At 9 a.m. sharp, Leona Husemann sets off from her social counselling office in Viktoriastrasse in the direction of Bielefeld's old town. The 25-year-old has been working as a street worker in outreach social counselling since September 2023. At least once a week, she makes her rounds past the well-known "hotspots" on foot or by bike and tries to draw the attention of addicts or homeless people to Bethel's support services.
"For me, it's really interesting not to wait for people to come to you, but to visit them on the spot," says Leona Husemann, explaining the very low-threshold concept of outreach social counselling. Through small talk, she tries to talk to homeless people or people suffering from addiction about their state of health or their needs. In the meantime, the newcomer has built up a relationship of trust with many people and knows when and where she can meet whom.
Leona Husemann becomes aware when she discovers empty beer bottles, mattresses or shopping trolleys with luggage in car parks and supermarket courtyards - an indication of new camps. Citizens who contact her or the city because they are worried about the people in question are a great help in finding them. "Bielefeld's urban society is very sensitised to this," praises the street worker.
The next step is then to refer them to a help centre. "For me, it's a success if I can put a person in touch with support services like Kava." If they don't want to, however, she always prioritises the person's own will: "I can only support them."