RSxEAB: Housing First and Fun With Social Workers

Recorded Dec 6th 2023 in Berlin at Salon Am Moritzplatz, Released Dec 19th 2023

A Special Edition of Radio Spätkauf created through a partnership with Europäische Akademie Berlin. This episode is a pilot for the “RSx” series in which we seek presciptions for the problems of our city and the world which revolves around it. An attempt, in our way, to look forward to the future with hope. With hosts Matilda Kaiser and Daniel Stern, plus guests Debora Ruppert, Karen Holzinger of Berliner Stadtmission, and Kathrin Schultz of Queerhome*.
Dan and Matilde catch up and remind us of the Kältebus number: 030 690 333 690 and review some previous Radio Spaetkauf stories that overlap with today’s topic of homelessness; Zweckentfremdungsverbot, co-working spaces, commercial real estate regulations and the battles of the cities last remaining squats, with an update on Liebig14. How does the housing crisis affect the search for a home? The topic of Homelessness is introduced by Dan who struggles to find the right vocabulary and correct language with which to describe the issue.

The first guest, Debora Ruppert, (insta link) is an artist who captures the lives of marginalized people, including the homeless, through photography. her most recent exhibition “Home Street Home” was on display in the Bundestag. She emphasizes the importance of speaking with people who are experiencing homelessness rather than merely speaking about them. That dialogue and relationships help individuals out of their situation. To learn more about “Housing First” we are joined by Karin Holzinger, who in 1991 began her work with Berliner Stadtmission and later became their head of homelessness services. Karin also co-invented the Kältebus, and is a co-founder of Kumpfide, an organization twhich offers support to non-abstinent alcoholics. She clears up some common misconceptions about homelessness, “When you walk through the streets, you see people, and you think, oh, he or she might be homeless, because maybe the person is not dressed very well, he or she looks drunk or [seems to have] psychological problems, so you think, ah, this is homelessness. Some of these people are not homeless and on the other hand, about I would say about 90% of the people who are homeless you would never recognize as being homeless because they look like you and me…” Karin explains the vocabulary in German for homeless people: Obdachlos and Wohnungslos, plus attempts to teach Dan the meaning of “Bürgerlich” and tells us the value of a “Housing First” program, as well as some of the limitations. What does it mean to help people survive vs. changing their living situation?

Next, Radio Spaetkauf is joined by Katrin Schulz of Queerhome* Berlin to explain some of the challenges faced specifically by LQBTQI+ plus people in finding homes and shelter. She describes her work; “We say we are in the middle. We are not a government organization. We are not a church or Christian organization. We are not an only queer organization. We are in the middle because the organizations who work with homeless people have no knowledge about LGBTIQ and the queer organizations normally have no knowledge about homelessness…we are in the middle and try to give information to the one side and to the other side.” She affirms that helping people get off the streets is not just about bringing services to them but also about informing the general public about the reality of homelessness and dispelling misconceptions about who is homeless and why they have ended up without a home. She also underlines the importance of recognizing that many people who do find a place to live or a shelter are forced to put up with terrible conditions. Queerhome* is a relatively new organization and looking for growth in its network and resources.

Matilde laments the lack of help for people living at Moritzplatz station and the missed opportunity at Habersaathstraße, where an empty building was used briefly for housing.
The show ends with a mix of hopeful wishes, pragmatic realities, practical advice and rueful observations.Find more information on our guests and their organizations at these links:

Karen Holzinger, Berliner Stadtmission:
https://www.berliner-stadtmission.de/
https://www.facebook.com/BerlinerStadtmission
https://www.instagram.com/berliner_stadtmission/

Kathrin Schultz, Sonntags Club and Queerhome*:
https://kathrin-schultz.de/
https://sonntags-club.de/ https://www.instagram.com/sonntags.club/
https://queerhome.de/ https://www.facebook.com/queerhomeberlin
https://www.neuechance.berlin/

Debora Ruppert, artist, Home Street Home:
https://www.deboraruppert.com/
https://www.instagram.com/debora_ruppert/
https://www.instagram.com/homestreethome_ausstellung/
This episode was made in conjunction with the Europäische Akademie Berlin aka “EAB”: https://www.eab-berlin.eu/en and recorded at Salon Am Moritzplatz
Radio Spaetkauf information and episodes cab be found at: https://www.radiospaetkauf.com/
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Today’s hosts were Daniel Stern and Matilde Keizer.
https://www.sterndaniel.com/
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Middle Aged Guys | Guests Jonny Tiernan & Drew Portnoy

Recorded Live on Sunday, March 27, 2023 at Noisy Rooms in Berlin. Guest host Drew Portnoy of 20% Berlin takes us through some political tidbits, his terrifying adventures in Frankfurt, and his thoughts on nudity rules at Berlin pools.

We talk with Jonny Tiernan, the new editor in chief of ExBerliner, about his new job and other changes at the Berlin English language institution.

Stories include the transportation strike, Corona fund fraud, baby eels in our waterways, and an update on the Berlin judge involved in last year’s coup attempt.

