Overview
- Berlin’s social administration says capacity rises to 1,256 this weekend, with a 50‑bed site opening January 12 in Mariendorf and a 30‑place night café starting January 15 at Kottbusser Tor in 24‑hour operation.
- BVG and S‑Bahn cite safety risks for not designating stations as overnight shelters, yet staff are instructed not to remove people in acute cold and may suspend house‑rule enforcement.
- NGOs expand street outreach as Kälte‑ and Wärmebusse run, supplies are distributed, and short‑term night cafés open, including 50 places at Zoo through January 12.
- Homelessness organizations urge cities to offer 24/7 protection, add beds, and rent hotels where needed, while Die Linke presses to use vacant offices and some U‑Bahn spaces.
- Roughly 50,000–56,000 people live on the streets nationwide, and the BAGW has recorded four cold‑related deaths so far this winter.