Facts about the shared accommodation at Matthias-Domaschk-Straße 2

Facts about the shared accommodation at Matthias-Domaschk-Straße 2: Special offer for people in particular need of protection

In Matthias-Domaschk-Straße 2 in Jena-Neulobeda, the city of Jena uses a rented floor within a nursing home as special shared accommodation. It is used to accommodate refugees from Ukraine with high care needs - including severely war-wounded people, cancer patients and the very elderly. The city of Jena has created a special offer here, as refugees from Ukraine are allowed to live in their own accommodation immediately and in many other cities there are no places available in shared accommodation for these people.

Healthy people are only accepted if they are relatives or, in exceptional cases, temporarily if they have no other accommodation. More than 90 percent of the people living there require intensive care. Strict adherence to nursing hygiene standards is therefore essential. These rules can result in noticeable restrictions for the few residents who do not require nursing care. Currently, 76 people live in the facility, which offers a maximum of 77 places.

As the care home is used for special purposes, the home supervisory authority and the health authority have requested the presence of a security guard around the clock for fire and infection protection reasons. However, this guard does not take over the management of the accommodation. A social worker is on site on weekdays to provide social support and advice to the residents. The "Lingatel" interpreting software is used for all conversations in order to overcome language barriers and avoid misunderstandings.

One-sided open letter without an overall picture

On August 11, 2025, the city of Jena received an open letter from the "Lobeda Solidarisch" association based on statements from some of the facility's younger residents. Among other things, the letter made allegations about the allegedly arbitrary behavior of the security forces, unannounced room checks, restrictions on cooking, food supply and a lack of medical care.

This description does not reflect the overall situation in the accommodation. The letter contains a great deal of misinformation, which presumably results from ignorance of the special situation of the sick and people in need of care in the facility. Room checks are common practice - as in all shared accommodation - and are always announced in advance. For reasons of hygiene, no food may be stored in the rooms of a care home environment in order to avoid the risk of pest infestation. Meals are provided in the form of full meals at the facility, for which a standard fee of 150 euros per person per month is charged. There are special arrangements for small children under the age of 3. Medically necessary diets are taken into account as far as possible, and meals are provided by the nursing home kitchen. Independent cooking is not possible, as the hygiene standards of a care environment must also be observed here.

Support for staff and willingness to talk

All legal standards and requirements for the accommodation of refugees are met in the shared accommodation - in many areas they are even significantly exceeded. Of course, regular meetings and quality discussions are also held between the responsible employees in order to further develop this special service. Our network partners - such as the Thuringian Cancer Society - also repeatedly reflect the good cooperation.

Those responsible in the Department of Social Affairs, Health, Immigration and Climate are behind the concept and the dedicated staff at the refugee accommodation.

The city administration is not aware of any complaint to the Lord Mayor regarding the allegations made in the open letter. Individual requests for the provision of living space are examined, but the city of Jena does not have its own living space. In these cases, reference is made to the housing companies in the city. Refugees from Ukraine have the same opportunities to apply for housing as all residents of the city of Jena.

In general, complaints are always carefully examined by the city of Jena and those raised in the letter are taken very seriously. Offers of talks were made to the authors and supporting initiatives in order to clarify open questions and clear up misunderstandings. On Tuesday (12.8.2025), the social committee was also informed in detail about the special situation in the accommodation. On Wednesday morning (13.8.2025), the staff at the shared accommodation received a counterstatement from a resident who expressly distanced herself from the statements in the letter of complaint and expressed her sincere thanks for the good care provided on site.

The city of Jena is particularly keen to continue to secure the services in Matthias-Domaschk-Straße and to offer all residents the best possible accommodation there.