Refugee accommodation in Vorpommern-Greifswald: relaxation or crisis?

The refugee situation in the district of Vorpommern-Greifswald is currently showing relaxation. So far, 801 refugees have been recorded in 2024, while 1251 people were registered in the previous year. A total of 6234 refugees currently live in the district, including asylum seekers, people with a residence permit and Ukrainian refugees.

The assignment figures are currently low, but there could be an increase in February and March 2024, as past trends indicate. At the turn of the year, the district administration gave up an accommodation: the Dormero Hotel on the Gorzberg, which housed up to 66 refugees, was closed on December 31, 2023. On the other hand, the former Europa Hotel on Anklamer Straße remains as a shared accommodation, although it is uninhabitable after a fire in June 2024. The renovation work for the Europa-Hotel has not yet started and the costs are not known because the circle is not the owner of the building. The fire caused property damage of over 20,000 euros, while a 31-year-old is charged with negligent arson, such as the Ostsee-Zeitung reported.

recording capacities and increasing asylum applications

Despite the current relaxation, Michael Sack, CDU district administrator in Vorpommern-Greifswald, feels left alone by the federal government and misses real support offers. The district encounters its recording capacities because many facilities are fully occupied. Of the 2,323 places available for asylum seekers, around 1,883 are currently occupied, which corresponds to an occupancy of approx. 93 percent.

in 2023, 806 asylum seekers were registered in the district, which represents an increase of 25 percent compared to the previous year. A total of around 330,000 asylum applications were made in Germany, which corresponds to an increase of 50 percent compared to 2022. There were around 6,150 asylum applications in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, which corresponds to an increase of 42 percent. The main origin of the refugees, Turkey and Afghanistan, are the main origin countries, while refugees from Ukraine enjoy a special status. In order to improve the situation, the district plans to no longer use gyms for accommodation, but rather provide apartments or alternative models. For this purpose, a whole floor of a hotel in Greifswald for refugees was recently rented. Sack thanks apartment cooperatives and private landlords for their offers. A new payment system will be introduced to provide asylum seekers available in cash via a card to prevent abuse. The start of the system is planned for February that the introduction could take place towards the end of the year, such as the Nordkurier reported.