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Dortmund (dpa / lnw) - Despite the life-threatening cold, some homeless people avoid emergency sleeping places in North Rhine-Westphalia and, according to welfare associations, stay outdoors.
In part, this is due to the fear of being infected with the corona virus in the accommodations, said Andreas Sellner of the State Working Group (LAG) Free Welfare Care on dpa request on Monday.
Here, however, the occupancy density has been significantly reduced, many additional jobs - pensions, youth hostels, urban areas - have been opened and strict hygiene regulations are observed.
In this way, reservations among many homeless people could gradually be counteracted, as the expert described.
However, there are refugees and numerous people who have immigrated from Eastern Europe as a result of economic hardship and who live in NRW without a roof over their heads.
They are often concerned that they will have to leave Germany after they have been "officially accommodated" in emergency shelters.
Some homeless people also refused collective accommodation as a matter of principle.
It can be assumed that around 10,000 people in North Rhine-Westphalia are homeless.
Many cities appealed to the homeless to go to the emergency shelters in view of the freezing cold and to passers-by to report helpless people.
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© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210208-99-350465 / 2