ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the supply of temporary accommodation and the practice of municipalities in lodging homeless people, distinguishing between immigrants and the non-immigrant homeless. It talks about the legal framework and responsibilities, as well as the provision of assistance for people in temporary accommodation. The chapter considers the costs of temporary accommodation and compares provisions of different quality concerning their economical aspect. It deals with the question ‘How temporary is temporary accommodation?’ and therefore with the duration of stay in temporary shelters, with social effects of temporary accommodation and with the chances of homeless households being reintegrated into normal permanent housing. In 1985 the number of inhabitants of West Germany had reached an absolute minimum of just over 61 million. The immigration of asylum seekers to Germany also increased strongly at the end of the 1980s. Asylum seekers are only allowed to stay in Germany to prosecute their asylum procedures.
