Späti-Vortrag und Kiezführung - WZB in deinem Kiez II: Zelte in der Stadt? Wohnungslosigkeit und Gesundheit in Berlin

In the organizer's words:

Späti lecture and guided tour of the neighborhood

Over 55,000 people currently live in Berlin without their own accommodation - they sleep in tents, on the street, with friends, in hostels or emergency shelters. But what do we actually know about their health and social situation? What gaps are there in Berlin's care system - and how can research help to improve the help on offer?

The second event in the "WZB in Your Neighborhood: Social Sciences Meet Urban Neighborhood Culture in Berlin" series on May 28, 2026 is dedicated to these questions.

The starting point is the scientific examination of homelessness as one of the most visible forms of social inequality in Berlin's urban space. The focus will be on empirical insights from research into low-threshold healthcare facilities in Berlin - and the question of what this means for the design of care services.

The evening consists of a thematic lecture in the Kiez-Späti Sweets and Drinks at Bahnhof Zoo by Daniel Schindel, Professor of Health-Related Social Work at the Catholic University of Applied Sciences Berlin (KHSB), as well as a guided tour of the neighborhood by Querstadtein e.V. on the topic of "Homeless on chic streets". Together with the participants, we would like to discuss how homelessness shapes the lives and health of people in Berlin, where the existing support system reaches its limits and what perspectives for better support are conceivable. We look forward to a lively exchange.

The event series "WZB in your neighborhood" consists of three events in May and June and is aimed at all interested parties; the event language is German. The aim of the event series is to combine research on social inequality with everyday urban culture in Berlin and to make topics such as migration, gentrification and social participation accessible in a low-threshold, local format.

Lara Bister and Emily Frank, research assistants in the Health and Social Inequality research group at the WZB, received the "WZB Wirkt" transfer grant from the Friends of the WZB e.V. for this project.

Short biography of Daniel Schindel

Daniel Schindel is Professor of Health-Related Social Work at the Institute for Social Health at the Catholic University of Applied Social Sciences Berlin (KHSB). He studied sociology at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg and then worked as a consultant at the Association of Substitute Health Insurance Funds in the field of outpatient care. From 2015, he worked as a research assistant at the Institute for Medical Sociology and Rehabilitation Science at Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, where he completed his doctorate in 2021. In his research, he and his colleagues investigated the social and health situation of people without their own housing in Berlin and thus laid an empirical basis for health policy recommendations for the design of low-threshold care services in the city.

The event will be held in German.

Registration: Participation is free of charge, but registration is required (places are limited). Please register for participation by May 26, 2026 at the latest via the registration link on the official WZB event website: WZB in Your Neighborhood II: Tents in the City? Homelessness and health in Berlin | WZB
Date and time: May 28, 2026, starting at 5:30 pm, duration approx. 2.5 - 3 hours
Venue: Sweets and Drinks, Kurfürstendamm 226, 10719 Berlin (near Bahnhof Zoo)
Contact: Emily Frank, emily.frank@wzb.eu