Free temporary housing for refugees in Germany

No. Not now, not later, not in any form. If anyone asks you for money in connection with this program, it isn't us — tell us immediately at hello@grains.education.

Priority goes to families with children, single parents, and elderly people. Beyond that we look at how urgent your situation is and whether three weeks actually resolves something rather than postponing it.

More people apply than we have places, so we turn down people who genuinely qualify. You'll hear either way within one to two days, and if it's no we'll say so clearly rather than leaving you waiting.

From 3 nights up to 3 weeks (21 nights). Short stays are part of the point — bridging a gap of four or five nights is a good use of this program.

The three-week ceiling is firm and we don't extend it. Shorter stays mean the same money houses more households. If you need months rather than weeks, longer-term housing services are a better place to start.

Because we can only offer three weeks. If there's nothing after that, we'd be moving you out of one crisis into another on a date we chose.

If your next place is close to arranged — a decision pending, a date almost fixed — apply and tell us exactly where things stand. We read these properly.

Tell us as early as you can. Before we book, we can usually adjust. After booking it's harder, but still worth asking. If you find housing elsewhere and no longer need us, say so — it frees a place for someone else and nobody will be annoyed with you.

No, but tell us what you need — city, ground floor, step-free access, space for a cot, near public transport — and we'll work within that.

Sometimes. Say so in the form and we'll look for pet-friendly housing. We can't promise it.

No. Apply in English and tell us what language you'd prefer we use with you. We'll arrange it.

No. People with pending applications are eligible.

ID for every adult, and something showing your situation — an asylum registration, a Fiktionsbescheinigung, a Ukrainian passport with an entry stamp, or similar. Only after your application has been reviewed. Please don't send anything now.

Yes, if they know and agree. Put their contact details in the form, not yours.

It should arrive within a few minutes. Check your spam folder first, then write to hello@grains.education and we'll confirm we have your application.

We'll tell you why and point you toward other services. You can apply again in a future round if your situation still fits.

We handle your data under GDPR, we share only what's needed to make the booking, and we don't pass it to anyone else. Full details in our privacy notice.

Through a grant from Airbnb.org to Förderverein Grains Germany e.V. The funding is restricted to housing displaced people, so we can't spend it on anything else — which is why we can cover the accommodation but nothing around it.

[Exact wording pending Airbnb.org sign-off — Section 11 of the grant agreement requires their written consent before publishing any statement about the partnership.]