HAS ‘HEIMAT’ BEEN MADE?: Centralized refugee accommodations in Germany

According to UNHCR, Germany hosts more than a million refugees. Asylum seekers in Germany, live in the collective accommodation facilities called Gemeinschaftsunterkünften run by the respective municipalities while waiting for their application to be processed. Moreover, many refugees who have acquired official status continue to live in these facilities because of difficulties in finding decentralized accommodation in urban areas. This thesis focuses on the effects of living in the Gemeinschaftsunterkünft on the well-being of the inhabitants through a case study by using ethnographic methods and mapping. Interviews were conducted with 10 inhabitants and also with the official social worker of the Gemeinschaftsunterkünft at Hofheim in Germany. The main findings show that the inhabitants lack privacy and space; which is the consequence of the absence of binding standards regarding the size of GUs; where many refugees continue to live for prolonged periods because finding suitable, affordable and decentralised housing is challenging. Moreover, living at the GU for a prolonged period prevents social integration. The lesson from the thesis is that enforced standards in terms of size and occupancy are required for GUs. Furthermore, affordable housing stock generation is needed to enable the residents to move out of GUs and integrate better.