This article is part of an InfoMigrants series detailing how unhoused migrants can stay safe throughout the winter in Germany's largest cities. The other articles in our series cover Munich, Frankfurt, Hamburg and Cologne.

After temperatures plummeted in Germany's capital in October, emergency overnight accommodation for the unhoused in Berlin has reached an average capacity of 90%. The city has pledged to provide a bed for anyone who needs it. 

The figures were published by the coordination office of Berliner Kältehilfe (Berlin "cold relief"), which provides assistance and emergency shelter in cold weather.

It seeks to assist people living on the streets during the winter and organizes soup kitchens, emergency shelters, counseling and free medical assistance for those who do not have medical insurance. The program assists a wide group of people, including those who have been unhoused temporarily or for a long time, people with special needs, as well as people struggling with addiction.

Although there are additional services and asylum accommodation centers available to asylum seekers, the Kältehilfe can also be accessed by refugees and migrants who find themselves without shelter. The local administration has emphasized that the service available to anyone in need regardless of origin and does not require registration.

The program aims to prevent people from incurring major health risks from exposure to the cold or even freezing to death in Berlin during below zero temperatures. It is not known how many people are living on the streets in Berlin, but it is estimated to be several thousand.

Kältehilfe is one of many options for unhoused people seeking a warm place to stay in winter.

Also read: Rights groups warn of falling temperatures after migrant death

Kältebusse -- Cold weather buses

The so-called cold weather buses (Kältebusse) run by Berlin's City Mission, as well as the German Red Cross' (DRK) bus, will be out on the road every evening until March 31. These buses are run by teams of volunteers and offer basic services and transportation.

The buses travel to train and subway stations where volunteers will provide people in need with assistance and, if desired, take them to emergency shelters. If, however, they do not want to or cannot be taken to a shelter, the buses also provide people with sleeping bags, clothings, warm drinks and food.

For many unhoused people, the cold relief program is the only way to find a warm place to sleep on cold winter nights. The shelters tend to become increasingly full the colder the temperature. In October, an average of 598 guests per night were accommodated.

This rose steadily in the second week of November (13 - 19), to an average of 974 out of 1082 available places were occupied. However, a spokesperson for the social administration told the German newspaper the Tagespiegel that, as is the case every year, "every unhoused person who needs a bed will get one."

Also read: Hamburg: How unhoused migrants can protect themselves against the cold

Traffic light system for available accommodation

Figures showing the number of available beds at emergency accommodation facilities are published on social media every week. The most recent figures show that only 72 spaces were left unoccupied last week (November 19-25).

An evaluation of the figures from the first cold month of the season showed that the occupancy rate of the 141 places exclusively for women was higher than for other places, with an average occupancy rate of 97%.

The local government has launched a cold relief app allowing those seeking help to use a "traffic light system" to see which emergency accommodation still has free sleeping spaces and which ones are full. This function will be further developed over the course of the 2023/2024 cold relief season.

However, only seven out of over 30 emergency overnight shelters are currently using the traffic light system. It remains to be seen how effective and accessible the traffic light system will really be for those affected.

Also read: UK: Thousands of homeless refugees expected before year's end

Growing tension among those in need

Cansel Kiziltepe, senator for labor, social affairs, equality, integration, diversity and anti-discrimination said in a statement:

"For homeless people, Berlin's 'cold relief' can be vital for survival," she said. "It protects them from having to spend the night outside in the cold. The state of Berlin, social institutions, church communities and the many volunteers work hand-in-hand and this is the only way we can overcome the major challenges."

However, she points out that it is becoming increasingly difficult to find suitable accommodation for the project during the winter months.

In Germany, a growing wealth gap between over the last three decades has pushed more people into poverty and has increased demand for social welfare payments. This has also led to tension among those in need of assistance social worker Anna-Sofie Gerth from the city station in Wilmersdorf told the German broadcaster ZDF.

Gerth described the cut-throat competition for good places to sleep, when collecting deposit bottles or for a warm lunch. “We see a hierarchy of poverty on the streets and increased racism,” said the Berlin social worker.

In addition, language difficulties are likely to have a disproportionate impact on migrants in the country -- many shelter and cold relief websites and hotlines are only available in German.

Also read: How Europe's housing crisis impacts migrants

Information on emergency accommodation

The social administration recommends that unhoused people first ask if they would like help before calling the cold bus, for example.

You can find location-specific help finding a place to stay here.

Help can also be accessed at the Bahnhofsmission:

• at Ostbahnhof (guests can enter the center from 8:45 a.m. - 12 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. - 4 p.m.)
• at Hauptbahnhof (guests can enter the center on Mo-Fr from 8:30 a.m. - 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.)
• at Berlin-Zoologischer Garten (guests can enter the center via Jebensstraße from 10:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.)

The number for the cold bus is +49 30 69 03 33 690 and can be reached daily from 8pm to 2am.

The cold relief hotline is available on +49 30 34 39 71 40 daily from 7pm to 11pm.

There is also a help hotline for unhoused people from Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm: +49 157 80 59 7870.

The help bus can be reached at +49 30 60 03 00 10 10 between 6pm and midnight.

KARUNA Sub, a bus line for unhoused people, can be reached at +49 157 86 60 50 80 from Monday to Friday between 8am and 4pm.

If a person appears helpless, is unresponsive or is potentially putting themselves or others in an acutely dangerous situation call the EU emergency line 112. The control center dispatchers can help assess symptoms and, if necessary, send an ambulance this is ultimately not necessary or is refused, callers will not incur any costs.

Free meals

Daily locations of the “Volksküche” also called the “Vokü”, which offers a free meal to anyone in need, can be found here.

Locations of free meals throughout the city of Berlin can also be accessed here.

Other useful information

Women can access a shower, warm clothing, feminine hygiene products and snacks at the "Dusch Mobil" from Monday to Friday. Locations are available on their website.

The "Berliner Beratungsnetz für Zugewanderte" (Berlin network of counselling services for immigrants, BfZ) is an online database of services offering counselling and support for immigrants, covering a wide range of topics including emergency accommodation, counseling and health services.

Emergency Helplines for women experiencing violence

Nationwide helpline for women experiencing violence +49 800 116 016

The nationwide helpline for women experiencing violence provides anonymous initial telephone and online counseling on all forms of violence around the clock, every day. Calls are free of charge and conversations can be translated into many languages.

BIG Hotline +49 30 611 03 00

A telephone hotline or women in Berlin experiencing violence from their (ex-)partner during their relationship or after separating. Advice and counseling can be provided anonymously and with translation support if desired. The hotline also arranges free spaces in women’s shelters and safehouses.

Free Anonymous Healthcare:

At Malteser, you can seek medical aid, even if you do not have health insurance or proper papers. The service is anonymous and free of charge your information will not be shared with the social welfare office or the immigration office. You can find a list of these facilities here or search for an organization near you on the gesundheit-ein-menschenrecht.de website. In addition, you can search for anonymous medical assistance in your area also on the websites of Malteser and Medibüros.

Please note: Hospitals are not allowed to pass on your data to other people or authorities. So don't be afraid to go to a hospital in an EMERGENCY or to call the emergency hotline.

Ukrainian refugees:

IOM offers a hotline for people from Ukraine in Germany for information on housing, medical care, legal questions, employment as well as any further available support in Germany from Monday to Friday from 9am to 6pm (Kyiv time).

IOM Counsellors provide their support free of charge in Ukrainian, Russian and English through WhatsApp, Telegram and Viber under the following numbers: +38 050 428 45 65, +38 050 030 22 68 and +38 050 428 46 60