King Charles III is coming to Berlin this upcoming Wednesday! Fans can wait in front of the Brandenburger Tor to see the heir of the Sachsen-Coburg and Gotha royal line return home. While here, Charles will be bringing Camila to see an organic farm, meet Ukrainian refugees, and enjoy a state banquet.

Using waste water, a recent study by the European Monitoring Center for Drugs and Drug Addiction showed that Berliners’ cocaine use is up 58 percent since 2018. Crystal meth consumption has also gone up 70 percent and other amphetamines like speed are up by almost 30 percent.

There are updates to a couple of stories familiar to Radio Spaetkauf listeners: The Bundestag recently passed an amendment to the Transfusion Act, making it now explicit that sexual orientation can not be a factor for exclusion on donating blood. In another move towards equality, a woman’s complaint to the State Office for Equal Treatment, Berlin public pools are changing their rules. Every person will now be allowed to swim topless.

This episode ends with Dan covering a story about Berlin’s makeshift trailer parks, which district authorities are threatening to destroy before segueing into a brief rant; questioning the state’s balance in considering the needs of landlords versus tenants.

Sign up for Drew’s 20 % newsletter and follow him twitter or on Instagram. Jonny Tiernan on Insta: https://www.instagram.com/jonnytiernan/

Thank you to everyone who listens. We appreciate the audience and the community. Become a monthly supporter or make a one time donation at www.radiospaetkauf.com/donate/. Thank you.


This episode was produced by Anne-Marie Harrison and Daniel Stern.
Editing by Sebastian Filip.
Script by Anne-Marie Harrison.
Hosts: Matilde Keizer, Anne-Marie Harrison, Daniel Stern, and guest host Drew Portnoy.
Additional contributions by Jöran Mandik and as always the support of Joel Dullroy.

Assistance from https://www.podfestberlin.com/

Recorded live at Noisy Rooms.


Check out athleticgreens.com/spaetkauf now, try AG1 completely risk-free with a 90-day money-back guarantee, and get a free year’s supply of Vitamin D3+K2 for immune support & 5 convenient travel packs with your first AG1 order! For health information about AG1 and what we have to offer, visit: https://athleticgreens.com/spaetkauf

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Under A Mirrored Ceiling | Live at Babylon Berlin

Recorded Live at the Babylon Berlin Cinema in Mitte on Sunday, January 22, 2023. 

A brand new year brings Berlin fresh cringe from mayor Franziska Giffey and a reignition of the annual fireworks debate. We look at how racism and feminism might play a role in that conversation. Berlin vs. Hamburg? 25 percent of Germans found Hamburg the “most likable” German city, but which city-state do Radio Spaetkauf hosts prefer? The answer may shock you! (It probably won’t). 

This episode was sponsored by Athletic Greens. Visit http://www.athleticgreens.com/spaetkauf and get a free year’s supply of Vitamin D3+K2 for immune support, 5 convenient Travel Packs and a starter kit with your first AG1 order!

Fresh scandals and new posters leading up to the election redo, who stands to gain and do any deserve us? We chat with Nathaniel Flakin, author of “Revolutionary Berlin” about the election and some of the Berlin actors in the recent coup attempt. His book is published by Pluto Books and his tours can be found at https://revolutionaryberlin.wordpress.com/

Our second guest is Yevhenii Surniaiev, a board member of IWEK e.V. (fb page link), one of the associations that founded the Alliance of Ukrainian Organizations. He gives us some perspective on the new Ukrainian experience of Berlin and Ukraine as well as his suggestions on how to help those displaced and suffering because of the Russian invasion.
Links here:
https://www.medhelpukraine2022.org/
https://plastde.org/spendenaufruf/ 
https://ukr-dim.de/help/

Berlin will, at long last, send to Nigeria 10 artifacts know as “Benin Bronzes”. Hopefully the return of these stolen artworks signals a better reckoning with Germany’s colonial past. 

The online portal queer.de has been sued for “disparaging the memory of the deceased” because of an article they wrote describing the now-deceased Joseph Ratzinger, AKA Pope Benedict the 16th, as being queerphobic. However, the head of the journalist union says there is no violation of the press codex and no obvious insult against the former pope.

In transportation news, it was recently made public that the BVG fired their security company Pütz in November after an assault on a passenger was “the straw that broke the camel’s back,” according to BVG sources. 

It’s hard to believe, but there’s actually some good economic news to kick off this year. Berlin’s economic output rose by about 2.5 percent last year, above the average for the rest of the country.

Berlin Fashion Week kicked off with Mayor Giffey’s embarrassing hype line of “Hey, where are all the Berliners?!” and was later trolled by activists “The Yes Men” who infiltrated the Adidas RealityWear show with models in fake blood “literally wearing the toil of workers on [their] sleeves.” 


Thank you to everyone who listens. We appreciate the audience and the community. Your financial support will help keep this project viable. Become a monthly supporter or make a one time donation at https://www.radiospaetkauf.com/donate/ thank you.

