Well-to-do Frankfurt fines homeless people for sleeping rough

In the shadows of Frankfurt’s skyscrapers, a growing number of destitute people sleeping on the streets has prompted the German banking capital to come up with a novel solution: fine them on the spot.

The move was confirmed on the same day that German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier called for better support for the nation’s homeless, Deutsche Welle (DW) reports.

The decision by Frankfurt City Council has caused bewilderment and anger among some of their constituents, says local newspaper Frankfurter Rundschau. But Christoph Schmitt, a member of the center-right Christian Democrats, argues that there are many homeless shelters across the city, while the Green Party’s Beatrix Baumann says these services are “often unused”.

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“Neither politician touched on the issues of mental illness or threats of violence that can keep the homeless from sleeping in shelters,” DW says.

Councilor Astrid Buchheim told the news service that the fine is about €40 (£35) and that those who can’t pay must deal with Frankfurt’s regulatory authority. Officials says the homeless are fined only if they refuse “multiple requests to move” from public areas.

Germany isn’t the only country demanding money from those sleeping rough. Homeless people who keep possessions in doorways in Oxford have been warned they face fines of up to £2,500, the BBC reported in July.