Commitment to the neighbourhoods
As a strong real estate company with more than 200,000 clients, we take responsibility. And we are socially engaged in areas where we know our way around: in the neighbourhoods where we own residential units.
Well-being in a residential neighbourhood isn’t just defined by the quality of the residential units and buildings, but above all by a functioning sense of togetherness and a good neighbourhood spirit. We concentrate on activities where our core expertise can have an effective impact. That’s why we support many local associations and initiatives with financial resources, commercial spaces and expertise. This helps them have a hands-on impact on their neighbourhoods.
Here is a selection of the supported projects
Donating food and essential items, finding furniture and places to stay – we’re working to help refugees from Ukraine in all sorts of ways. Especially here in Berlin, where many people are arriving from the country. Offers of practical support are at the heart of our efforts.
You can find more information here.
The association KIDS & CO is involved in a variety of activities for young people in the Berlin district of Marzahn-Hellersdorf. We support the association’s work as its innovative projects create positive incentives for togetherness in Deutsche Wohnen’s neighbourhoods. These have included extraordinary campaigns for strengthening communities such as the world record project to build the longest picnic table in the world on Hellersdorf’s Kastanienallee and setting up the parent and child cafe KastanienNest. The cafe offers young people with social issues the opportunity to help find career direction. With support from trained educators and professional training partners, young adults – particularly single mothers and fathers – gradually develop confidence in their professional skills. We support the association’s work with 5,000 euros each year.
Lesewelt, an association founded in 2000, has tasked itself with bringing children closer to the world of books and inspiring in them a love of reading. The association’s aim of bringing children with disadvantages when it comes to education to regular reading adventure events, assisted by voluntary helpers, properly paid off. Regularly reading aloud helps children with language acquisition, makes it easier for them to learn to read at school and thereby increases their chances of a successful education. Reading aloud also promotes patience, stamina and concentration. Since 2017 we have been supporting Lesewelt reading hours in seven Berlin libraries in selected Deutsche Wohnen neighbourhoods and, since 2018, we have also been supporting goody bag campaigns for those starting school.
For many years, Loyal e. V. has been one of the most renowned points of contact for children and young people in the southern blocks of Kottbusser Tor in Berlin’s Kreuzberg district. The association primarily offers space for young people for whom our school and education system poses a particular challenge, or for those who are at risk of social exclusion. Relevant services are on offer for kids and young people in the neighbourhood. These include, for instance, the Mädchenladen, aimed at girls aged between eight and sixteen. We have supported the work of Loyal e. V. by providing financial resources and rent-free commercial space.
On 1 October 2018, Neue Chance gGmbH and the Berliner Stadtmission association began the model project ‘Housing First Berlin’, supported by the Berlin Senate Department for Integration, Labour and Social Affairs. The Sozialdienst katholischer Frauen e.V. carries out the project in cooperation with the Senate. Deutsche Wohnen has been working together with both social organizations since 2019 and provides apartments in this context.The Housing First concept has already been used to combat homelessness to great effect in numerous cities around the world since the early 1990s. Now, homeless people in Berlin can receive an apartment in a straightforward process as part of the Housing First project. Yet the rental contract is just the first step. Social workers, home economists and people with experience of homelessness will then be on hand to help.
Deutsche Wohnen is one of the first property companies that has provided apartments for the Sozialdienst katholischer Frauen e.V., which are rented to homeless women. For this, Deutsche Wohnen was honored with an award in March 2019.
