City Council confirms concept for the accommodation and care of refugees and asylum seekers

Lord Mayor Barbara Ludwig: "I am in favour of an open, cosmopolitan city, because Chemnitz has grown through immigration in the past. In addition to the organisational challenges that the accommodation and care of refugees means for us, I also know that there are fears and reservations. We have to deal with this, and we want to do so openly. Because transparency is needed to create acceptance among the people of Chemnitz. This applies just as much as our promise that we will take care of any problems that arise in everyday life."

The concept is necessary because the number of refugees has risen continuously throughout Germany since 2010 due to global armed conflicts and political and religious persecution, and this trend is expected to continue in the coming years. In 2010, 48,589 people applied for asylum throughout Germany. In 2014, the number of asylum seekers in Germany rose to 202,834 people.

Refugees arriving in Germany are distributed among the federal states according to the so-called Königstein Schüssel and accommodated in an initial reception centre for a maximum of three months. The Free State of Saxony currently operates its only central initial reception centre in Chemnitz. There are now several branch centres. A further centre is due to open in Leipzig in the summer, and initial reception centres are also to be built in Leipzig and Dresden.

After the initial reception organised by the Free State, the refugees are distributed - again according to predetermined percentages - to the municipalities in which they must reside for the duration of the examination of their asylum application. In accordance with the Saxon Refugee Reception Act, the city of Chemnitz, like all other Saxon municipalities, is legally obliged to provide reception, accommodation and social care. According to this law, a total of 5.14 per cent of all refugees arriving in Germany in 2014 had to be accommodated in Saxony. Chemnitz in turn accounted for 5.9 per cent of all refugees arriving in Saxony; this corresponded to 648 new arrivals. In comparison: In 2010, there were 123 refugees to be admitted. Around 1,400 refugees are currently expected to be admitted in 2015. A total of 1,118 asylum seekers are currently living in the city of Chemnitz's accommodation and in decentralised housing. In addition, there are the refugees accommodated in the initial reception centres of the Free State.

This development and the associated challenges require the City of Chemnitz to establish a basis and guidelines for action, which is why the adopted concept focuses on the accommodation of asylum seekers.

This takes place in Chemnitz in a staged process: Newly allocated asylum seekers are generally housed in shared accommodation centres. There are currently four shared accommodation centres with 376 places available in Chemnitz. After an initial integration period, they can move from there to a rented flat, known as decentralised housing I. This type of accommodation in particular was further expanded in 2014. The number of rented flats rose from 23 in the 1st quarter of 2014 to 125 in the 4th quarter. These flats are located in the Bernsdorf, Gablenz, Sonnenberg, Schlossviertel and Kappel districts in particular. Under certain conditions, it is possible to live in an apartment with your own tenancy agreement (decentralised housing II). Such flats are located throughout the city.

At the end of 2014, around 65 per cent of all asylum seekers in Chemnitz were living in flats and around 35 per cent in shared accommodation. Decentralised housing will continue to be favoured by the city of Chemnitz in the future, as this is the best way to achieve the city's goal of providing refugees with humane accommodation within the given legal framework while taking their individual religious, ethnic and cultural characteristics into account. Overall, the city endeavours to maintain the quota of one third of asylum seekers being housed in central accommodation and two thirds in flats, even if the number of refugees increases.

The concept also focuses on providing appropriate social support for asylum seekers in order to promote their independence and integration into the community. The services offered are extremely varied and range from volunteer sponsorship programmes and language support to visits to cultural institutions or the organisation of sporting activities. The City of Chemnitz is not the only provider. Independent organisations also provide a wide range of needs-based and individual support services, helping refugees to feel welcome, settle in and integrate in our city.

In addition to accommodation and care, the adopted concept also deals with security aspects and makes it clear that the information, suggestions and concerns expressed by citizens are taken seriously by the city administration.

Accordingly, continuous public relations work, which provides information about accommodation plans as well as the everyday lives of refugees, is of increased importance. The Lord Mayor will regularly report on the implementation of the concept at residents' meetings and city council meetings. Information on the topic will also be published in the official gazette and on the city's website. In addition, regular contact is to be established between citizens, neighbourhood managers and citizens' platforms in cooperation with cultural, sports and other associations in neighbourhoods with a higher proportion of asylum seekers in order to ensure good, long-term coexistence.

Accommodation and care concept for refugees in the city of Chemnitz

Information on refugees and asylum

There is an information hotline for citizens' questions on 0371/4881516, emails can be sent to