In cities like Hamburg and Berlin, German officials are funneling resources into high-end housing exclusively for migrants, leaving many German citizens grappling with a deepening housing crisis. As homelessness rises and affordable housing dwindles, newly built luxury apartments remain off-limits to locals, sparking outrage.
Hamburg’s latest €41 million residential complex in the Bahrenfeld district is nearing completion—but not for longtime residents. Designed specifically for asylum seekers, the development mirrors a broader trend across Germany, where migrants are given priority in the housing market while many Germans are left behind.
Built on the former Wichmannstraße sports field, this six-building complex boasts 107 modern apartments tailored to house 370 asylum seekers. These aren’t basic shelters—residents will enjoy floor-to-ceiling windows, underfloor heating, green roofs, and private balconies. The community also includes playgrounds, social spaces, and on-site social workers to assist with integration.
Yet, while nearly 2,000 Hamburgers sleep rough every night and thousands more struggle with sky-high rents, not a single German citizen will be permitted to move in—at least not right away. The project falls under the city’s “Living in the Future” initiative, which specifically caters to families with an “escape background.”
According to reports, Germans with an urgency certificate may gain access eventually—but only after waiting at least a year for one building to open up, and three years for the rest. By then, many fear the housing crisis could be even worse.
Local residents are fuming—not just over the exclusivity of the project, but also how it was approved. Normally, urban developments of this scale go through years of public consultation, allowing citizens to voice their concerns. But in this case, the Hamburg Senate bypassed standard procedures, justifying it with the “urgent need” to house migrants.
AfD politician Uwe Batenhorst didn’t hold back, accusing the city of misleading its people.
“The city of Hamburg is trying to mislead citizens by pretending that the approximately 120 new apartments will be available to all Hamburg residents in a few years. For a long time to come, the necessary emergency permit will mainly be given to asylum seekers who are being moved out of their temporary refugee accommodation. In order to be able to receive an emergency permit and thus have the opportunity to rent such cheap social housing, Germans must be at acute risk of homelessness. The lower middle class, who work but earn too little to afford the horrendous rents of new apartments on the free housing market, will be left empty-handed. It would therefore be better to rent at least 60% of the apartments to locals right from the start,” he said.
This isn’t the first time Hamburg’s officials have used legal loopholes to push through controversial migrant housing.
Last October, the city fast-tracked a 400-person asylum facility in Barmbek-Nord, once again bypassing public consultation. Officials invoked public safety laws to justify the move, prompting fierce criticism from AfD parliamentary leader Dirk Nockemann, who called it “brazen” and “alien to citizens.” Many argued that these laws were being twisted not to ensure safety, but to override community objections.
The problem isn’t confined to Hamburg. Across Germany, migrant accommodations take precedence while Germans find themselves squeezed out of the housing market.
In Berlin, a 128-unit social housing complex in Spandau, originally meant for low-income residents, was repurposed to house 570 asylum seekers indefinitely. No timeline has been provided for when Germans might gain access. Meanwhile, in the picturesque Bavarian town of Seeshaupt, the government spent €6 million constructing yet another high-end asylum center near Lake Starnberg.
At the same time, German schools are feeling the pinch. Budget freezes in Berlin’s education sector have led to school trips being canceled and teacher reimbursements slashed. Yet, despite these cutbacks, an additional €1.3 billion has been earmarked for migrant housing.
Germans are paying the price—literally. In Hamburg, municipal housing provider Fördern und Wohnen (F&W) is now charging €2,932 per month to house a four-person refugee family—a staggering contrast to the €980 a German family on state benefits receives for housing. With rents state-funded, the taxpayer picks up the tab—yet locals don’t even get access to the accommodations they’re paying for.
Officials insist that, at some point, German residents will have access to these apartments. But as seen in Berlin’s Spandau project, no one is holding their breath for a timeline.
