On the 30th anniversary of the overnight accommodation for homeless women in Leipzig, Germany, which is run by the Advent Welfare Organization (AWW), Sylvia Bräunlich, who has been there from the beginning, gives a personal review. Her report appeared in the June 2024 issue of the magazine "Adventisten Heute".
Before 1994, according to Bräunlich, the overnight accommodation was provisionally run by the city's social welfare office before it was given over to the independent management of the Advent Welfare Organization (AWW) in 1994. In 1992, an AWW helper group was set up in Leipzig. This later gave rise to the clothing store for the needy on Karl-Heine-Straße. There were considerations of setting up an overnight accommodation as an emergency shelter exclusively for women in Leipzig. During this time, the city of Leipzig put the overnight accommodation out to tender for takeover by independent management. The AWW was awarded the contract, among several competitors.
Modest beginning
"We started with five employees in May 1994. Today, we have ten employees. In the first few nights, we actually only accommodated four women. Word of the offer gradually got around in Leipzig," Bräunlich remembers. "We 'newbies' had the opportunity to slowly get used to the new tasks and to gain experience in dealing with the various problems and obstacles that the women brought with them."
Major challenges
Bräunlich has met countless women in the 30 years of her service. Some only stayed briefly, perhaps just one night, and most, longer. The women talked about their difficult childhoods or relationships, about abuse they had dealt with, experiences of violence, about being in prison, in a psychiatric hospital, about alcohol and/or drug abuse. Some women lived on the streets for a long time or with casual acquaintances. In any case, they no longer had their own home. Contact with family and friends often broke off. But they also spoke of their own children, who were often taken into care by the youth welfare office or even adopted. Many a tear was shed during the conversations.
Other women were so mentally ill and/or addicted that they refused any treatment "and we, as professional helpers, could only prevent the worst." Not every woman accepted the support offers. There were also women who entered the house angry because, for example, they were evicted from their apartment on the same day or an acquaintance threw them out. "Afterwards, they stood at our gate without any belongings." Sometimes, women only came to the overnight accommodation after days and nights on the street and asked for a place to sleep. They were often ashamed of their situation.
Not every woman found herself in such a predicament innocently. "Nevertheless, we try to talk to them impartially." Crisis intervention, basic care, applications, and receiving standard benefits would be the first measures.
The positive outweighs the negative
Sylvia Bräunliche has experienced a lot of negative things in her long service. "There were women who 'freaked out' because of their serious mental and/or addiction disorders, both verbally and physically. Women who screamed out their anger uncontrollably, refused to deescalate, threw objects around, threatened us. Those were the extraordinarily challenging days. Sometimes, we needed the help of the police to prevent things from getting worse."
And yet, she adds: "The positive outweighs the negative - to this day. Women who managed to make a new start in the long term, the pleasant teamwork, the relaxed interaction with one another, the laughter, the collegial exchange, the relieving conversations, the professionalism, not knowing what the day would bring - that's what makes the work complete." And she adds: It is her faith in God that carries her through her work, day after day.
Sylvia Bräunlich's report can be found on pages 18 and 19 in the June 2024 issue of the magazine "Adventists today".
Further information on the overnight shelter for homeless women in Leipzig can be found here.
More about the Advent Welfare Organization
The Advent Welfare Organization (AWW) was founded in Hamburg, in 1897, as a social welfare organization of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. In Germany, it operates day care centers, a special education day care center, a facility for addiction counseling and treatment, and an overnight shelter for homeless women. In addition, the AWW is the main shareholder of several non-profit organizations, including senior citizens' homes, hospices, a residential facility for people with disabilities, and a school. The AWW also supports numerous volunteer-run projects for refugee and integration assistance. Self-help groups for people suffering from addiction are also run by the Adventist social welfare organization.
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