Housing in Fulda: Focus on help and support!

Housing in Fulda: Focus on help and support!

Housing in Fulda is an increasingly urgent problem. More and more people are without a permanent residence, which is due to different causes. Job loss, separations and financial difficulties in particular are common reasons for this condition. In 2024, around 439,500 people in Germany had access to housing emergency aid, and this tendency can also be felt in Fulda where the number of homeless people increases, although precise numbers are difficult to determine. Janina Wübbelsmann, who has headed the Jakobsbrunnen house since November 2024, observes a growing psychological stress for those affected and difficulties on the housing market.

In the house of Jakobsbrunnen, an important establishment of the Caritas Association Fulda and Geisa, a wide range of offers are available. This includes not only outpatient specialist advice and a café, but also a transition home with ten sleeping places as well as assisted living and support for delinquent. Wübbelsmann reports that people usually stay in the transition home between ten and twelve months to stabilize their lives. Here you can also find practical help, for example in the form of showers, sleeping bags and support for authorities.

help and initiatives

In order to help homeless people in Fulda comprehensively, there is a network of various help offers, including urban areas. Particularly noteworthy is the new guide that Caritas created. This represents all important authorities and contact points for homeless people and was handed over as part of a grill party. The idea and design come from Ulrike Siuda from the integrated homeless help house Jakobsbrunnen, and the flyer is available free of charge in various facilities such as the "Café Jakobsbrunnen", the station mission and the citizens' office. The guide makes it easier to find relevant help offers such as the station mission and the social and housing office, as well as the daily stay.

Statistics shows that the homeless people in Fulda are 28 men and five women. A family currently lives in an emergency accommodation. Most of those affected are between the ages of 30 and 50 and take advantage of the city's offers, which holds an urban sleeping place for 2 to 3 people per night. 33 people are currently housed in the emergency accommodations. The city of Fulda has also set itself the goal of redesigning the accommodation of homeless people and actively looking for living space.

An important aspect of support are also the volunteers, like Petra Matuszewski, who are at the side of the people in the Jakobsbrunnen house. The community and mutual support are very much appreciated by the needy.

Overall, it must be pointed out that the homelessness in Fulda faces major challenges. It is essential that further measures are taken to offer these people adequate support and a perspective. So there is hope that both the city and the aid organizations will continue to work actively on solutions.