The project is aimed at people aged between 18 and 50 who are refugees or immigrants from violent backgrounds.
The participants are either no longer housed in the City of Cologne’s accommodation for refugees, have already lost their home, are about to lose their home or are living in precarious housing conditions. This is often due to an insecure residence status, unstable employment relationships and insufficient German language skills, which make it difficult for them to cope with bureaucratic procedures. They often fall into a cycle in which the loss of their residence permit results in the loss of their job and home.
The target group suffers from trauma, racial profiling, violent experiences (especially gender-specific violence) as well as racism and discrimination. This leads to considerable psychological stress and serious mental illness. It is therefore essential to offer them a safe living environment and to stabilize their living situation in order to prevent further traumatization.
Our project “Soko Deme – Finding a home: Inclusive Housing Placement” aims to support people in Cologne with a refugee or immigrant background who have no home or are at risk of losing their home. We offer preventative measures against the threat of losing one’s home, help with acute homelessness, stabilization of the psychological situation and improvement of the financial and housing situation. This is done by offering advice and workshops and, in the long term, temporary accommodation in a sponsored apartment.
Our project creates a safe space for traumatized participants with severe mental illness. We offer intensive support in clarifying their financial situation, applying for benefits, stabilizing their mental health and finding accommodation. Thanks to our many years of experience, our trauma-specific expertise and our knowledge of the languages of origin, we are able to sensitively address the individual needs of our target group, particularly with regard to language and trauma management as well as gender-specific concerns.
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