Table talks with Berlin initiatives and experts

While housing insecurity and homelessness are visibly on the rise in Berlin—and current projections indicate this trend will continue in the coming years—the security of having a permanent roof over one’s head is being called into question for more and more people.

What are the political causes? What is needed to realize the human right to housing?

As part of the festival, HAU aims to explore these questions: In a panel discussion on July 1, politicians and experts will discuss causes and possible solutions, and in open roundtable discussions on July 4, the audience will have the opportunity to engage directly with individuals—both those with and without personal experience of homelessness—from civil society initiatives and social service providers.

The Berlin Senate estimates that there will be over 100,000 people experiencing homelessness by 2030. A number that hides realities of life that often remain invisible.

As part of the “Berlin bleibt!” festival, HAU Hebbel am Ufer invites you to take a closer look and, above all, to engage in conversation.

At “Right to Housing – Understanding Homelessness,” people with and without personal experience gather—those involved in initiatives, associations, or social service organizations working in various areas of housing and homeless assistance.

Together with the visitors, they meet for small-group roundtable discussions. Everyone is invited to join in, listen, ask questions—and switch topics by moving from table to table.

The discussions highlight various aspects: from the lived realities of life on the streets, the possibilities and limitations of volunteer work, activist strategies, and the gaps in the support system, to questions of digital participation and the human right to housing.

What would Berlin need, politically and socially, to change these realities?

The focus is always on the participants—their experiences, their perspectives, and their knowledge.