Deutsche Wohnen: emergency aid and sending furniture to Ukraine
The conflict in Ukraine has quickly turned into a fully-fledged humanitarian disaster that has triggered worldwide horror and disbelief. Deutsche Wohnen condemns war and violence and stands in solidarity with Ukrainians who have fled their country, as well as those at home. Accordingly, Deutsche Wohnen has cleared out two of its furniture warehouses in Berlin and is donating most of the furniture to refugees who fled to the city of Lviv in western Ukraine. The rest of the furniture will go to Ukrainian refugees in Berlin.
Lviv is a city with a population of around 730,000 in the west of Ukraine, around 70 km from the Polish border. Ukrainian designer Ewa Herzog had already established a logistical aid network by the end of February this year and has already sent over 1,500 tonnes of humanitarian aid goods to Ukraine with the help of hundreds of volunteers. It was thanks to her that contact was made with the mayor of Lviv.
“Fleeing the areas under conflict in Ukraine was very tough for many, but leaving for western Ukraine or other countries like Germany saves lives. I’m very grateful to you! The generous donation of furniture has made life easier and a little more comfortable for many Ukrainians, some of whom have nothing left, as they had to leave everything behind. This gives a little bit of home back to them,” says Ewa Herzog.
Deutsche Wohnen employees helped fill a 40-tonne lorry with beds, tables, shelves, sofas, cabinets, kitchen furniture and much more. This was then dispatched directly to western Ukraine. Other furniture is being given to refugees here in Berlin who have found accommodation in Deutsche Wohnen flats in the capital.
“We have all been deeply moved by the images from Ukraine. It’s all the more impressive that the sole response to this conflict has been unbelievable solidarity! It’s very moving to see how quickly colleagues decided to take action and help make these aid operations possible in the first place. I’m delighted that we are able to implement these initiatives so quickly here at Deutsche Wohnen, without getting bogged down in bureaucracy,” says Stefanie Koch, Managing Director, Deutsche Wohnen Immobilien Management GmbH.
Deutsche Wohnen employees came together early on to help. Over 3,000 welcome bags were packed and distributed to arriving Ukrainians. These were followed by care packages and additional donations of goods which were distributed with the help of the Berliner Tafel, Caritas, Berliner Stadtmission and other organisations. Deutsche Wohnen has also rented over 200 flats thus far – in Dresden, Magdeburg, Braunschweig and Berlin – to refugees from Ukraine. This has helped over 600 Ukrainians, most of them mothers with children, to find new homes.
Deutsche Wohnen SE
Deutsche Wohnen is one of the leading publicly listed real estate companies in Europe and part of the Vonovia group. The focus of the company’s operations is on managing its own residential property portfolio in dynamic metropolitan areas and conurbations in Germany. Deutsche Wohnen believes it is its responsibility and duty as an organisation to preserve and develop affordable living space in vibrant neighbourhoods offering excellent quality of life. As of 31 March 2022, its portfolio comprised around 143,200 units, of which around 140,600 are residential and around 2,600 commercial.