Drug addiction in Berlin : consumption rooms in Berlin-Neukölln: Help in-patient services?

Two to three times a week is painted Dau in Neukölln on Tour. His Mission: drug users are responsive and on the Advisory and care services in the district of point. Dau is a fixture of street social workers Association. He also takes care of the maintenance and emptying of the waste disposal containers in which drug users, their used utensils may be disposed of. Also for injection molding, which will not find their way into the disposal containers, he is responsible. He wanders through the bushes, which he identified as the notorious consumer places, pick up the syringe with a gripper and leaves you in a yellow bucket with a red cap disappear. Three tours, he usually needs to fill the bucket to the brim.

North-Neukölln is now considered as one of the main places of the Berlin drug scene. Hermann used to be the place you strain, focus dealers, and consumers now mainly on the area around the S-train stations Neukölln and Hermannstraße. It has shifted the consumer more and more in public places. Syringe finds in Parks and playgrounds are longest no longer a rarity.

Mobile solutions or stationary?

"Since the beginning of 2017 have increased the finds of Drug paraphernalia in a public space by leaps and bounds," said Wieland Voskamp, Director of the neukölln green area office, at a discussion event in January. "The burden of the public space has become in the past few years, more and more," says Nicola Blättner, site Director of the fixed point in Neukölln. As the cause they suspected, among other things, the worsening Situation on the housing market, more and more people in homelessness.

In addition, as drug use in public places best met can be, there are different views. While the country wants to promote drug Commissioner Christine Köhler-Azara in-patient services for drug users, preferably, the Neuköllner Health city Council Falko Liecke (CDU), mobile solutions, and accuses the Senate of ignorance towards the local expertise. Agree both that the road to social work and counselling services expanded.

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order A consumption room from the beginning of 2019

Since 2004, there is in Neukölln, the low-threshold contact supply "pressure compensation". There, drug users sterile consumer get utensils and Advisory offerings, but can also wash your Laundry, showers and the clothes closet. Since the spring of 2017, there is a mobile drug konsumbus in the Karl-Marx-Straße/corner of cemetery road. Beginning in 2019, both offers are to be guided in a stationary consumption room in the Karl-Marx-Straße.

The decision sparked discussions in the district. Especially Health the city Council Liecke fought against the stationary consumption room. "The drug scene in Berlin is a high degree of mobile when it comes to the shift of consumer places," says Liecke. Offers of help would be perceived by addiction, sick people, however, only a spatially limited. A mobile drug consumption offer the advantage of flexibility. The new location could be in a few months outdated, feared Liecke. "Then we have at worst a great space that nobody uses."

Lieckes fears Blättner does not share. While it is a matter of fact, the drug scene – about to police measures – shifted on a regular basis. However, dealers and consumers would be more likely to be in the smaller side streets are forgiven, and not to the other end of the city. "It is not true, the scene is mobile but not so mobile that we wouldn't connect with a stationary supply," says Blättner. There is also a mobile offer only limited flexibility. A new location would have to be first found and then approved by the authorities.

Senate plans for more facilities in Berlin

In other districts of Berlin are rooms stationary Consumption has long been a tried-and-tested means. In Kreuzberg fixture operates since January 2007, the drug consumption room "SKA" in the reichenberger Straße. In the birch street in Moabit in the consumer space, "Birch room" of the operator of Vista is, since 2004, a point of contact for people suffering from addiction. The Senate is planning the establishment of further consumption rooms in Charlottenburg, Berlin, at Kottbusser Tor, and in Wedding. Since 1. October, created the network for dealing with drugs and alcohol in the public space (NUDRA) in four districts, including Neukölln, a picture of the situation on drug consumption in public places. This should be derived in a further step, sustainable measures.

The consumption rooms serve in the first line of infection prophylaxis. The consumers to obtain sterile utensils and consume under medical supervision. In the event of emergencies, such as in the case of an Overdose, immediately intervened. But who comes here, wants to not only consume, but also often talk. "There are many who have a need for a conversation", says Marcin Zastrozny, as a Polish translator the accompanied social work at fixed point. "People feel lonely and just need a place where you can go." As soon as the weather conditions are difficult, the mobile drug consumption, however, no stay.

The impoverishment of the people

In Neukölln is the drug scene, in addition to the majority of German consumers, a large proportion of addicts from Eastern Europe. "These people have addicts in their home country is often very, very bad conditions," says Blättner. In Parallel, it is observed that the impoverishment of the people is increasing significantly. "It is often a variety of problems: poor health, homelessness and Addiction, to name three of the Main keywords." Often it is so that the people were in such a bad condition that the processing of the Addiction am actually only once at the end of the chain. Many people have neither health insurance nor a place to stay. "We'll be here, Yes only the precarious top," says Zastrozny.

social workers painted a Dau.Photo: Doris Spiekermann-Klaas

Whoever ends up in the drug consumption room, often has a longer history of Addiction. Only those who really see no other option, consume drugs in public spaces, says a social worker Dau. During the tours, countless "stranded souls met him," he says. Many are traumatized, many Eastern European consumers have made about war experiences. What connects them: the hope of a better life in Berlin. It was due to a better supply offer or the most disappointed prospect of a Job in the construction industry.

"Both solutions are important,"

When you enter the cell in the churchyard of street, you notice first the Close. Three consumer seats are mounted directly next to each other. The Bus wobbles, regularly people knock on a small window on the side and call inlet. "If a client is just a shot and a other in the Moment the Bus comes, are not exactly ideal conditions," says Jan, a medical assistant in consumer mobile, the don't want to read his real name in the newspaper.

in addition to the extra space of the stationary space, but it also extends the range of services: In contrast to the Bus, it is also possible to inhale drugs. "However, mobile devices often reach a different audience, because we're going to the consumer - and not you to us," says Jan. For some people the threshold is, therefore, in the case of a stationary space higher. "That's why both solutions are important," says Jan.

No open consumption rooms on the weekend

also stationary consumption rooms drug consumption in the public space does not disappear. "What's missing in Berlin compared to other cities, such as Frankfurt or Essen, have continuous opening Hours in the case of Consumption," says social worker Dau. "I don't hear Yes Friday 17 o'clock to consume and then wait until Monday at noon on the next shot." Also of the consumption room in the Karl-Marx-street is only open a few hours a day, days of the week. On the weekends there are no offers.

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"We will not reach a steady-state-consumption space, that all of the syringe finds are in the district. But that we contribute a portion to the discharge of the public space, we are convinced of this,“ says Told.