Overview
- Red Cross and Berlin City Mission warmth buses are patrolling nightly with hot drinks, sleeping gear and rides to shelters, with call volumes reaching about 120 per night in very cold conditions.
- Berlin teams report winter beds often fill by late night, with 1,144 seasonal places available against an estimated 6,000 people without shelter.
- National charities urge municipalities to immediately provide accessible emergency rooms and increase funding for providers as roughly 500,000 people are classified as homeless in Germany, including over 47,000 sleeping rough.
- Local coverage from Dortmund documents several recent deaths of people without shelter during the cold period, while advocates cite overloaded facilities and gaps for people with dogs, severe mental illness, women and LGBTQ+ individuals.
- Potsdam services expect higher demand in the coming days, rely on seasonal winter emergency accommodation, and ask residents to offer help and call emergency services if someone is unresponsive.