She herself had not known the deceased, who according to the police died of natural causes after a serious illness, or the 38-year-old who had carried the 44-year-old's head in a bag to the district court. Colleagues, however, had told her that the two had often appeared together when they had visited the VfG for medical treatment. "As far as we know, however, they did not want to take up any offer of social care. We also know that they showed a lot of mutual concern for each other," says Grunwald.

Anyone who talks to people from the homeless and drug milieu around Bonn's main railway station experiences similar things. "We had the impression that they didn't want to have anything to do with us," says a man who does not want to give his name.

But aside from this case, Grunwald is seeing a clear increase in homeless people and addicts in Bonn and also more aggressive behaviour among quite a few of her clientele. She has been observing this for several years, she says. Besides drugs - "the market is full of them" - there is an increased consumption of alcohol, especially cheap beer, which is easily available in the surrounding kiosks near the main railway station. Grundwald, who has been working for VfG for more than 35 years, gets downright angry when she tells the GA about it on the phone: "They make their living out of seriously ill people."

She sees the lack of prospects for these people as one reason why they are increasingly addicted to alcohol. In the past, she says, it was easier to place people in care in permanent housing, where they could find their feet again more easily. "Now it is almost hopeless to find them a flat or a room of their own. We can no longer get them off the street," says Grundwald.

Caritas is also observing increasing problems and more aggressiveness among its clientele. "The current geopolitical crises and conflicts are having an impact on our urban society," says Gerhard Roden, director of the Prelate Schleich House on Thomastrasse.

"We are registering changes in the public space. Not only has the number of people in need increased, but some people's behaviour is also changing," Roden continues. Among the reasons he cites are changes in drug use such as increased amphetamines, mental health problems and traumatic experiences. "The situation is not easy to assess at the moment because of the rapid and complex change."

Precisely because the situation is complex with many factors and causes, it is all the more important to work out initiatives for improving things together with all those involved, for example at a round table, says Roden, echoing the sentiments of Joachim Gerhardt. The press officer of the Protestant church district of Bonn and pastor of the Luther Church in Südstadt is often out and about in the city. He says he has known some of the addicts and homeless people personally for a long time. Gerhardt and also Ulrich Hamacher, head of the Diakonisches Werk, also observe an increase in the number of people in Bonn's inner city who predominantly live on the streets.

"We need considerable socio-political efforts. Also in our country," said Gerhardt. He announced that after the summer holidays, the Protestant Church in Bonn would try to get representatives of the welfare organisations, the city and supporting associations as well as those affected themselves to sit around a table and talk about solutions together. " The more so as it is likely that the situation will worsen considerably in the autumn and winter in light of the expected increase in the cost of living, which in some cases will be enormous," says the pastor.

The City of Bonn confirms that the number of people who are homeless is steadily increasing, but this is not a problem specific to Bonn, says Andrea Schulte from the press office. They also know that the increase nationwide is related to the glaring lack of affordable housing.It is impossible to put an exact figure on the number of homeless people in Bonn because some people move frequently or evade social care. Schulte: "There are currently 471 people living in municipal accommodation for the homeless. In addition, there are about 100 people living in facilities run by independent organisations, such as the VfG and Caritas."

The police still regard the inner-city police station GABI, which they run together with the city's public order department, as an important facility for keeping an eye on a large number of the stranded people in the city. Even with the definitely increased number of cases, this still works well, according to police spokesperson Robert Scholten. Asked if police and law enforcement are dealing with more aggression and violence, Scholten said, "Our call-outs for aggressive behaviour and violence have increased overall and relate to all layers in society."