Читать книгу Debates de la cooperación latinoamericana - Silvana Insignares Cera - Страница 17

In Leipzig, a public housing company exists which has the mandate to balance market forces and provide housing for households which have difficulties to rent apartments on the free housing market. Especially households with low income or elderly persons have the possibility to receive a flat which is rented by the public housing company of Leipzig. Also refugees have the possibility to move in flats of the public housing company. As mentioned above, also in this sector of the housing market, competition for these flats with other low income groups exist. The fierce competition concerning these flats is demonstrated through a recent bribe scandal which took place in Leipzig. It was revealed that refugees paid the responsible official money in order to get a flat from the public housing company. Even though the CEO of the public housing company argued that the practice of corruption is a single case and the responsible person was fired immediately, the case demonstrates the desperation of refugees to find adequate housing.

It also is necessary to mention that most public housing stock in Leipzig is concentrated in buildings which were constructed during GDR times, i.e. before 1989. The apartments build in this time were constructed in line with the principles of the socialist cities and their floor plans are orientated to small families and a certain “socialist” lifestyle. The household structures of the refugees in Leipzig are different: A considerable share of refugees lives in larger families and also their living habits hardly fit with the floor plans of the apartments provided by the public housing company. Therefore the option that refugees find their apartments in existing public housing faces also difficulties because the floor plans are not adequate.