Help services for homeless people
Together with the City Mission and other organisations, the City of Chemnitz offers a range of support services for homeless people.
Help for homeless people has several objectives: On the one hand, to find accommodation, but also to alleviate a current emergency situation. For those affected in Germany, and this is unique internationally, there is a legal entitlement to help and also a municipal obligation to provide accommodation. This is particularly true in times of the coronavirus crisis.
Municipal organisations are working together with independent organisations to reach people in various emergency situations. Homelessness and the reasons that lead to the loss of a home are so complex that all parties involved need to work together. This complexity is also reflected in the help on offer in Chemnitz and the following overview is intended to provide a selected overview of contacts and services so that the right places can be found quickly, especially in this difficult situation. The following is a selected overview of contacts and services:
Accommodation/overnight accommodation
Housing project for homeless people | Heinrich-Schütz-Straße 84, 09130 Chemnitz Phone: 0371 / 4002350 E-mail: wohnprojekt(at)selbsthilfe91.de Opening hours: 24 hours a day |
Where to stay during the day
Day centre for homeless people "Haltestelle" | Annenstraße 22, 09111 Chemnitz Phone: 0371 / 671751 E-mail: wlh.tt(at)stadtmission-chemnitz.de Opening hours: Monday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. |
Day centre for users of the night shelter in the housing project for homeless people | Heinrich-Schütz-Straße 84, 09130 Chemnitz Phone: 0371 / 4002350 Opening hours: daily 7 am to 6 pm |
Railway station mission | Bahnhofstraße 1 (directly at the main railway station) Phone: 0371 / 49580520 E-mail: bahnhofsmission(at)stadtmission-chemnitz.de Opening hours: Monday to Friday from 9.30 am to 1.30 pm |
Counselling/support
Mobile Social Support Service (MSHD) for people with addiction problems and psychosocial difficulties | Bernsdorfer Straße 33, 09126 Chemnitz Phone: 0371 / 3347407 E-mail: mshd(at)vip-chemnitz-ev.de Counselling at the MSHD is provided by telephone. |
Caritas advice centre for homeless people and people at risk of homelessness | Ludwig-Kirsch-Straße 24, 09130 Chemnitz Phone: 0371 / 4043311 E-mail: bs-wohnungslose(at)caritas-chemnitz.de Telephone availability: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Tuesday, Thursday additionally 2 to 4 pm and by telephone arrangement |
City Mission counselling centre for homeless people and people at risk of homelessness | Annenstraße 18, 09111 Chemnitz Phone: 0371 / 4043314 E-mail: wlh.bs(at)stadtmission-chemnitz.de Telephone availability: daily 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. |
Counselling centre for prisoners, ex-prisoners and their relatives | Wiesenstraße 10, 09111 Chemnitz Phone: 0371 / 6742627 E-mail: fsh(at)awo-chemnitz.de Telephone and personal availability: during office hours Tuesday 2 to 5 pm Thursday 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and by appointment |
Street social work | Annenstraße 18, 09111 Chemnitz Phone: 0371 / 36769465 or 0371 / 4043313 Mobile: 0177 / 9140037 or 0177 / 9140043 E-mail: wlh.str(at)stadtmission-chemnitz.de Telephone availability: Monday to Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. |
Project MenschenWürde (Outreach social work, especially for women and disadvantaged newly arrived EU citizens) | Annenstraße 18, 09111 Chemnitz Phone: 0371 / 666 199 83 Mobile: 0163 / 984 776 4 E-mail: wlh.ehap(at)stadtmission-chemnitz.de |
AJZ Streetwork - Mobile youth work | Bahnhofstraße 3, 09111 Chemnitz Phone: 0371 / 64 63 62 16 Mobile team city centre: 0173 / 8995620 Mobile Team Sonnenberg: 0173 / 4263411 Mobile Team Gablenz: 0172 / 6844345 E-mail: mja(at)ajz.de |
Debt counselling AWO | Heinrich-Zille-Straße 16, 09111 Chemnitz Phone: 0371 / 27326-944 E-mail: schuldnerberatung(at)awo-chemnitz.de Telephone availability: Mon, Tue, Wed 8 am to 12 noon and 12.30 pm to 3.30 pm Thu 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 12.30 p.m. to 5 p.m. Fri 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 12.30 p.m. to 2 p.m. |
