Saxony: Dresden wants to build new housing containers for refugees

Dresden (dpa/sn) - In Dresden, housing containers for refugees are to be built at nine locations in the city by autumn.

Saxony: Dresden wants to build new housing containers for refugees

Dresden (dpa/sn) - In Dresden, housing containers for refugees are to be built at nine locations in the city by autumn. The city announced on Wednesday that a total of up to 824 people should receive temporary accommodation. The residential containers are to be set up on municipal properties in Niedersedlitz, Strehlen, Seidnitz and in Johannstadt, among other places. Without the containers, the city would soon have to resort to sports halls or set up tent cities, the reasoning was given. However, the city council still has to give its vote for the construction.

According to the information, the costs for rent, construction and management amount to around 47 million euros for two years. Dresden receives a lump sum from the Free State for the accommodation of refugees. "Despite many rented apartments, communal accommodation and hotel rooms, we have to use mobile room units for an estimated 2,000 new refugees in order to avoid accommodation in gyms and tents," explained Stephan Kühn (Greens), the mayor of the building. The housing market is now exhausted.

Significantly more refugees have come to Germany in recent months and are increasingly posing challenges for local authorities when it comes to accommodation. While around 930 asylum seekers were assigned to Dresden in 2021, there were 1556 people last year. The Dresden city administration expects up to 2,200 refugees to be accommodated by the city this year.