700 refugees from Ukraine have arrived in Jena

Accommodation increasingly tense

More than 700 refugees have arrived in Jena - available communal facilities fully occupied

• Preparations for further accommodation continue at full speed
• Criticism of the state of Thuringia's announcement on the allocation of refugees to municipalities

More than 700 refugees from Ukraine have arrived in Jena by Wednesday, 16.03.2022, most of them mothers with children of all ages and some elderly people. Around 500 people have arrived individually and found private accommodation. Around 160 people have been accommodated in the city's communal facilities and 40 are staying in hotels in the city.

Interim solution: gyms

All currently available communal facilities are fully occupied, including the "Stern" school hostel. As a first interim solution, the first gymnasiums were therefore taken off the grid and prepared as emergency accommodation by the team from Kommunale Immobilien Jena and with the help of the fire department. By the end of this week, around 30 places will be available in one gymnasium. Two further gyms will also provide short-term accommodation for around 100 people as soon as possible.

Please understand the situation

Lord Mayor Dr. Thomas Nitzsche says:

We are aware that the partial closure of sports halls for sports lessons for children and young people, but also for sports clubs, entails major restrictions. We can only ask for understanding for the situation in which it is our duty to provide refugees with safe accommodation and the bare necessities in a warm environment. The gymnasiums should not and cannot become permanent accommodation.

The aim is still to place people in long-term accommodation.

Probably 250 more places in March

However, preparing these in such a way that equipment, water and electricity supplies and catering are organized on site will take more time. Around 250 accommodation places are expected to be ready for use in the course of March. Among other things, two nursing home buildings have been successfully secured as accommodation. The guest house of the Internationaler Bund Am Herrenberg is already being used for accommodation. Further preparations are underway for the POM hall and the KIJ's own apartments.

Dr. Thomas Nitzsche says:

We want to offer those arriving in Jena a place to stay in safety. However, as a city we also have to be realistic about the limited capacities available locally. The state of Thuringia must take urgent action to develop further buildings that are the responsibility of the state. The municipalities must not be left alone to cope with the immense task of providing accommodation.

State wants to assign refugees automatically

Against this backdrop, the automatic allocation of refugees announced today by the state of Thuringia is also viewed critically. Around 50 people are to be transferred to Thuringian municipalities every two days, which presents the city of Jena with an almost impossible task. Housing for this number of people is not available in the short or medium term.

Dr. Thomas Nitzsche adds:

'The state's support at this point must not be limited to passing people through. The state urgently needs to create infrastructure for initial reception facilities in order to give local authorities more time to organize accommodation.

Information for private housing offers

Meanwhile, fewer private housing offers are being received via the registration form. So far, 200 people have been successfully placed in private accommodation.

Integration manager Andreas Amend says:

We are very grateful for every offer and the willingness of citizens to help. At the moment, we are often experiencing last-minute refusals for placements. For this reason, we would like to ask that offers are only placed if they are really serious and there is a longer-term housing perspective.