Besichtigung der Wohncontaineranlage in Garstedt (English)

On 23 March 2023, we visited the housing container facility in Garstedt. As a member of the Committee for Order, Social Affairs and Mobility of the joint municipality of Salzhausen, I asked for an appointment to visit the site.

In Garstedt, a shelter is currently being built for refugees who will come to us in the joint municipality from different parts of the world. The accommodation consists of containers, each unit of which offers space for 6 plus X people (children) ,. The refugees are to move in from mid-May and the Samtgemeinde has rented the containers to the Landkreis.

The refugees who will be accommodated in Garstedt come mainly via the so-called Balkan route. Many of them have made a long and dangerous journey. The situation of refugees in Europe has been a pressing issue for years, and finding solutions for housing and integrating refugees remains a challenge for all parties involved.

The occupation of the accommodation is discussed in close consultation between the district and the joint municipality. Such cooperation is essential to ensure that the refugees are accommodated in a safe and humane environment. Those responsible must ensure that the accommodation provides adequate sanitation, heating, electricity and water.

During the visit to the refugee containers in Garstedt, one could see that the units are clean and tidy. The containers are simply but functionally equipped and offer the residents a roof over their heads and a place to rest and recuperate. However, it should be noted that the containers are only a temporary solution and that it is important to find long-term solutions to facilitate integration into society.


Overall, the visit to the refugee containers in Garstedt was an opportunity to see how refugees are accommodated locally in our country. It is important to be aware of the challenges involved in accommodating and integrating refugees. But it is also important to recognise that every person has the right to safe and dignified accommodation and that it is our duty to help them wherever we can.


Background

The Ministry of the Interior has recently noted that refugee quotas vary considerably within the different districts. In the district of Harburg, a quota of 45% has now been reached. Consequently, as a matter of principle, the district of Harburg will not be allocated any more refugees from now until around 18 May 2023, unless there are exceptional cases such as family reunification. From mid-May, however, the district of Harburg must take in at least 2,660 refugees from all crisis areas until the end of 2023, as things stand today.

(Author: Frithjof Brandt)