Germany treats their homeless like human beings. [View All]

[Cleita]

BERLIN'S VAGABOND CHIC

'Most Beautiful Homeless Shelter in the World'

With chandeliers instead of neon lighting and designer furnishings instead of springless sofas, a newly revamped homeless hostel in south Berlin looks more like a hip hotel -- and aims to give some dignity to those worn out by life on the streets.

With its exterior daubed in sunshine yellow and sky blue, the new homeless hostel stands out in its row of pale buildings. And its interior is equally exceptional. As well as glitzy chandeliers, there are wooden floorboards, a gold border encircles the walls and the furniture looks plucked straight from a design catalogue.

But this is no hip new Berlin hotel. It is a revamped homeless hostel named Reichtum 2, or "wealth", the work of Berlin-based artist Miriam Kilali. And wealth is something sorely lacking in the lives of the 21 men who now live in the hostel.

The hostel, which reopened its doors this week, was designed to restore a sense of self-worth in people who have been dealt a raw deal, to show them that they too deserve a decent home. "I wanted to give homeless people, people who had lost everything in their life, respect and dignity back," Kilali told SPIEGEL ONLINE. "I wanted to create a place where they could recover from the stress of life on the street." more at link with photos...

http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,591894,00.html