Sylvia Rietenberg, a housing policy expert for the Green party, criticized the federal government for not taking sufficient action against homelessness. While Rietenberg told the “Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland” that the passing of the goal to eliminate homelessness by 2030 was positive, she stressed that merely setting a target does not move people from the street into housing. Instead, she argued that the effort requires a binding roadmap, clear responsibilities, and verifiable progress.
Speaking as the Green parliamentary group’s reporter on housing and homelessness, Rietenberg based her comments on the government’s response to a small parliamentary inquiry. In this response, the Federal Ministry for Housing confirmed that the ruling coalition maintains the goal of eliminating homelessness in Germany, a target first announced by the traffic light coalition. The Ministry cited the National Action Plan against Homelessness as part of its explanation. This plan is described as a strategic paper involving the federal government, states, municipalities, and social organizations, containing various anti-homelessness measures.
Despite the existence of this plan, Rietenberg criticized the overall effort. She noted that the original concept behind the National Action Plan was for all levels of government-federal, state, and municipal-and social providers to share responsibility. However, she sharply criticized the federal government for increasingly using the absence of clear jurisdictions and potential external developments as excuses, labeling this approach “politically weak” and insufficient given the urgency of the housing crisis.