It is simply no longer acceptable for residents and employees – this is the result of an investigation into the hygienic and structural situation in the Innsbruck emergency sleeping center on Schusterbergweg. It must be closed for now. There is a need for a replacement place to sleep for 90 women and men.
When night falls in Innsbruck, you see dozens of homeless people marching towards the Schusterbergweg every day. There, the Tyrolean Social Services (TSD) runs an emergency shelter for those at the bottom. “It is the lowest social network – and therefore all the more important. If people cannot find accommodation with us, they no longer have an alternative,” explains TSD spokesperson Florian Stolz.
Experts have determined that action is needed
90 women and men regularly come and go from the house. The emergency sleeping area is almost always full. But now sanitary conditions have deteriorated. “An expert who regularly checks for us has come to the conclusion that action is needed,” Stolz confirmed to the “Krone” in an ORF report.
Bed bugs have apparently spread so much in emergency shelters that they can no longer be combated with conventional means. The TSD spokesperson emphasizes that despite extensive hygiene measures, such vermin are repeatedly brought in by residents in bags and backpacks.
The expert also discovered a mold infestation in a sanitary facility. “We immediately closed off this area,” Stolz explains. But employees can no longer keep the bedbugs under control during ongoing work, the TSD spokesperson said. Therefore, the emergency sleeping area must be evacuated and is not habitable for the time being.
The state and the city have their sights set on alternative neighborhoods
Where now with the homeless of the Schusterbergweg? “People are not mobile. And we can only take care of them if we house them in the Innsbruck area,” Stolz explains the most important basic requirement. “We are working to find a solution quickly,” State Councilor for Social Affairs Eva Pawlata (SPÖ) and Innsbruck Mayor Johannes Anzengruber said on Thursday. The city boss said: “Even if the state is responsible, we of course support the state government. People need a roof over their heads. We don’t leave anyone on the street.”
Tents and emergency winter shelter as a ray of hope
Then around lunchtime on Thursday, there was a glimmer of hope: the TSD has set its sights on alternative housing for the homeless. The winter emergency shelter on Richard-Berger-Straße in Innsbruck is intended as temporary shelter. There is room for 20 people. “We will house the vulnerable groups there,” Stolz explains. The other affected people will initially be housed in tents next to the winter emergency shelter until the location on Schusterbergweg has been renovated and is habitable again.
Lock with heat treatment as a possible solution
Stolz assumes that the emergency shelter will be habitable again in a few weeks. Time is of the essence as the replacement accommodation now found will be urgently needed for other people by November at the latest and tents are not an option for the cold season.
How can we prevent bed bugs from spreading so much in the emergency sleeping area in the future? That is the question those responsible must face. Stolz talks about the possibility of installing a lock at the entrance in which residents’ luggage is subjected to a special heat treatment that kills the insects carried in their bags. “But this investment is only possible if the emergency shelter can remain here for a long time.”
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
