Düsseldorf (dpa / lnw) - The number of homeless people in North Rhine-Westphalia has fallen slightly for the first time after years of growth. As of June 30, 2021, 48,285 people in NRW did not have a regular apartment with their own rental agreement. That was around 1,700 (3.4 percent) fewer than in the previous year, according to the homeless statistics presented by Social Affairs Minister Karl-Josef Laumann (CDU) on Friday.
Since 2015, the number of homeless people in NRW has continued to rise from around 25,000. The municipalities attribute this, among other things, to the fact that recognized asylum seekers cannot find affordable housing in the tight housing market and therefore initially continue to live in reception facilities.
Homelessness is not the same as being homeless. Being homeless means that those affected do not have their own rental agreement and live, for example, in accommodation provided by municipalities.
According to estimates from a study commissioned by the ministry, around 5,300 homeless people were living on the streets or in temporary accommodation such as demolition houses or construction trailers in June/July 2021.
With the state initiative "Finally a home!" launched in 2019. According to the ministry, almost 4,600 homeless people have found a new home so far. Among them were 968 families with children and 205 homeless people.
Almost two thirds of the homeless people recorded were male (65 percent) and almost half had non-German citizenship.
