Upstairs
Wiesbaden

Since Upstairs was founded in 2001, hundreds of youths have received assistance in personal crisis situations in several thousand consultations. Sometimes it’s “only” a conversation… listening …being there!

At upstairs, young people receive accommodation, can find some personal space, have a good shower and take stock of their lives for a few nights in the safety of he Upstairs apartment. They get food, the opportunity to wash their clothes and are accompanied with their dealing with the authorities. Often it is just a case of patiently listening and then planning out the next steps.

“Why do I like to go out in the rain?” Because I know that I can go back inside, because I finally have a home.” This phrase shows very clearly what it means for some young people to get help from Upstairs. In this case, it was assisting in the search for a training course and a small apartment.

“Someone finally really listened to me here … took time for me,” says Mike, a young man who shaped his own future thanks to the help provided by Upstairs. He is now the father in a small family.
This how the work of the Upstairs staff usually begins: listening and taking time The next steps then follow on. Through the informal, but at the same time protected framework of the mobile centre, it is easier to get young people to share their concerns and to ask for help. If needed, a warm coat, socks or a hat can also be conjured up from the mobile centre’s storage room, which also acts as a wardrobe.

Stable warmth

The colourful Upstairs mobile centre is a real eye-catcher. And even if it is cold outside, inside it is always warm. And not just thanks to the centre’s heaters. The young people who come during the opening hours are not the easiest to deal with. Their often provocative and unfriendly attitude means the staff have a long road to walk before they can form a relationship with them. And as these young people are often very shy, there are often weeks of calls to the 24-hour hotline before they make an actual appearance at the cente. Upstairs worker Claudia Grilletta often only knows their first names even after many weeks of contact.

“Who else is going to check if mum is still breathing when she’s high…”. This statement came from a young woman who lives together with her heroin-addicted mother, who has been continually abused by a range of men and only manages to break away when she ends up baldy injure in hospital.