.

156 people in follow-up accommodation

The city of Donaueschingen currently maintains three municipal follow-up accommodations. They are located at Prinz-Karl-Egon-Straße 2 and 4 and at Villingerstraße 48. Currently (as of August 28, 2024), 156 people are accommodated in the municipal follow-up accommodations or shelters.

There are also other refugees who have found private accommodation in Donaueschingen. “The city is unable to provide an exact number of people,” says Beatrix Grüninger, spokeswoman for the city administration.

You might also be interested in

Donaueschingen

New DS license plates: These combinations of letters and numbers are reserved or prohibited

The city of Donaueschingen only offers accommodation in the municipal follow-up accommodation. The Refugee Reception Act does not provide for an end to the follow-up accommodation. Unfortunately, there is also no experience with regard to the length of stay in the municipal follow-up accommodation.

The city works with the building cooperative and the Konversions- und Entwicklungsgesellschaft mbH Donaueschingen (KEG) to rent accommodation for the municipal follow-up accommodation. The municipal follow-up accommodation and accommodation at Prinz-Karl-Egon-Straße 2 and 4 are located on the site of the former French armed forces. They belong to the KEG and are actually in the marketing process.

Given the challenges of accommodating refugees, the conversion of the military area is therefore a great advantage for the city of Donaueschingen compared to other cities, says Grüninger.

Almost 30 apartments for Ukrainian refugees

According to Mayor Micha Bächle, a similar situation exists in Bräunlingen: “Around 200 refugees are housed in Bräunlingen, half of whom are refugees from Ukraine. “The city has rented 23 apartments and also made five municipal apartments available for refugee accommodation,” says Bächle.

In addition, foreign refugees had also found private accommodation or had rented accommodation themselves. The city had actively rented accommodation. “We have launched appeals to the population and have also actively approached property owners,” said Bächle. The city rents the accommodation and receives a portion of the costs reimbursed by the district.

Accommodation as a major undertaking

In 2023, the city of Bräunlingen had to pay around 100,000 euros of its own contribution for refugee accommodation. Added to this are the costs for support for the construction yard. The accommodation is a major undertaking, Bächle admits.

Thanks to the commitment of the public order office and the support of the population, it has been possible to accommodate many refugees in a decentralized manner and to avoid using container accommodation. Nevertheless, renting accommodation is difficult because the housing market in the region is tight and at the same time foreign refugees who were temporarily housed privately are looking for permanent accommodation.

You might also be interested in

Donaueschingen

A bottleneck for too long: residents criticise the pace of construction work on Friedrich-Ebert-Straße

By the end of the year, the Schwarzwald-Baar district expects that another 22 foreign refugees and 13 non-Ukrainian refugees will be assigned to Bräunlingen. But whether this actually happens to that extent depends on how many refugees actually come to Germany, says Kristina Diffring from the district office.

This is how refugees get a place to stay

Initial reception and subsequent accommodationThe refugees are distributed by the federal government to the states. Baden-Württemberg takes in around 13 percent of the people in the federal government (initial reception). The state of Baden-Württemberg then distributes the people to the districts. The Schwarzwald-Baar district has to temporarily accommodate around 2.3 percent of the people in Baden-Württemberg. This usually takes place in so-called shared accommodation. The refugees stay in the shared accommodation until the asylum procedure has been completed. This is usually a period of at least 15 months. After that, these people have to leave the facility and go to follow-up accommodation in the municipalities. These are normal apartments or larger housing units in the municipality. There is also a key for follow-up accommodation.The figures of the Schwarzwald-Baar districtAccording to information from the press office, there are currently twelve shared accommodation facilities in the district. Some facilities will be closed in the next few months due to the end of the lease, demolition or other reasons. The district currently has 804 people housed in the district's shared accommodation facilities. Eleven percent of these are Ukrainians and 89 percent are of other nationalities.
In 2023, the district had to accommodate an average of 72 refugees per month. In the first eight months of this year, the average was 30. For September to December, the district administration expects 68 people per month.

Marcel Rebholz, Head of Security and Order, has the current figures for the city of Hüfingen. Currently, 86 refugees are housed in apartments owned by the city or rented by the city of Hüfingen.

The city of Hüfingen plans to take in another ten to 15 people in 2024. The majority of the refugees accommodated remain in the reception facilities for several years. Only a few are given their own accommodation after a short time. “The city regularly makes calls to find private housing, but the willingness to offer housing for refugees is very limited,” says Rebholz.

Less private housing available

In recent years, the willingness to do so has tended to continue to decline. Calls from the city to offer apartments often went unanswered. In addition, the supply of suitable housing has deteriorated significantly in recent years. This is primarily due to the lack of suitable housing. This phenomenon has been exacerbated by the influx of Ukrainian refugees. This has consequences for the development of rent levels.

Due to the constant shortage on the housing market on the one hand and the constant increase in refugee accommodation on the other, rental apartments are becoming increasingly expensive; high demand – little supply. This development is exacerbated by inflation and rising living costs.

Social institutions such as the German Red Cross or the Tenants' Association are not responsible for accommodation, but rather provide integration measures or legal advice. They will provide this information upon request.