Berlin-Friedrichshain: Church offers alternative accommodation for homeless people after fire
After a fire in an air dome that was used as accommodation for the homeless, a church in Berlin-Friedrichshain offers shelter. Up to 100 people can now stay there temporarily, as the Berlin City Mission announced on Tuesday.
The Evangelische Kirchenkreis Berlin Stadtmitte spontaneously agreed to find emergency accommodation in the Zwingli Church. “For me, an early Christmas miracle happened tonight,” said Deacon Ulrich Neugebauer from the city mission.
According to the information provided, the Protestant Zwingli Church belongs to the parish of Boxhagen-Stralau. An international congregation in particular uses the building for church services. In addition, numerous social projects are housed in the striking church building from the 19th century. The church is currently heated and the sanitary facilities are available to those staying overnight.
The city mission expects to be able to use the air dome at the container station again before Christmas. According to the fire brigade, a container next to the emergency shelter that regulated the electricity and heating supply caught fire on Monday morning.
As a result, the electricity was missing to keep the ceiling of the air dome up so that it slowly continued to sink. About 120 people were rescued by the fire department
brought safety.