Frankfurt is helping the refugees – as it did in 2015
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OfThomas J Schmidt
conclude
Two refugee accommodations have already been reactivated, and two sports halls are now being added.
In view of the worsening situation in the Ukraine, Frankfurt-Frankfurt is preparing ad hoc with a broad expansion of overnight accommodation for those seeking protection. Yesterday, the Red Cross set up temporary shelters for refugees in two of the city’s sports halls. “Our top priority now must be to provide for the refugees and make the situation as easy as possible for them,” says Frankfurt’s Lord Mayor Peter Feldmann (SPD).
Frankfurt Mayor: The gym isn’t ideal, but we need leeway
The accommodation in a sports hall is anything but ideal. “But since we don’t know how many people will come to us, when and how, we need leeway and good preparation,” emphasizes the mayor. The aim should be to keep the length of stay in a gym as short as possible. But they are a good way to accommodate many people at once and distribute suitable accommodation from there.
“Our full-time and voluntary employees are well prepared to look after and finance the people from Ukraine in the new accommodation,” says Dierk Dallwitz, Managing Director of the DRK Frankfurt. “As an authorized partner, we are happy to support the city of Frankfurt with all our experience as an aid organization – as we did in 2015.”
Frankfurt often just a transfer point
Many war refugees do not see Frankfurt as a destination, but only as a transfer point. They continue to visit relatives and friends in other cities. Last week, the youth and social welfare office commissioned two welfare organizations to look after the well-being of those who cannot stay with relatives. One of them: the Johanniter. You run a refugee shelter. “We activated the hall again last week,” says Oliver Pitsch from the regional board of Johanniter Unfallhilfe. “We currently have 88 guests.” 20 have already left, to relatives or friends elsewhere.
On to IKEA – buy pans!
The situation in the second accommodation is similar. Timm Kauhausen, spokesman for Caritas, reports: “Since last Tuesday, 90 Ukrainians have come. 55 are still there.” They will be accommodated in a reactivated hall, which was provided with partition walls in the hot months of 2015 and the cabins equipped with bunk beds. Pitsch explains for the Johanniter: “The war refugees are assigned to us by the railway station mission or the federal police.” In addition to his work on the board, he also works on a voluntary basis in the accommodation. “I’ll go straight to Ikea afterwards because there aren’t any pots and pans.” The people – mostly families without fathers who cannot leave the country at the moment – only have what they carry in their pockets. Household items are not included. “You can cook here, but most of the refugees who came in 2015 now have their own pots.” As in 2015, Pitsch identified a great basic need.
Not as many refugees come to Frankfurt as in 2015
But Pitsch also sees differences: “Most of them want to go back to their relatives as quickly as possible. They stay close to the border. Not as many refugees are arriving here as in 2015.” They tend to arrive at the train station in small groups, there aren’t whole trains like they used to be. It is now all the more important to help countries like Poland and Hungary, which take in the vast majority of Ukraine war refugees. “We started an aid convoy with medical supplies,” reported Pitsch.
Here you can get Ukrainian or helpful Frankfurt information
No one can reliably say how many Ukrainians have arrived in Frankfurt – neither the social welfare office nor the federal police. With a valid passport, you can stay in Europe for three months without a visa. And probably not all of them go to the social welfare office first to register there. Nevertheless: “We have a lot going on here,” says Miriam Bandar, spokeswoman for Elke Voitl (Greens), head of the social affairs department. “The contact point is hopelessly overcrowded.” Ukrainians or their relatives seeking advice should therefore contact the hotline that has been set up: (069) 212 48 444 .
The Frankfurters are very willing to help. “Currently there is no need for donations in kind,” says Bandar. Pitsch confirmed this: “What we currently need, we publish on Facebook. It works great, and a short time later the Frankfurters bring it.” However, donating clothes etc. without being asked leads to mountains of clothes. Neither the address of the Johanniter accommodation nor that of Caritas should therefore be mentioned.
Willingness to help is also evident after the call to make housing available. House or apartment owners can do this via email [email protected] . The mails arrive at the Evangelical Association for Housing Aid. Spokeswoman Rebecca Georgi suspects: “We already have around 400 offers, including around 50 apartments.” The others are rooms, quasi for subletting. That’s good too, but the club has to choose now. “We are all organizing and are still swimming a bit,” says Georgi. “It’s not entirely clear how this is all going to play out.”