On the outskirts of Münster, large gray vans are lined up. There is a number on each door and bicycles are propped up against the fence. Here, the city government has created a small village of vans, where homeless people are given a roof over their heads in the sub-zero temperatures of winter.
It's dangerous outside
"If people are not dressed warmly enough and no one takes good care of them, it becomes dangerous", explains Dana Kruckmeier to ARD. The social worker from the Catholic Women's Social Services in Münster looks after the homeless people in the city. She explains that many of them are often sick or addicted to drugs. This means that their bodies already have weakened defenses, and the cold weather can bring additional dangers.
In each van there is a bunk bed, a table with chairs and a small cupboard. The room is small, but heated. The vans are cared for by the Homeless People's Assistance Center in Münster. Social worker Sophie Dietmar says that the cramped living space can also create conflict situations, especially when two people who don't know each other live in one van. However, social workers try to bring together people who are compatible in character or have even met. This strategy works well, writes ARD.
"I always sleep outside"
However, some homeless people in Germany avoid such temporary solutions even in sub-zero temperatures. Nearly 40% of people who live on the streets refuse because "they think it's dangerous" - usually because they are afraid of theft, violence and drug use among those staying in these shelters, the Salvation Army told ARD.
"I always sleep outside, every day," says Tino from Münster. The man lives on the streets, but says he has lived like this for eight years, including during the worst winters. Tino could spend the night in one of the vans on the outskirts of the city, but he doesn't want to.
More and more homeless people
No one is forcing people to stay there, says Thomas Mühlbauer, who runs the homeless shelter in Münster and the temporary vans. His team is trying to reach out to homeless people and support them. "Some refuse to accept help from us right away," he told the German public-law media outlet.
In many cases, the biggest barrier is mental health problems that go untreated when living on the streets. Mühlbauer admits that the potential for conflict in the caravan village is not small, but says his team is prepared and knows how to intervene in emergencies.
"Statistics show that the problem of homeless people is serious. More and more people are on the streets. That's also the case in Münster," he explains. There are currently around 531,600 people in Germany who do not have permanent housing, of whom more than 47,000 spend the night on the streets or in temporary accommodation centers, according to a federal government report. Berlin says the number of homeless people has been increasing since 2022.
Dialogue attempt
In Münster, most of the places in the vans are already taken. Some homeless people stay here all winter. It is clean, there are showers and toilets and it is not cold. Tine Rockmann takes care of the homeless who do not want to take shelter in the vans. The woman works at the Temporary Accommodation Center and travels around Münster to check where there are people who need help. She says she also has to visit the forest outside the city, where a man lives in a small house.
“We just received a new tip about a young man who has converted an old car trailer and is sleeping there. He has built himself a shelter with wood and tarpaulins,“ says Rockmann. The charity organization of the Protestant Church “Diakonia“ calls not to ignore people who are homeless, but to draw their attention to the fact that there are different options for temporary shelter - something they may not know. If you suspect that the health condition of a homeless person has deteriorated, emergency help must be called, social workers also advise.
Authors: Philipp Wundersee ARD | Petra Brønstrup ARD