A good 4,500 people affected by homelessness

The number of homeless people in Saxony has almost doubled within a year. Social Affairs Minister Petra Köpping (SPD) put the current number of people affected at 4535, including many women and young people. There was a debate on the topic of homelessness in the session of the Saxon state parliament - with a motion from the Left Party.

Member of Parliament Juliane Nagel (Left Party) said: "Once you end up on the street, it is difficult to find four walls of your own again. Homelessness is a scandal and it is growing in Saxony." The number of unreported cases is also high. The federal government's report on homelessness estimates that 60,400 people nationwide are staying with relatives, friends or acquaintances. Around 47,300 are also living on the streets.

Left-wing parties call for a state-wide strategy

The left-wing parties called for a state-wide strategy to prevent housing emergencies and help those affected. Other federal states such as North Rhine-Westphalia and Thuringia are leading the way, Nagel emphasized. First and foremost, the loss of housing must be prevented. "We therefore want to expand tenant protection, prevent poverty and strengthen social contact points that offer help in difficult situations." Social housing construction must also be stepped up.

Nagel added: "Nobody lives in poverty and misery by choice. Almost half of those affected have lost their home due to rent arrears or notice of termination." Other reasons include strokes of fate, illness and, in the case of people from EU countries, the fact that no tenancy agreement can be concluded without an employment contract. Evictions also lead to homelessness. The number of such cases rose to 2,704 in 2024.

Whoever is released from prison or has to move out of a shelter is also at risk of becoming homeless, said the Left Party MP. Most of those affected would not find a place of their own for years. "Transitional shelters, such as those offered by most local authorities, therefore do not solve the problem."

Although representatives of almost all parliamentary groups named homelessness as a problem during the debate, the Left Party's motion did not receive a majority.