Offenbach's Winter Shelter Reopens to Protect Homeless from Freezing Nights
Offenbach's Emergency Winter Shelter Returns to Gerber15 for 2025/2026 Season
For the 2025/2026 winter, Offenbach's emergency overnight shelter for homeless people was once again provided at Gerber15, according to the local Diakonie (Protestant social welfare organization). The facility operated from December 15, 2025, to March 31, 2026, offering 12 sleeping spaces each night over a total of 107 nights.
The shelter was open daily from 8 p.m. to 6:30 a.m., welcoming women, men, couples, and non-binary individuals. Guests could use sleeping mats and sleeping bags, and were provided with hot tea and, if needed, leftover pastries from the previous day. Sanitary facilities were also available.
During the previous winter, the shelter had temporarily relocated to Caritashaus St. Josef due to construction work on the new Diakoniezentrum Gerber15. For the 2025/2026 season, however, it returned to the Gerber15 tea room. Since its launch in February 2021, this marks the fifth time the emergency winter shelter has been organized.
The program's primary goal is to protect homeless individuals from hypothermia, frostbite, and other life-threatening effects of cold weather.
This winter, the shelter recorded a total of 857 overnight stays, resulting in an occupancy rate of 66.7 percent. The vast majority of guests—around 98 percent—were men.
According to the Diakonie, the average age of guests was approximately 49 years, with the youngest recorded at 28 and the oldest at 73. Many people used the shelter repeatedly, becoming regular visitors.
Each evening and night, a social worker and a security firm supervised the facility. The sleeping bags and mats were provided through the Diakonie Hessen's "Donate Warmth" initiative. Guests who used the shelter regularly received a personal sleeping bag, handed out on their final night.
Funding for the winter shelter remains a challenge, the Diakonie reports. While the city of Offenbach covers the costs of security and weekend cleaning, the Diakonie itself bears a significant portion of the expenses—including rental space, heating, electricity, additional staff, and the daily setup and breakdown of the tea room.
Despite financial hurdles, housing emergency services consider the shelter indispensable, emphasizing that its top priority is safeguarding homeless people from the deadly risks of winter cold.
