Abolish offside for dignified housing

Over half a million people in Germany are homeless. Out of them, around 50,000 live on the streets without accommodation. For the 2024 European Football Championships, together with the Hamburg street magazine Hinz&Kunzt, we are creating visibility for the people who are increasingly being displaced for a “tidy” cityscape.

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“Abolish offside!” demands the GFF for the 2024 European Football Championship together with the Hamburg street magazine Hinz&Kunzt. In recent years, the police have been taking increasingly harsh action against homeless people in Hamburg and throughout Germany. People are being pushed out of public spaces by mostly unlawful bans. The most extreme form of poverty is sought to be made invisible. Under the hashtag “Abolish offside”, the Hamburg street magazine and the GFF are taking a stand against this. We are also planning strategic lawsuits against the unlawful actions of the police. The aim is to create visibility and strengthen the right to dignified housing for all people.

Luisa Podsadny

Fellow and lawyer at GFF

"Homeless people also have a right to be in public spaces. Repression such as banning orders obscure the real problems: Housing shortages and poverty."

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All people have the right to access and occupy public spaces. This also applies, and even more so, if they do not have the opportunity to retreat to a private space. People may only be banned from a public space to avert danger. As a rule, however, there is no danger - the police are increasingly using these measures in a repressive manner and usually applying them unlawfully. Homeless people are thus deliberately criminalized and stigmatized.

Mareile Dedekind

Lawyer at GFF

"With strategic lawsuits, we will take action against unlawful evictions. Instead of forcing people out of public spaces, we need a housing strategy based on human rights. Only then can those affected exercise their rights and not be exposed to massive violations of fundamental rights."

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#AbolishOffside: Where is my place?

"The police have often chased me away from public places. This must finally stop,” emphasizes Anni, who has been living on the streets in Hamburg for almost 30 years.

When major media events such as international soccer championships take place, homeless people are increasingly pushed out of train stations and city centers in order to “clean up” the cityscape. Together with the Hamburg street magazine Hinz&Kunzt, we want to draw attention to the displacement, create visibility and take action against the unlawful police practice through strategic lawsuits around the European Football Championship 2024. Together with those affected, we ask the question: Where is my place? A question that needs structural changes as an answer to rising rents, housing shortages and increasing homelessness.

Mit #AbseitsAbschaffen gegen rechtswidrige Platzverweise — GRX2 - Graeser & Gromatzki

Homelessness violates human dignity

Sheltered housing is the basic prerequisite for a self-determined life. Living on the streets or in precarious accommodation often means exhaustion, health risks, exclusion and violence.

In order to prevent these negative consequences and for people to the able to exercise their basic rights, the federal government must finally take action. The numbers speak for themselves. The Bundesarbeitsgemeinschaft Wohnungslosenhilfe (BAG W) now estimates that there are over half a million homeless people across Germany.

In April 2024, the Federal Cabinet adopted the first National Action Plan against Homelessness. After more than two years, this is a first step towards fulfilling the coalition's promise and meeting the EU target of eliminating homelessness. However, there is still a lack of concrete solutions and financial resources to end homelessness by the set target of 2030.