Tenure of Refugee Shelter Coming to an End After Decade: Possible Destruction of Facility?

In the picturesque town of Trossingen, located in the Neuhausen ob Eck district, plans are afoot for the future of a significant building on Handelstraße. Once a care home until 2006, the building stood empty for several years before being reactivated in 2015 as accommodation for refugees.

Now, with the decrease in the number of asylum seekers, the district is opting out of the Trossinger accommodation. The city, however, is not leaving the building idle. Instead, they are considering various options for its repurposing.

The city council has discussed the establishment of a citizen's foundation, which is set to be discussed further in its next meeting on September 15. If established, this foundation will aim to support, promote, and animate the community in Trossingen through the acquisition of donations and endowments and the promotion of projects that enable civic engagement.

To kickstart this foundation, the German-Namibian Aid Fund Quandt has been dissolved, and its funds, amounting to 61,116 euros, have been provided as a starting capital. Additionally, an additional 299,250 euros from parts of the rental income received by the city for the former Dr. Karl Hohner Home as a refugee accommodation by the district will be added to the funds for the citizen's foundation.

The building on Handelstraße, currently a former refugee accommodation, is quite old and requires updates to its technology, heating system, and overall condition. The city is optimistic that the establishment of the citizen's foundation and the redesign of the Rudolf-Maschke-Platz are just the beginning of further development for the area.

Meanwhile, a modern kindergarten is currently being built in an annex of the complex of the former care home, with the Evangelical Church as the carrier.

The city also has a second accommodation on Gottlieb-Daimler-Straße, and the rental agreements for the Trossinger accommodation are expiring. No time pressure has been set for addressing the area of the former refugee accommodation after the citizens' foundation is established and the Maschke square is redesigned.

While the specific design of the participation of the Trossingers and Trossingerinnen in deciding the future of the former care home has not yet been decided, they will be involved in the process. A demolition of the building is an option that must be examined in the further procedure, but no decision has been made yet.

The city council's decision regarding the establishment of the citizen's foundation will be a significant step towards the future of the former refugee accommodation and the community of Trossingen.