ABOUT BERLIN COOLING AID

The “Berlin Cold Relief” is a program that is unique in Germany and was launched in 1989 by Berlin parishes and welfare associations and by the Senate Department (then Health and Social Affairs) to offer homeless people an unbureaucratic place to stay overnight during the cold season.

Numerous providers, i.e. various parishes, associations, clubs and initiatives, each participate with their own offers such as: B. Advice centers, emergency overnight stays, night cafés, soup kitchens, meeting points for the cold relief program to prevent people without accommodation from freezing to death in Berlin.
These projects are financed by grants from the state of Berlin or the district offices, as well as from funds from the League of Welfare Associations and with the help of donations. Without the active support of local volunteers, many projects would not be possible.
It is our job to provide information about these diverse offers.

The employees of the cold help telephone (and the connected database) collect, update and publish the offers almost daily. In our current version 2023, those seeking help can quickly see via a traffic light system which emergency accommodation currently has sleeping spaces available and which is full. This function will be gradually developed over the course of the 2023/24 cold relief period.