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Berlin Plans More Refugee Housing as Kiziltepe Warns of 2026 Capacity Strain

Near-full shelters plus a resurgence in arrivals from Ukraine drive the push.

Overview

  • State shelters run by the LAF were over 95 percent occupied as of December 18, with 38,087 of 39,874 places taken.
  • Kiziltepe expects higher demand next year and says she will rent additional hostels if needed, with about 3,300 hostel beds already in use and roughly 3,100 occupied in mid-December.
  • Arrivals from Ukraine have climbed to roughly 1,300 per month from 300 to 400 in the spring, contributing to renewed pressure on capacity.
  • The CDU/SPD leadership halted a decentralized container-village program of about 3,300 places and is prioritizing large sites including a new EU-standard arrival center at Tegel (2,600 plus 500 reserve) and at least 1,100 additional container places at Tempelhof.
  • Kiziltepe argues hostels are far costlier—about €60 per person per day versus roughly €20 in container villages and €15–€20 in regular housing—and warns the spending could draw scrutiny from the Court of Auditors.