One more bespoke translation by yours truly for the A&N audience. Mainstream media source this time [A]
Street closed - residents upset. The construction site for the refugee accommodation has been set up already.
There rarely is a large rush of visitors at the sessions of Frankfurt's local council 7. This Tuesday night, however, all seats in the hall of the Christ-König municipality in the city district Praunheim have been filled half an hour before the start.
More than a hundred people are sitting closely bunched up together, loudspeakers were placed in the antechamber for dozens of more citizens who didn't manage to get into the hall.
But it was predictable that this citizen Q&A session would have a higher demand than usual. The topic is contentious: By the end of 2025, a refugee accommodation is to be set up in Rödelheim. One more, to be precise.
By the end of 2025, a four-story building with modular construction is supposed to be here, which is to house an average of 280 refugees and homeless people according to the imagination of the social department.
The land has been offered to the city in April 2022 already. However, most residents only learned about the coming construction work roughly two weeks ago - most of them through the press.
The already existing refugee accommodation "In der Au" in Frankfurt-Rödelheim.
"There has been no communication whatsoever", a female resident complains. She and other residents of the area were forced to drive through unpaved roads to reach their homes. The normally calm side street in which she resides has mutated to an arterial already.
A lack of communication from government offices and burdens from construction work are typical complaints of local politics. However, this isn't what's driving the people to the citizen Q&A on Tuesday night.
Rather, it is about the question why the new large accommodation is being built precisely "In der Au" - because only two house numbers next to it, there already exists an accommodation for 330 people since 2016.
In a press statement, the local CDU criticized that "the accommodation of refugees is concentrated in Rödelheim" while "there are no similar facilities in other city districts".
The feeling of being disadvantaged compared to other city district, in which a more economically privileged clientele is living, seems to be widespread. In the citizen Q&A, a heckler put it straight: "What about Westend? What about Nordend?"
The larger hall was still too small for the municipal council citizen Q&A.
In addition, another accommodation at the Ludwig Landmann street - which is nominally located on the area of the neighboring district Bockenheim, but is directly connected to Rödelheim - is to be extended from 450 to 650 spots.
In the ranking of Frankfurt's city districts, Rödelheim is in third place when it comes to the total number of reserved accommodation spots. Where these are being constructed is not solely up to the city administration.
In fact, since 2015, according to its own statement, the city has been offered 1565 areas and buildings as locations for accommodation. Only 198 of these were sufficiently suitable to be put under a comprehensive inspection. At 73 of these locations, there are now accommodations.
That the accommodations are unequally distributed across the city is thus partially at fault due to the market circumstances. But that two similarly large accommodations are being put in the same street is unfortunate even from the point of view of the administration. That it happened anyway is more due to geopolitical rather than local reasons.
Next to the regular state allotment of 615 refugees, the city was suddenly confronted in 2022 with accommodating roughly 7900 war refugees from Ukraine.
So the city had to use every available opportunity to set up more accommodations - like "In der Au". "We wouldn't have done this otherwise, considering the already existing accommodation", Weber emphasizes.
Things are not expected to change in the mid term when it comes to the "In der Au" situation. The rental agreement for the "new" facility runs for more than 20 years. The one for the older accommodation is to be extended for five years.
At the same time, many people had solidarity for the refugees. Lauterwald himself demanded in the press to make the criticism more "objective and constructive".
The citizen Q&A wasn't completely devoid of "comments from the right-wing populist side". An older man doubted that the "young men who have no ID, but a phone" are refugees. However, it was an exception, which was met with booing from the audience.
"We don't need to discuss if and how many refugees are being taken in in Frankfurt", a female Rödelheim resident explained during the citizen Q&A. However, it is best for the integration of the refugees to distribute them properly: "So that these people have a chance to integrate themselves."
"What about Westend?"
Displeasure at second refugee accommodation in Frankfurt-Rödelheim
In Frankfurt-Rödelheim, an accommodation for several hundred refugees and homeless people is supposed to be created. The problem: There already is a large accommodation in the same street. There, many are wondering if they are being disadvantaged compared to "richer" city districts.
Street closed - residents upset. The construction site for the refugee accommodation has been set up already.
There rarely is a large rush of visitors at the sessions of Frankfurt's local council 7. This Tuesday night, however, all seats in the hall of the Christ-König municipality in the city district Praunheim have been filled half an hour before the start.
More than a hundred people are sitting closely bunched up together, loudspeakers were placed in the antechamber for dozens of more citizens who didn't manage to get into the hall.
Another accommodation by 2025
Municipal director Johannes Lauterwald (Green Party) remains notably calm, tries to sort out the rush of people with short orders. Normally, the local council's sessions take place in smaller locations.But it was predictable that this citizen Q&A session would have a higher demand than usual. The topic is contentious: By the end of 2025, a refugee accommodation is to be set up in Rödelheim. One more, to be precise.