Join Izzy February 4th on a walking tour of Berlin covering social movements.
Political Walking Tour – Social Movements in Berlin – The Left Berlin 
Dan has a new weekly stand up show called “Slingshot” at Two Fellas in Pankow.
Info and reservations at sterndaniel.com 
Matilde is a frequent performer at Comedy Cafe Berlin, catch her there!

This episode was produced by Anne-Marie Harrison and Daniel Stern.
Editing and additional research by Sebastian Filip.
Writing by Anne-Marie, Matilde Keizer and Izzy Choksey. 
Hosts: Matilde Keizer, Izzy Choksey and Daniel Stern.
Additional contributions by Joran Mandik and as always the support of Joel Dullroy. 

Assistance from https://www.podfestberlin.com/ and technical help from https://mobilekino.berlin/

Recorded live at Babylon Cinema in Mitte – a wonderful place to see thoughtfully curated film: https://babylonberlin.eu/ thank you to their wonderful staff!

Something’s Fishy | with GEW Union and Zossener48

In our second installment of the Brews and News winter tour we recorded at the Vagabund Brewery in Wedding from Kesselhaus. 1,500 fish died after the giant fish tank in the Radisson Blu exploded out into the street next to Alexanderplatz. We talk through an interesting transport proposal from Green Senator Bettina Jarasch to let bicycles park in car spaces, and another by the Berlin government to ease up immigration laws that could have huge consequences for listeners wanting to become Germans. And we share our best Christmas tips and tricks for those spending the holidays in Berlin. Happy first day of Hanukkah one and all. 

We check in with pal of the show Ryan Plocher, active with the GEW union Berlin, who came on to let us know about the most recent teacher’s strike in Berlin.
Twitter
Instagram

And Yvonne von Langsdorff came on to tell us about how she (and her neighbours) hatched a plan to snatch back the sale of her house from an investor – by buying it but not owning it themselves. 

Instagram
Website
Community Room

This episode was sponsored by Athletic Greens. Visit http://www.athleticgreens.com/spaetkauf and get a free year’s supply of Vitamin D3+K2 for immune support, 5 convenient Travel Packs and a starter kit with your first AG1 order!

This episode was recorded live at Vagabund Brauerei’s Kesselhaus location in Wedding, so you might hear a little extra background noise. Thanks to our audience member @antesepic for the photo!

Stop by one of our Brews and Berlin News Winter Tour locations. Our next show will be on Dec 18 at Vagabund Brauerei in Wedding. Register for tickets here.

Hosts: Izzy Choksey, Jöran Mandik, Anne-Marie Harrison
Research & Writing: Anne-Marie Harrison, Sebastian Filip, Jöran Mandik, Izzy Choksey
Editing: Sebastian Filip

If you like what we do and want us to keep making the show, please support us by subscribing or donating.

Support Your Local Bar, Not Qatar | Konrad Werner (Megan’s Megacan) & Lea Beckmann

It’s official! Berliners will have to return to the voting booths. Berlin’s constitutional court ruled on Wednesday, that the Senate and Bezirks elections will have to be redone completely. Parties now have 2 months to get their ducks in a row and mount a sort of Sprint-Campaign before the re-election on February 12. Here to tell us all about the ramifications of this decision is friend of the show, frequent Radio Spaetkauf guest and co-host of the wonderful podcast Megan’s Megacan, Konrad Werner.

Climate activists are keeping busy in Berlin and celebrated a big success this week. Letzte Generation have joined forces with Ende Gelände and Extinction Rebellion to block off traffic to BER and the Klimaneustart 2030 initiative managed to collect around 262,000 signatures—way more than the 170,000 required to get a referendum going! Will we get to vote for decisive climate action on February 12 as well? 

We speak to Lea Beckmann, a lawyer and anti-discrimination expert for the Gesellschaft für Freiheitsrechte, to understand how Berlin law enforcement and Germany’s judicial system are failing people with disabilities in cases of gendered harassment and violence. 

https://www.frauen-gegen-gewalt.de/en/

https://www.weibernetz.de/welcome.html

https://bodys.evh-bochum.de/ueber-bodys.html

And we discuss how Berlin is reacting to the criticism of the football World Cup in Qatar and what the Berlin Senate is doing about skyrocketing raccoon populations…

This episode was sponsored by Athletic Greens. Visit http://www.athleticgreens.com/spaetkauf and get a free year’s supply of Vitamin D3+K2 for immune support, 5 convenient Travel Packs and a starter kit with your first AG1 order!

This episode was recorded live at Two Fellas Brewery in Pankow, so you might hear a little extra background noise.

Stop by one of our Brews and Berlin News Winter Tour locations. Our next show will be on Dec 18 at Vagabund Brauerei in Wedding. Register for tickets here.

Hosts: Izzy Choksey, Jöran Mandik, Matilde Keizer and Daniel Stern

Producer: Anne-Marie Harrison
If you like what we do and want us to keep making the show, please support us by subscribing or donating.