Women's shelters and affordable housing for women affected by violence in Frankfurt!

We received the text below, a press release in the context of the Day against Violence against Women and the local elections in mid-March, from the Care Revolution regional group Rhine-Main. Thank you very much!

Frankfurt, 22.02.2026

Women's shelters and affordable housing for women affected by violence in Frankfurt!

Femicides, domestic violence, traumatisation of women and the children who depend on them are never-ending. A major reason for this in Frankfurt is the housing shortage. And the serious lack of women's shelters where women at risk can find protection in an acute situation.

Women with children are in a particularly difficult situation, because freeing themselves from a traumatising relationship means becoming a single parent. And these women are the ones most affected by poverty. The child penalty is particularly merciless: how to find an affordable home that is also connected to all the infrastructures necessary for coping with everyday life with children, so that this vital care work - which cannot be shared with anyone - is also compatible with gainful employment?

To enable women to free themselves from traumatising relationships, politicians in Frankfurt must ensure that they find refuge in a women's shelter and can then soon move into their own flat so that the space in the women's shelter is available again for women in acute problem situations.

The City of Frankfurt is the owner of the building at Wittelsbacher Allee 89. Why has this building been empty for so long and is falling into disrepair? When will this building be turned into a women's refuge? And it is just one of several empty, even partially dilapidated houses owned by the city. The fact that the state provides no or insufficient funds for the construction of women's refuges, as the FR reported on 17 February, should not be an excuse.

Saturday 14 February was V-Day - International Day of Action against Violence against Girls* and Women*. We at Care Revolution Rhein-Main also took part because our civil society commitment is aimed at realising a care-centred society. A society in which the vulnerability of every human being and our dependence on one another are recognised and thus determine our thoughts and actions. (See also our position)

There must be an end to violence. At the very least, everything must be done to protect people, and especially women, from it.

The Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence, which was ratified by Germany on 12 October 2017, requires politicians to provide assistance in accessing accommodation (establishment of women's shelters).

Frankfurt must take care of these very vulnerable people and create conditions that enable them to live in accordance with their human dignity. We have therefore addressed these demands to Ms Zapf-Rodriguez, Head of the Women's Department, Ms Voitl, Head of the Social Department and Dr Marcus Gwenchenberger, Head of the Planning and Housing Department. We have also written to the chairmen of the SPD, CDU, Die Grünen, Volt, Die Linke and FDP parliamentary groups and asked them to support these demands.