Excitement around Sylverberg: Fire and accommodation provide chaos!

Excitement around Sylverberg: Fire and accommodation provide chaos!

In the city of Hamm, the accommodation of non-refugees in the youth guest house Sylverberg continues to raise questions. The CDU parliamentary group criticizes the city for incomplete answers on this topic and points out that the administration claims that all questions have been answered "fully". The occupancy with non-refugees in the Sylverberg house has now been stopped after long stays known. Since the end of December 2023, unaccompanied minor refugees have been accommodated there, which corresponds to the current regulations.

The decision to use the Sylverberg youth guest house as a accommodation for refugee minors does not require an operating license. This is mainly possible because fewer specialist staff is required. This measure for the accommodation of refugees was extended at the end of 2024, but complete information about politics was repeatedly questioned, such as Wa.de reported.

History of the Sylverberg youth guest house

The youth guest house Sylverberg in Bad Hamm, Ostalllee 101, has existed since 1880. Originally built as a house of the Lüthoff family, it was used as a pension from 1900. In 1929 the city of Hamm acquired the building, which was inaugurated as a youth hostel in 1949. The house has been a listed building since April 1, 1992. From 2020 to 2023, renovation plans had been announced to ensure accessibility and increase capacity to 80 beds. But the Corona pandemic led to longer closings and vacancy.

From December 19, 2023, the building served as accommodation for up to 11 minor refugees, mainly from Afghanistan and Syria. The support takes place around the clock by Neuanfang gGmbH, the ASB and Outlaw gGmbH. This use should continue for the time being.

incidents and challenges

in 2024 there was a serious incident. On November 27, a fire broke out in the youth hostel, which led to the evacuation of a 39-year-old woman. Fortunately, the unaccompanied refugees remained unharmed. Investigations into intentional arson, with a 16-year-old German citizen is the focus of the police.

The carriers of the institution, together with the youth welfare office, argue that the accommodation of non-refugees should be classified as emergency solutions according to § 35 SGB VIII, which is why no operating license is required. However, the Landschaftsverband Westfalen-Lippe points out that if there is intensive individual social education, there may be an obligation to operate an operating license, which has not been checked for the facility in Hamm. The LWL could prohibit the operation without the necessary permission.

The financial expenses for youth welfare measures are reimbursed by the LWL state youth welfare office, while the sentences for individual measures are determined by negotiations between the city and the sponsor. The situation remains tense, and the public discussion about the accommodation of refugees and non-refugees in Hamm continues to be intensively conducted, as the city administration and the sponsor try to find a solution.