One of Germany's first shelters for LGBTI refugees has opened in the East Berlin district of Treptow. Our interview with Stephan Jäkel from Schwulenberatung Berlin shows that such shelters are necessary. By Steffen Taubert.
It's a rainy day as I ride my motorbike into the East Berlin district of Treptow. Commercial areas, railway tracks, old buildings and gloomy corner pubs. My destination: a visit to Germany's first home for LGBTI refugees. As I make my way past parked lorries and building sites, I look for the home and am more than surprised when I suddenly find myself standing in front of a bright new building. After a check by the security staff, I am greeted in a friendly manner by Stephan Jäkel.
Stephan Jäkel is head of the HIV and hepatitis department at Gay Counselling Berlin. Over the past two years, he has worked with great perseverance to set up this facility and get the community and politicians interested in the project. He was delighted when the Berlin Senate approved funding for an emergency and shared accommodation centre for LGBTI* people at the end of last year. The accommodation is financed by daily rates paid by the Berlin Senate for the accommodation of asylum seekers.
The first 20 residents have already moved in, and over 122 people are expected to live here in the coming weeks.
Stephan, how did the Berlin Gay Counselling Service come to be involved with the topic of "LGBTI* refugees"?
The rising number of refugees and the anti-gay propaganda legislation in Eastern Europe has sensitised us, also because an increasing number of clients from these countries have come to us.
You are targeting LGBTI* people. Do you reach everyone equally?
The majority, around two thirds, are gay men, one third trans* and a few lesbian women.
I was quite astonished when I arrived. I thought I was going to find some dilapidated building that you had to renovate in a makeshift manner and was really impressed to find such a beautiful new building.
That makes us happy here too. The building is planned as a residential and office block and is a great fit. We now have 29 flats, ranging from 1-room flats to 4-room flats. There is an office wing, an open communal area with a canteen and a lounge.
Wow. How many people do you need here to run the facility?
In addition to the centre manager, there are also five social workers who work here part-time. The team will also be supported by a lawyer from May and a psychologist from July.
And then there are also many people who support you on a voluntary basis, aren't there?
Yes, that is impressive. First of all, there are the countless volunteers who help set up the flats and now help with the food distribution. Then there are many other offers that we are still sorting out, from language courses and sports activities to theatre groups and, and, and ...
You're not exactly in the gay neighbourhood of Berlin. How did the neighbours react when they found out that an LGBTI* refugee shelter was to be opened in their neighbourhood?
We thought the neighbourhood was great right from the start. But there were fears from the LAGESO [editor's note: Berlin State Office for Health and Social Affairs], and the police also urged caution because there was no experience with LGBTI* accommodation. But everything has gone very well so far. We had a public event in the parish hall of the neighbouring church, and there were over 100 people there. There was a big round of welcoming applause several times. Some residents approach us on the street and ask how things are going. Beforehand, we thought that we wouldn't be able to convince the enemies of such an organisation anyway, but that we could win over those who were well-disposed towards us with careful public relations work - and that's exactly what happened.
Which people can come to you?
Our centre is intended for particularly vulnerable LGBTI* refugees. It is a mixture of emergency and shared accommodation. This has the advantage that we can really get people out of the gymnasiums and airport hangars and accommodate them here from the very first day they are registered in Berlin. We are then responsible for providing full catering and handing out hygiene materials.
Who pays the costs, for example the rent for residents who live with you?
We have nothing to do with the rent. There is a contract between the state of Berlin and the owner. We receive a daily rate for all residents, which covers the socio-educational staff, the security service and running costs for everyday needs.
How long do people stay with you?
In theory, asylum seekers are allowed to rent private flats through regular tenancies after six months. However, it is often extremely difficult for them to get a flat. This is why we also offer accommodation in shared accommodation at the centre. Refugees then live in small shared flats with their own kitchen in the shared accommodation flats. They receive cash benefits and can and must cater for themselves.
Do you already have a lot of requests?
Yes, unfortunately we've already had to turn a lot of people down, as we're only providing emergency accommodation with full catering at the moment. But we've finally got the licence for the entire house. Now we're just waiting for the kitchens for the flats to be delivered and we'll be able to take full occupancy from May.
Even though not everything is ready yet, it's impressive how quickly you were able to launch the home. Did the development surprise you a little?
