district of Wesel.
The welfare organizations in the district of Wesel see an increasing need for homelessness. They travel on site with advisory buses.
When it comes to tackling homelessness, time is of the essence once many factors come together. In addition to addiction, mental illness or language barriers, job loss can also be a cause: “Half a year of unemployment and a lack of family background, then people fall out of normal structures,” says Guido Busch from the Caritas Association Wesel and Dinslaken. Anyone who is financially dependent can also get caught in the spiral. “And the longer this spiral lasts, the more difficult it is to integrate into the housing market,” adds Bernd Riekemann from the Awo district association. “We talk a lot about speed,” confirms Florian Nick (Caritasverband Moers-Xanten).
She and her teams support people who are either homeless or at risk of homelessness. They have now received new funding for their project “Finally a home”, which has been running for three years. The district of Wesel forwards the funds from the state of North Rhine-Westphalia to the three welfare organizations: around 223.00 euros per year. The Caritas Association Dinslaken and Wesel and the Awo each receive 25 percent, the Caritas Association Moers-Xanten gets 50 percent.
District Administrator Brohl praises the low-threshold offer of help from the social associations
District Administrator Ingo Brohl emphasizes the low threshold of the offer of help when handing over the funding on Monday in the district hall. In addition to fixed contact points, the associations also provide outreach advice, for example with their advice buses. Fixed times have been agreed with the municipalities for outreach work. In addition, they would also receive information about where people in need of help might be or information about forced evictions. So maybe they could mediate in time.
On the one hand, the advisory buses can be used to provide acute help, for example at the weekend when important contact points are closed. At the same time, the consultation can be initiated. Because the problems people face are manifold, report the employees from the associations.
There are mats and sleeping bags on the back seat of the Caritas Dinslaken and Wesel vehicle. Bottled water and supplies are also available. Helge Schreiber shows a backpack with bandages for minor injuries. In the front area there is then an opportunity for a consultation. “We can use it to meet people who we would otherwise not be able to reach,” says Guido Busch. Even in apparently well-off residential areas of the district. Florian Nick points out the clear municipal differences, the conditions are not always the same. “Small communities like Alpen or Sonsbeck, for example, have no emergency sleeping places.” And there is a high number of unreported cases. “Housing is limited given the known state of affairs,” says Nick.
Project against homelessness: Associations want continuity
There are no figures on how many people are homeless in the Wesel district, says district director Ralf Berensmeier. Nationwide, around 178,000 people were housed last year because of homelessness, and he also noticed the young average age of 32. The associations confirm the increasing demand and the increasingly younger clientele: It is a problem that is constantly growing, according to Guido Busch. Compared to before, more women are affected by homelessness, as well as many young people. A frequent problem are conflicts in the parental home, as Sebastian Meyer found in the Awo advice center.
With the new state funding from the European Social Fund, the associations have gained three more years of time for their work. They are happy about that – but they also agree that it would help if it were to continue. “I would like to get out of the project phase with the offer, which is also accepted,” says Guido Busch, looking to the future.
More articles from this category can be found here: Kreis Wesel
