All-year-round Nachtcafé for homeless and socially disadvantaged people

Our Night Cafe in Berlin-Friedrichshain is an independent facility established in 1996. As part of Berlin's cold weather assistance program, we offer provisional emergency overnight accommodation with meals in the evening and early morning every Thursday. Unlike many other shelters, we maintain this service not only during the "cold season" from November to March but throughout the entire year.

The Samaritan Church kindly provides us with the premises. On average, about 60 guests come for meals. Many socially disadvantaged people help us with cooking, play cards, or simply chat. From 10:00 PM, a large hall offers sleeping accommodations for a maximum of 30 people, for whom we provide fresh bedding. We remain open throughout the night, as guests often regularly arrive in the middle of the night, especially during winter. There are also facilities for showering and doing laundry.

More and more people use our facility not necessarily for overnight stays, but for various reasons such as getting a warm meal or simply to be "among people." Everyone is welcome here. As a low-threshold facility, we can't offer anyone a way out, but we strive to take time for questions and provide information about more extensive help services. We have a strict no-alcohol and no-drugs policy and consider ourselves independent and non-denominational.

Who are the helpers? 
We are about 50 people in rotating shifts with diverse backgrounds and ages. The Night Cafe is collectively organized; all helpers are equal and responsible. We are organized in a multi-shift system. The 1st shift is the evening shift from 5:45 PM to 9:45 PM. Then follow night shifts 1 & 2 from 9:45 PM to 4:00 AM and from 4:00 AM to 8:00 AM, and the morning shift from 6:00 AM to 9:00 AM. Helper meetings, brunches, and other events such as summer or Christmas parties take place regularly.

Please donate now, so that we can continue to help our guests to the same extent in the future. In winter, we receive a tight budget from the district office as part of the cold weather assistance. In summer, we have to finance ourselves completely. We can guarantee that your donation goes directly to the people who really need your help, as we all work voluntarily. We would like to thank you now, also on behalf of our guests, for your donation. Without financial support, we could not be active.

P.S.: If you want to donate clothing (currently only for men), backpacks (also bags or pouches) or other in-kind donations (used sleeping bags, non-perishable food, hygiene articles, pillows, large cups, etc.) directly to us, please contact us! THANK YOU!

Contact Information:
obDach? e.V. Samariterstr. 27 (Backyard) 10247 Berlin-Friedrichshain
Email: kontakt@obdach-ev.de
For new helpers: neu@obdach-ev.de 
Facebook: /nachtcafeberlin 
Instagram: @nachtcafe_obdach