The city of Tübingen is setting up containers to house refugees for the first time. This was decided unanimously by the Tübingen municipal council at the end of October. Next spring, 90 refugees are to move into individual containers in Sidlerstrasse. There are plans for 72 units of 18 square meters each, which will be grouped together in a three-storey complex. Individuals, couples or families can live there. Each container has its own bathroom and kitchenette. There are also parking spaces for baby carriages, a washing machine room and a room for the janitor. The containers should be ready for occupancy at the end of March 2025.
The construction is necessary because the city has too few apartments for refugees. As part of the so-called follow-up accommodation, the municipality will have to accommodate an additional 150 people this year; by 2025, this figure is expected to rise to around 300 people who are unable to find private accommodation following temporary accommodation by the district. There are currently 1676 refugees living in city accommodation in Tübingen. The existing 571 apartments are therefore almost fully occupied, said Elisabeth Stauber, head of the city’s social services department, when the plans were presented to the social committee. Many of these apartments had been made available by private individuals.
The city has leased the land in Sidlerstrasse – located between Bismarckstrasse and Schaffhausenstrasse – for ten years. The containers are rented and initially set up for two years. Social services are provided nearby by the Brückenhaus neighborhood center. The city assumes that more new accommodation will be needed in the coming years. “The locations should be distributed as well as possible across all districts and sub-districts,” said Social Mayor Dr. Gundula Schäfer-Vogel at the presentation of the plans: ”This is important for good integration.”
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