The costs of housing, feeding, and caring for unaccompanied minor asylum seekers in North Rhine-Westphalia have more than doubled in two years. According to a report by the “Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger” (Friday edition), citing the North Rhine-Westphalia Ministry for Children, Youth, Family, Equality, Flight, and Integration, the expenses rose from 123.6 million euros in 2022 to 284.4 million in 2024. In 2023, the costs stood at 164.4 million euros, in line with a significant surge in the number of cases.
In 2020, the ministry took in 1,796 girls and boys, while in 2023, the figure rose to 7,668 minors. In 2021, 2,490 children and youths arrived in North Rhine-Westphalia, and in 2022, the number increased to 6,529. The majority of these minors are housed in Cologne, where the number rose from 346 in 2020 to 478 in 2023. In comparison, Düsseldorf had 364, Bonn had 118, the Aachen urban region had 452, and Leverkusen had 65.
The municipalities are reimbursed by the state for the financial burden. “Since the increase in migration at the end of 2021/early 2022, the municipalities are indeed facing great challenges” said a ministry spokesperson. In response to the “enormous burdens on the youth welfare offices” and to simplify the expansion of additional care facilities, the state government allowed “bridging solutions” in March 2022. In practice, this means that the youth welfare offices can temporarily use facilities on site that are awaiting a business permit, the spokesperson explained.