00:00Finding a home as a refugee in Germany can be difficult.
00:04Many often live in low-income accommodation, separated from Germans.
00:08But not here.
00:10Houses of Hope, or Hofnungshaus, is a co-living project
00:13that brings refugees and German people together.
00:17The idea is simple, prevent exclusion and strengthen integration through everyday contact.
00:22But there is skepticism.
00:24Well, we were really skeptical and scared at first.
00:27The organizers hope this project will encourage more social cohesion.
00:35Can it work?
00:41500. No, not 500. 250.
00:46Then some more there.
00:50I always add a little bit of lemon juice.
00:54Rose uses a different type of sugar.
00:57It isn't as sweet and keeps longer than mine.
01:02I want to learn.
01:05Habiba Ali is a refugee from Syria.
01:08Rosa Marie Kunz is German.
01:11Both live in this House of Hope in Schwäbisch Gmund in southern Germany.
01:17That's good.
01:19Without this House, they might never have met.
01:24What Rose and I do together is more than being neighbors and friends.
01:33I feel like I belong here.
01:37In this housing concept, sharing everyday life is the key to settling in easily.
01:43Many questions are answered through natural daily contact.
01:48Today, a resident from Afghanistan has a question about her traditional German school goodie bag.
01:54The woman doesn't want to be filmed for personal and religious reasons.
01:59Denise Czeschinger, who runs the house, is helping.
02:04People are shut out when they have no one to ask.
02:08Like with this goodie bag.
02:10This young mother came to me to ask what it's all about.
02:15Working together, we can answer the questions that come up in everyday life.
02:23There are more than 40 of these houses, mostly in southern Germany.
02:28They are financed by a Christian foundation.
02:31In most cases, the rents are one third lower than the local average.
02:36Residents are selected to keep a balance between locals and immigrants.
02:40In total, 115 people of different nationalities, ages and religions live here.
02:47Can this lead to tensions?
02:53If some people worship a different god, that's their right.
02:59I don't have to share the same beliefs.
03:02It's about being helpful.
03:05Or having a conversation.
03:07And religion doesn't come up at all.
03:12Little things happen.
03:13If kids are roughhousing in my garden, for example, I go downstairs to my neighbor and say they can't do
03:19that.
03:19And he apologizes and says, sorry, I wasn't paying attention.
03:23It won't happen again.
03:26Denise Czeschinger and her husband regularly meet with Habiba Ali's family.
03:31Over time, they have become friends.
03:33Integration takes work.
03:37An inclusive living concept like ours takes work.
03:42It doesn't just happen.
03:44You have to constantly work at building and maintaining relationships.
03:48You have to resolve conflicts because you're neighbors.
03:52And we'll see each other again tomorrow, and next week, and next year.
04:00That takes work.
04:02But it's worth the effort.
04:05Gabriela Negela has also been changed by meeting strangers.
04:08She lives right next to the House of Hope.
04:11When it was still in the planning stages, she had serious concerns.
04:17We were very skeptical, not so much of the concept, but of the number of people.
04:23We were afraid at first.
04:25We started a citizens' initiative to find out exactly what was being planned.
04:31She has lived across the street from Hoffnung's house since 2020.
04:35Now her concerns are gone.
04:37She believes that personal contact is the key to integration.
04:41I'm happy to say that we have a really great neighborhood.
04:45I couldn't really see how it would work, but it does, and it will continue to work.
04:51Interaction is important to prevent segregation.
04:54Diversity is important.
04:57Here they will continue to share their daily lives to make integration work.
05:02Starting with the little things.
05:04What do you still want to learn from each other?
05:07Oh, lots.
05:11Potato salad.
05:13And healthy bread rolls.
05:17And sweet yeast cake.
05:20Yeah, that's next.
05:21Yeah, that's next time.
05:22Yeah.
