Housing shortage in Brandenburg: Seniors are threatened with an acute shortage of places

Housing shortage in Brandenburg: Seniors are threatened with an acute shortage of places

In Brandenburg an der Havel it is currently anything but easy to find a suitable apartment. The city is facing an acute shortage that affects all income levels, especially families with multiple children. The SPD parliamentary group has now demanded that the city administration comprehensively examine the housing needs, especially with regard to barrier-free apartments. Gesine Banerjee, co-chair of the SPD, suggested this review request and made it clear that, according to a study, there is already a lack of 3,400 apartments suitable for older people and people with disabilities in the city. Therese Pauli from the Green Party confirms that the lack of suitable housing is a particular burden on families, which underlines the urgency of the issue.

The Social Committee has currently dealt with the SPD's application at its last meeting. The aim is to collect information about landlords and their plans for renovations or new buildings. Lisa Köster from the AfD would even like to expand the study and demands that the need for affordable housing for trainees also be taken into account. The city council will decide on the application on June 25th, which initially raises many hopes.

The situation for older people

Older people are particularly affected by the housing shortage. A study by the Pestel Institute has shown that only around 600,000 pensioner households in Germany are barrier-free. There is currently a lack of 2.2 million age-appropriate apartments, which only makes the challenge even more complex. The trend of “baby boomers”, who are now increasingly entering retirement age, is increasing the pressure on the already strained housing market. A demand of 3.3 million barrier-free apartments is forecast by 2040 - an enormous need for which the real estate market is not yet sufficiently prepared, as the reports show.

Why is this important? Barrier-free apartments are not only practical, but crucial for quality of life. They offer threshold-free access to the shower and easier access for wheelchairs or walking frames. A quarter of senior households require such an environment due to health restrictions. However, the construction of new apartments has declined sharply in recent years: while around 600,000 apartments were completed in 1996, in 2022 there were only around 280,000.

Age-appropriate living – solutions in sight?

In order to meet the needs of older people, there are already some initiatives that are pursuing interesting approaches. A wide range of services and care partnerships are available, ranging from low-barrier to completely barrier-free apartments. In the best residential areas of all parts of the city, age-appropriate living arrangements have been implemented that promote communal living in order to prevent loneliness and relieve family responsibilities. The Allesmann Group also cooperates with providers of serviced residential complexes in order to take the individual needs of tenants into account.

Finding a new home is a major challenge for many. However, current developments and initiatives in Brandenburg an der Havel show that there is still hope that the right solutions will soon be found to meet the needs of all those affected.