Residents criticize a lack of communication
Construction work in the street "In der Au" in the West part of Rödelheim are already underway. For well over a week, the middle part of the street is blocked off. The sidewalk is only usable on one side of the street. The gap between the terraces of a new building block with residential dwellings and the construction fence is just barely bigger than a meter. Two construction cranes peek from behind it.By the end of 2025, a four-story building with modular construction is supposed to be here, which is to house an average of 280 refugees and homeless people according to the imagination of the social department.
The land has been offered to the city in April 2022 already. However, most residents only learned about the coming construction work roughly two weeks ago - most of them through the press.
The already existing refugee accommodation "In der Au" in Frankfurt-Rödelheim.
"There has been no communication whatsoever", a female resident complains. She and other residents of the area were forced to drive through unpaved roads to reach their homes. The normally calm side street in which she resides has mutated to an arterial already.
A lack of communication from government offices and burdens from construction work are typical complaints of local politics. However, this isn't what's driving the people to the citizen Q&A on Tuesday night.
Rather, it is about the question why the new large accommodation is being built precisely "In der Au" - because only two house numbers next to it, there already exists an accommodation for 330 people since 2016.
Critics see their district disadvantaged in a lopsided way
From the point of view of critics of the new refugee accommodation, there is the question of whether their city district is being burdened in a lopsided way. Already ahead of the session of the municipal council, several social networks contained criticism that especially schools and kindergartens were already hitting their capacity limits.In a press statement, the local CDU criticized that "the accommodation of refugees is concentrated in Rödelheim" while "there are no similar facilities in other city districts".
The feeling of being disadvantaged compared to other city district, in which a more economically privileged clientele is living, seems to be widespread. In the citizen Q&A, a heckler put it straight: "What about Westend? What about Nordend?"
The larger hall was still too small for the municipal council citizen Q&A.
100 accommodations across the entire city
In fact, right now, there already are five accommodations for refugees and homeless, which hold a combined 710 spots. With the new construction "In der Au", the number of spots goes up to 1000.In addition, another accommodation at the Ludwig Landmann street - which is nominally located on the area of the neighboring district Bockenheim, but is directly connected to Rödelheim - is to be extended from 450 to 650 spots.
33 new refugees in Frankfurt every week
In the citizen Q&A, a representative of the social department points out that, across the city, 9500 people are to be accommodated - among which are 4000 homeless. In the entire city area, roughly 100 accommodations are available for this. The city is being assigned 33 refugees every week by the state.In the ranking of Frankfurt's city districts, Rödelheim is in third place when it comes to the total number of reserved accommodation spots. Where these are being constructed is not solely up to the city administration.
The market is deciding as well
"We would love to construct in Westend", says Christamaria Weber, the deputy chair of the council for accommodation management and refugees, "we would also love to construct in Bornheim or at the Lerchesberg. If someone were to make an offer at a reasonable price, we are sure to accept immediately." However, in Frankfurt there is a "great area competition".In fact, since 2015, according to its own statement, the city has been offered 1565 areas and buildings as locations for accommodation. Only 198 of these were sufficiently suitable to be put under a comprehensive inspection. At 73 of these locations, there are now accommodations.
That the accommodations are unequally distributed across the city is thus partially at fault due to the market circumstances. But that two similarly large accommodations are being put in the same street is unfortunate even from the point of view of the administration. That it happened anyway is more due to geopolitical rather than local reasons.
Effects of the Ukraine war
Because when the location in West-Rödelheim was offered to the city in April 2022, it simply and plainly was unable to say "no", deputy chair Weber emphasizes in the citizen Q&A. Two months earlier, the war in Ukraine has begun.Next to the regular state allotment of 615 refugees, the city was suddenly confronted in 2022 with accommodating roughly 7900 war refugees from Ukraine.
So the city had to use every available opportunity to set up more accommodations - like "In der Au". "We wouldn't have done this otherwise, considering the already existing accommodation", Weber emphasizes.
Things are not expected to change in the mid term when it comes to the "In der Au" situation. The rental agreement for the "new" facility runs for more than 20 years. The one for the older accommodation is to be extended for five years.
Comments from the right-wing populists
Ahead of the citizen Q&A, a heated debate has been expected due to the situation. "Unfortunately, especially the social media had comments which came very much from a right-wing populist side", municipal director Lauterwald reported in a talk with hr. [hessischer rundfunk]At the same time, many people had solidarity for the refugees. Lauterwald himself demanded in the press to make the criticism more "objective and constructive".
The citizen Q&A wasn't completely devoid of "comments from the right-wing populist side". An older man doubted that the "young men who have no ID, but a phone" are refugees. However, it was an exception, which was met with booing from the audience.
"We don't need to discuss if and how many refugees are being taken in in Frankfurt", a female Rödelheim resident explained during the citizen Q&A. However, it is best for the integration of the refugees to distribute them properly: "So that these people have a chance to integrate themselves."