Debt counselling Caritas | Ludwig-Kirsch-Straße 13, 09130 Chemnitz Phone: 0371 / 43208-20 E-mail: schuldnerberatung@caritas-chemnitz.de Telephone availability: Tuesday 2 pm to 5 pm and by appointment Online counselling: beratung.caritas.de |
(Domestic) conflicts
Women's refuge | Phone: 0371 / 4014075 Emergency number: 0172 / 3718116 E-mail: frauenhaus-chemnitz(at)arcor.de |
Intervention and Coordination Centre for Combating Domestic Violence and Stalking (IKOS) | Hainstraße 125, 09130 Chemnitz Phone: 0178 / 7645974 or 0371 / 91 85 354 E-mail: info(at)ikos-chemnitz.de |
Civic engagement
Chemnitz Volunteer Centre | Reitbahnstraße 23, 09111 Chemnitz Phone: 0371 / 83 44 56 71 E-mail: fwz(at)caritas-chemnitz.de Telephone availability: Mon 2 pm to 6 pm, Tue 10 am to 12 noon, Wed 12 to 3 pm, Thu 2 to 4 pm and by appointment |
Chemnitz food bank | Zwickauer Straße 247, 09116 Chemnitz Phone: 0371 / 43 23 225 E-mail: info(at)tafel-chemnitz.de Food distribution: Tuesday to Friday 10 am to 12 noon |
Authorities
Social welfare office, Housing emergency assistance, debt counselling, evictions Accommodation, housing placement | Bahnhofstraße 54a, 09111 Chemnitz Phone: 0371 / 488 5515 E-mail: sozialamt.integration(at)stadt-chemnitz.de Phone: 0371 / 488 5035 E-mail: sozialamt.unterbringung(at)stadt-chemnitz.de Telephone availability: Monday to Friday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. |
Public order office, City order service | Düsseldorfer Platz 1, 09111 Chemnitz Phone: 0371 / 488 3274 E-mail: stadtordnungsdienst(at)stadt-chemnitz.de Telephone availability: Monday to Friday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. |
Frequently asked questions:
What can I do if I notice a person who appears to be homeless in a public space?Approach the person and ask if and what help they need. This could be a hot or cold drink, something to eat, clothes, money or a snack for the dog. Also refer them to the offers of help mentioned above.
Let the public authority number 115, the social welfare office or the municipal police know where you have found the person or where they are usually staying and how they can be contacted if necessary. The public authority staff will then try to make contact and offer support.
If the person is in an obvious emergency situation, e.g. if they are no longer responsive, you should inform the emergency medical service immediately in the interests of first aid.
How can I help?
Looking after other people is not always a matter of course and it is greatly appreciated. Be attentive, ask questions and refer people to support services. Inform the relevant authorities. The authorities will take further steps. Personal offers of help and support, e.g. in the form of monetary donations or material items (food, clothing, drugstore items) or your own voluntary work can be sent directly to the above-mentioned organisations at any time.
Good to know:
People affected by homelessness are not always able or willing to accept well-meant help. Due to bad experiences, illnesses or psychological limitations, this group of people is sometimes difficult to reach for help. The well-developed network of emergency housing assistance in Chemnitz tries to help everyone with professional help and offers. Street social work is often the first port of call in order to make it as easy as possible for people in need to access support services and to accompany them along the way. The social workers regularly seek contact, offer hot drinks or soup and also have clothes with them. In this way, they endeavour to build up a relationship of trust so that those affected can make use of the emergency housing assistance services and stabilise and improve their living situation.
Results are not always immediately recognisable. Sometimes allowing a conversation or accepting a cup of tea is already a big step forward. Accepting support is voluntary. It is only possible for the authorities to intervene with certain measures, e.g. medical care or accommodation against the wishes of the person concerned, if the person concerned is endangering themselves or others. Thanks to the qualified and continuous cooperation of the emergency housing assistance system in Chemnitz, homeless people can regularly move back into their own accommodation and improve their living situation.