Women make up about a quarter of all homeless people in Germany. And it is also affecting more and more people from the middle class. The reasons are varied: rising rents, separation, job loss and illness are all part of it. Homeless women are usually barely visible on the streets. They try not to attract attention, but are often defenselessly exposed to violent attacks - on the street, in emergency accommodation and residential homes. Maike (name changed by the editor) experienced this: "One night I woke up because a woman was punching me in the face. In an emergency accommodation like this you are confronted with many women that you would avoid in normal everyday life. They have psychological problems, some are depressed or violent." Until five years ago, Maike still led a middle-class life, even if it was never easy for her. The 49-year-old worked full-time as a geriatric nurse for dementia sufferers and raised two children alone. Then she lost her job and a few months later her apartment. The job center had processed her application for unemployment benefit 2 too late. Maike was therefore no longer able to pay her rent. At first she slept in the back room of a shop where she helped out for free and showered in the indoor pool. When that was no longer possible, she had to sleep in emergency accommodation or walk around the city all night. You would never know that Dagmar was homeless. The 59-year-old lives with her adult son in two small wooden huts on the street. Despite being homeless, the former retail clerk has managed to get a small cleaning job. However, her salary is below the social welfare rate, so she would be entitled to a top-up. Since the job center does not meet this payment, Dagmar has to get by on around 100 euros a month. She has now got used to going to bed hungry. What she will never get used to, however, are the daily nasty insults, sexual innuendo and harassment to which she is often defenseless as a homeless woman in her wooden shack. "I feel like I'm buried alive. At night, when I'm trying to sleep on my mattress, I often hear men peeing on the wall of my hut," says Dagmar. And even if you've finally escaped the streets - like 26-year-old Steffi - that doesn't mean you can lead a normal life again. She still suffers from the experiences she had when she slept under a bridge for months. So far, there have been few offers of help from politicians and society for homeless women like Steffi, Dagmar and Maike. ???? If you liked this video, give us a like! ______ ???? A film for people up close and personal by Susanne Jäger This film was produced in 2020. All statements and facts correspond to the status at the time and have not been updated since then. ______ ???? WDR documentary on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wdrdoku/?hl=de More documentaries on the topic: ???? Young, homeless, looking for a family: • Young, homeless, looking for a family WDR ... ???? Focus on the train station: • Focus on the train station WDR documentary ???? Young and homeless: • Young and homeless WDR documentary ???? Erik is now Katja - A homeless person settles down: • Erik is now Katja - A homeless person... ???? Living on 3.2m² - Mini-houses for the homeless: • Living on 3.2m² - Mini-houses for the homeless... ______ #Homelessness #HousingShortage #WDRDoku #Homelessness #Unemployment