Like 80 other migrants, Gebrihiwet has moved from Paulusheim into the city container village in Reuterpark between Reuterstraße and Hausdorffstraße. There is space for 240 people here – far too large compared to the current migrant numbers. While in 2015, 3285 people were still living in city accommodation, the figure is currently only around 2000. The city pays the accommodation costs for a further 1171. It is not known where around 3000 migrants currently live. They are only registered in the city.

Sports halls have long not been used as emergency accommodation in Bonn as they were during the peak of the wave of migrants in 2015. The former outpatient clinic in the city centre, which the city intends to purchase for social housing, will soon be empty again. The around 125 migrants who currently live there will move into the container village on Rheinweg (Kessenich). Only a fraction of the possible 180 people live in the containers on Otto-Hahn-Straße (Buschdorf). The accommodation on Siegburger Straße (Beuel) is planned to be completed in May. All four container villages offer space for around 800 people. And so the question arises as to what will happen if the migrant numbers fall further.

The city was forced to invest 16.4 million Euros in containers at a very unfavourable time, as all other municipalities urgently needed housing in the wake of the refugee crisis. At times, the market ran so dry that there were months long waiting times.

“There are no plans for any subsequent use. In most locations, continuous residential use is not possible because of a lack of planning rights,” says city spokesperson Monika Hörig. According to planning law, the container villages are only approved for temporary, three-year special use as asylum seeker apartments. It would only be possible to leave the containers on Siegburger Straße. A change of use must be decided upon first, for example as student accommodation. This was recently proposed by politicians on Beuel’s district council.

But will anyone want to live there long term? Not Solomun Gebrihiwet. He would rather have stayed in the Paulusheim. “We had more space there and our own toilet,” he explains. However, Gebrihiwet does not want to complain. “Everything is better than before.”

As far as subsequent use is concerned, it is worth taking a look at the Lower Saxony city of Lüneburg. There, the city council rents the containers to students who live alongside migrants. A 15 metre square room costs 150 Euros including heating – a similar abode south of Hamburg would cost double.

City spokesperson Suzanne Moenck says the co-existence works well. The residents play football together and invite each other to dinner. The talk in Lüneburg is of a win-win-win situation: the students save money, integration is promoted and the city does not need to leave the accommodation standing empty. The rental contracts are limited to six months. In addition, housing units are also kept empty as reserve should more migrants arrive than expected.

Many Bonn volunteers who work helping migrants would welcome such a concept. But they are not the only ones to criticise the city for not having a long-term plan. The frustrations created could be felt at a public presentation of the container village in the Reuterpark. Opinions differ on the period of use. While those in the town hall assume three years from occupation, residents believe the clock started ticking with the start of construction – and so only a year and a half remain.

The sports field in Reuterpark has had limited use. Given the falling number of refugees, some cannot understand why the container village will remain standing for so long if it has to be dismantled anyway.

(Original text: Nicolas Ottersbach / Translation: kc)