The Main-Taunus-Kreis rents four more buildings for refugees.

District Administrator Michael Cyriax (CDU) reports that a private house and three hotels in Hofheim, Kelkheim, Eschborn and Hochheim are being prepared to accommodate around 400 more people.

The “Blue Plaza” hotel in Hofheim-Wallau will accommodate up to 95 people.

The empty former hotel "Rheingauer Tor" in Hochheim is intended for up to 40 people.

In Kelkheim-Münster, twelve refugees are to be accommodated in a single-family house in a former farmstead that is used as a boarding house.

In Eschborn, the new “Eschby” hotel, which is still being completed and offers a total of 270 places, is to be used as communal accommodation.

All accommodations have communal kitchens, and the residents are also looked after by the district's social workers.

Andrea Diener

Correspondent in the Main-Taunus district

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"We can't stamp large accommodations out of the ground, there aren't rows of empty and suitable building complexes on the street and they can be occupied tomorrow," explains Cyriax when asked by the FAZ. The only larger objects that the district has are gymnasiums, but they will these are often used by students or sports clubs.

In addition, such halls with camp beds were at best suitable as emergency quarters for a transitional period.

A number of costs for the buildings, operations and staff

Renting hotel rooms would also be an option for cost reasons: “Renting otherwise empty hotel rooms in district-owned accommodation involves a number of costs for the building, operations and staff.

In addition, no one knows how the number of refugees will develop over the long term, so it is also good to remain flexible.”

Around 8,300 refugees are currently living in the district, and the trend is rising.

According to the first district councilor Madlen Overdick (Die Grünen), 46 people from different countries are currently coming to the Main-Taunus district every week.

Refugee Ukrainians made up only a small part of this, and in March and April 2022 they still made up the majority of the new arrivals.

Many Ukrainians also find private accommodation and are therefore not included in the statistics.

In addition to accommodation, there is also a need for places in day-care centers and schools in order to be able to integrate asylum-seeking and refugee families into social life.

Among the Ukraine refugees alone there are around 170 girls and boys of kindergarten age and more than 630 children and young people of school age who need to be taught or cared for.

According to the district administrator, the new quarters will be fully occupied by the beginning of February at the latest if the situation stays this way.

Accommodation in gyms should continue to be avoided as far as possible.

Further letters to the federal and state governments

Housing the refugees is a task for society as a whole, District Administrator Cyriax and District Councilor Overdick agree.

The district and municipalities work together, but the voluntary commitment of citizens is also important for integration in society.

"Nevertheless, the consequences of increasing refugee numbers must be clear," says Cyriax.

The district has around five million euros in uncovered costs in the current year.

After discussions with the municipalities, the district is preparing another letter to the federal and state governments in which it will urgently describe the current situation.

"It's all a big effort, and we need federal support through immigration control and financial support," says Cyriax.