At its meeting today, Chemnitz City Council approved amendments to the by-laws governing the temporary accommodation of people facing particular social difficulties. These will come into force on 1 January 2027 and relate in particular to the fees for accommodation services.
Residents of shared accommodation and flats under the ‘Decentralised Housing I’ scheme will in future be charged a standard fee of 360 euros per month per place. Previously, this fee was 180 or 390 euros, depending on the level of reimbursement from the Free State. Those affected include, amongst others, ethnic German repatriates, asylum seekers and refugees, as well as their family members with residence permits.
For the housing project for homeless people, the fee rises to 854 euros per month per place. Previously, it was 180 or 390 euros. The fee for the overnight accommodation remains unchanged at 5 euros per night.
A new provision is a fee exemption for people without their own income who receive ongoing benefits under the Asylum Seekers’ Benefits Act (AsylbLG). It applies to all members of a benefit community. As the Free State of Saxony reimburses accommodation costs via a flat-rate payment, the city of Chemnitz will not suffer any loss of revenue. At the same time, procedures are being simplified and red tape reduced. If, following recognition as a refugee and the transition to receiving benefits under SGB II or SGB XII, it is not possible to move out of the shared accommodation immediately, further accommodation will be subject to a fee.
People in an acute emergency situation will in future be able to access the overnight accommodation even outside office hours without a prior notice of use and fees. This will be issued on the next working day. The facility is generally available daily from 6 pm to 8 am, whilst the day centre is open from 8 am to 6 pm.
Further changes relate to the handover of keys: from 1 January 2027, a key deposit will no longer be charged to users of the accommodation services. Key deposits collected up to 31 December 2026 will be refunded upon moving out and returning all keys. In addition, regulations regarding eligible persons and data protection will be updated.
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