By Björn Trautwein and Olaf Selchow
125 guests per night and for each one a meal, a warm word and a soft bed. BZ visit on the first day in the city mission’s emergency shelter
At 7.30 p.m. Silvia (63) is standing at the stairs to the emergency accommodation on Lehrter Straße. The steps here lead two and a half meters deep and into warmth: in the basement of the Berlin City Mission Center is Berlin’s largest emergency overnight shelter for homeless people. Open 24 hours a day. Space for everyone and everyone. For many it is the last chance against death from the cold.
“I’m so happy that I can come here again,” says the homeless woman from Nuremberg. “I always find a place here, that’s very reassuring.” The trained car mechanic lost her apartment many years ago. “I was ill for a long time and lost my job as a result, then I separated from my partner at the time and moved out of the apartment we shared,” she remembers. Since then she has been making ends meet in Berlin, sleeping in hostels and emergency accommodation. She has her things with her in her rolling suitcase.
Elzbieta (50) from Poland was the number one guest at the emergency shelter this year. She has been living on the street with her husband since January Photo: Olaf Selchow
The first night of this year’s cold relief
The doors will open in 30 minutes for the first time this fall. It is now open every night from 8pm to 8am until April. Silvia has waiting number 19, and around 25 other homeless people are standing and sitting next to her. Young Germans under the influence of drugs and alcohol, several men and women from Lithuania and Romania. Waiting number 1 is Elzbieta (50), who is standing in line with her husband. 125 beds are available; when more needy people come, they sleep on the benches or under the tables.
While Silvia is still standing at the door, accommodation manager Anna Behnke (30) gets her team ready for the first shift and the first night. Around 30 volunteers sit in front of her. The youngest is Johanna (17), she is currently doing an internship at the city mission, the older ones are already retired.
Andrea (65) serves vegetable soup with beef at the counter Photo: Olaf Selchow
“I’ve really been longing for today,” says Andrea (65), before she stands behind the food counter. “It’s fun to help here and you know that you’re doing something useful.” The librarian from Charlottenburg has been volunteering here for the sixth year.
Silvia (63) has been living on the streets in Berlin for several years and is grateful for the help of the volunteers Photo: Olaf Selchow
“I heard about the facility on the radio and spontaneously decided to help,” she says, “homeless people have a hard time. They are insulted and beaten. Some don’t know whether they’ll survive the next day. Here we offer a bit of peace and dignity.”
A good 50 guests come on this still quite warm night. “The first week it’s usually so quiet, but then we’re completely busy every night,” says manager Anna. More volunteers are urgently needed! On 030 69033434 or www.berliner-stadtmission.de Volunteers can apply.
This year, Anna Behnke (30) is running Berlin’s largest emergency shelter in the center of the city mission Photo: Olaf Selchow
Silvia also found her way into the warmth shortly after eight and gets a plate of vegetable soup from Andrea’s counter. “I can go to bed right here. I’ve been looking forward to this for days!”