A little bit. We first had the idea in November 2014, when we thought that a large old Berlin flat with seven rooms would do. So now we're here and somehow we have a house with 122 places and we don't think that will be enough.
Why do we even need a special centre for LGBTI* refugees?
Many want to live in our centre because they can live their sexual orientation or gender identity openly here. Some come from countries at war, others from countries where homosexuality is not permitted, such as Iran. Almost all of them were or are afraid for their lives. Many tell us that this is the first time in their lives that they have experienced a safe place where they are accepted, where they can naturally say: "I am gay."
Couldn't a conventional refugee centre also offer such security?
Unfortunately, people in the centres often experience physical and psychological violence, both from other residents and from security staff ...
Does this happen often?
That's not the rule, but the accommodation does provoke it a little. Men and women are housed in gymnasiums with 100, 200 people in one hall, with no privacy. Three violent idiots are enough to make life hell for them. It's also difficult to find suitable interpreters. If it comes out that someone is gay, we've seen interpreters stop translating or curse people out. Or they tell people "You don't have to say that here", even though it would of course be important for the asylum procedure.
Do you have your own translators on hand?
We definitely need more language mediators because we also realise that voluntary translation or translation by other residents is immediately very problematic. We have to make sure that exactly what the clients or we say is translated without judgement.
There is also criticism in the migrant community of such specific offers for LGBTI* refugees - this would mean favouritism and could drive a wedge into the community. What is your stance on this?
Then we could also say: "Why do we need gay counselling at all? Why do we need women's refuges at all?". That also drives a wedge into society as a whole. It's not my ideal vision of social life to have such an LGBTI* centre. But it is absolutely necessary at the moment. LGBTI* refugees are simply a particularly vulnerable social group. We first need to provide a safe space for people from this target group, from where they can then make a self-determined impact on society. This is the common thread that runs through all of our programmes. Not everyone wants our services, not everyone needs our services. But a lot of people do come, and I think it makes a lot of sense for them and is immensely empowering.
Do you also expect severely traumatised people?
Absolutely. Not everyone has had a bad experience. People come to us from Syria, for example, who have grown up in very liberal family circumstances and with good ego strength, but the majority have not. When this is compounded by experiences of civil war, flight and the murder of friends, things get dicey. We have people whose lovers, friends and relationship partners have been murdered by IS, who have received threatening phone calls themselves, who have only just managed to escape and who have been discriminated against, abused, raped or almost murdered at various stages of their escape.
What can you offer these people?
Safe accommodation is already a great deal. With our new psychologist, we will be able to offer stabilising group work and clearing. Do we need psychotherapy? Are psychologically guided groups or integration support enough? We can't and don't want to go deep into trauma work straight away. This requires a secure residence status, secure living conditions and time. But I am already dreaming of a psychotherapeutic treatment centre for LGBTI* refugees, similar to the Berlin Treatment Centre for Torture Victims (BZFO). We also want to become part of the Berlin network for people in need of special protection. In addition, we have started the first medical consultations in the accommodation centre, which will now take place regularly with a doctor who has experience in LGBTI* issues.
What about HIV and other sexually transmitted infections?
Yes, people also go to our testing programmes. Drug use also plays a role in counselling. So we actually deal with all the issues that we also deal with in the community: Love, lust and passions. Then there are also the issues of the asylum process and procedure.
How well do your counsellors know about HIV and AIDS?
There are incredible differences in knowledge. Some have comparable knowledge to us here and are completely enlightened. Others have never had any sex education at all in their lives. We're not even talking about HIV and sexually transmitted diseases, but how does your own body work? Sometimes we start with the very basics.
What do you think AIDS service organisations can do for refugees? Some colleagues report that awareness-raising posters are torn down in care centres and that the topic of HIV and AIDS often receives little attention.
First of all, look for allies, for example fit care home managers. If you put up posters, you should ask yourself: Do these posters have to hang in the communal areas? Or can they also be put up in the counselling offices, where they cannot simply be torn down unobserved? Perhaps training courses for multipliers should also be considered. But I'm not an expert on situations in general care homes. It was clear to us from the start that we wouldn't go into the homes so much as we would look at how we could get people out of the homes. That's our approach now.
Stephan, good luck with the rest of the project and thank you for the interview.
