The Women's Shelter Coordination Association (FHK) welcomes today's announcement by the Federal Government to provide targeted funding for the renovation and modernization of women's shelters through a special fund. FHK had already called for this measure in the run-up to the 2025 federal elections – it was one of eight core demands —to support the urgently needed expansion of women's shelter spaces. A total of 150 million euros has been earmarked.
“In view of the continuing rise in the number of cases of violence against women in Germany, this is only logical,” says FHK Managing Director Sibylle Schreiber.
“Many facilities are in a deplorable state due to decades of chronic underfunding of the support system. The investments now announced will create the opportunity to modernize shelters, remove barriers, and adjust capacities to actual needs – because there is still a shortage in Germany.” 12.000 women's shelter places for women and their children affected by violence.”
Based on the experiences of the previous Federal investment program “Together against violence against women” However, it is essential to learn from this: The program started late, and many funding bodies struggled with highly complex application processes, lengthy decision-making processes, and a lack of planning certainty. Despite high demand, this meant that important construction projects could only be implemented to a limited extent. For the new funds to have their full impact, significantly simplified procedures are needed in the future.
FHK also points out that the need for investment in women's shelters nationwide is considerable, and the announced funds can therefore only represent a first step. Furthermore, the establishment of new women's shelters or additional spaces always leads to further ongoing costs that must be permanently covered by the state and municipalities. A withdrawal of this responsibility by the municipalities – as many women's shelters fear in light of the federal funding under the Violence Assistance Act – would significantly jeopardize the entire support system.
For the announced investments to have a lasting impact, the federal government, states, and municipalities must jointly develop the measures strategically. Only in this way can a comprehensive, reliable, and needs-based support system for women and their children affected by violence be guaranteed.
Press contact:
Sibylle Schreiber, Managing Director of Women's Shelter Coordination eV
Phone: + 49 176 86 965 984
Email: Schreiber@frauenhauskoordinierung.de
Quality recommendations
Current women's shelter statistics
