Placement
We accompany people seeking protection on their way to an apartment of their own.
A home of one’s own means more than four walls and a roof overhead. It means security, privacy, settling in, and the chance to shape everyday life on one’s own terms. For many people seeking protection, however, the path to an apartment of their own is full of hurdles: tight housing markets, a lack of information, language barriers, uncertainty about documents and procedures, and reservations on the part of landlords.
This is where the Zusammen Zuhause schaffen project by Habitat for Humanity Germany comes in. Our aim is to make it easier for people seeking protection to access secure housing of their own that meets their needs, and thereby to strengthen their participation and integration in the long term. At the same time, we support municipalities, landlords, volunteers and other stakeholders in carrying out rental placements reliably, transparently and with good support.
The project acts as a link between people looking for housing, landlords, municipalities, authorities, civil-society organisations and volunteers. We accompany not just individual steps but the whole process: from first contact and advice, through preparing documents and viewings, to the rental contract and finding one’s feet in the new tenancy.
Zusammen Zuhause schaffen – how it works
How rental placement for refugees and asylum seekers works
Communication with landlords
We follow up on landlords’ responses and clarify all the relevant conditions, e.g. apartment size, number of people and rent terms.
Tenant–landlord matching
The landlords decide which tenant moves in. We help with the communication.
Why the project matters
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A home of one’s own changes everything
Many people seeking protection live in shared accommodation for a long time. There is no room there for rest, privacy, learning and family life. An apartment of one’s own creates security, relieves families and strengthens independence.
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Municipalities need new approaches
Accommodation capacity is under heavy strain in many places, and affordable housing is scarce. The project helps municipalities try out new approaches to rental placement and relieve existing structures.
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Landlords need reliable contacts
Many people are willing to help but have questions about procedures, responsibilities and rent payments. We advise, clarify open questions and accompany the process – so that uncertainty turns into trust.
Why we do it
In the end, it is about people. In this video, some of the people we have helped find an apartment tell their story.
Advice
We advise refugees on finding an apartment in Germany, and landlords and municipalities on renting to refugees.
Cooperation
We work closely with municipalities, shelters, Jobcenters and social services offices.
Training
We pass on practical knowledge about living in and looking for housing in Germany.
Knowledge transfer
We pass on our experience so that it can be used in other places, too.
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607
homes placed between 2022 and 2025
Our predecessor project: rental placements for refugees
The foundation for Zusammen Zuhause schaffen is the local predecessor project “Wohnungsvermittlung für Geflüchtete” (rental placements for refugees), which began in 2022 as an emergency measure after the arrival of numerous Ukrainian refugees in Overath and was later extended to further municipalities in the Rheinisch-Bergischer Kreis. Between 2022 and 2025, the project placed 607 people in a home of their own. This created not only new tenancies but also new prospects: for people who needed a protected place to arrive after fleeing their homes and living in uncertainty; for landlords who wanted to make housing available in a meaningful way; and for municipalities whose accommodation systems were relieved.
The experience from this predecessor project has shown that rental placement works especially well when everyone involved is well informed, personally accompanied and connected with one another. It is precisely these insights that now feed into Zusammen Zuhause schaffen – with the aim of developing a transferable model for further municipalities and organisations from local practical experience.
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10
team members with diverse backgrounds
The team
Behind Zusammen Zuhause schaffen is a project team with diverse experience and perspectives from the property and estate agency sector as well as from social work and advising people seeking protection.
This mix is our strength: we know the demands of the housing market and at the same time keep sight of the everyday realities of the people who are looking for a safe home. Expertise, practical experience and a human approach go hand in hand here.
