Berlin is the place that led to the founding of querstadtein e.V. in 2013. The high rate of homelessness is clearly visible, yet many ignore it, as Clemens Poldrack explains. The organization aims to open a dialogue with former affected individuals through city tours. They can and should make their experiences visible.
These are city tours of a different kind. Instead of telling the history of the city, it is the story of a person from this city. Individuals with experiences of homelessness, displacement, and migration show the city from their perspective. At the same time, they also highlight structural problems.
Homelessness has many faces. It is not just individual fates, but issues that affect everyone: expensive housing, limited availability of apartments, poorly maintained or unrenovated living spaces, lack of support, and much more. These problems are known, but often not seen from the perspective of those affected.
Even in 2024, the number of homeless people, according to the Berlin Senate, was still over 55,000. Their individual city tours aim to increase the tolerance of fellow citizens and encourage them to take action.
The organization, its staff, and the city guides perform important political educational work, Poldrack explains. The educational gap on topics such as homelessness and experiences of flight is still too large.
In addition to educational work in the urban landscape, querstadtein also offers workshops. Here, children and teenagers from school classes or other educational institutions prepare for and reflect on the tour. For adults, the organization conducts workshops on homelessness and housing issues.
Even though the organization has existed for many years, securing financial resources is still a challenge. Therefore, Clemens Poldrack wishes for a financially secure future for the organization that is not solely dependent on grants. Another wish is for more people to engage with the complex issue of housing and homelessness, rather than looking away and ignoring it.
