upstairs
Mobile Outreach Center for Young People in Need
Hotline 0800 101 30 30
The project offers help to young people in need. It is a donation-funded support center located in the Reisinger Anlagen in Wiesbaden and provides emergency assistance, counseling, clothing, food, transit tickets, and shelter, depending on availability.
We build relationships with those seeking help and support them as they navigate the government assistance system and the healthcare system.
Contact Information
25 Years of Upstairs
On Friday, August 28, 2026, we celebrated 25 years of upstairs with a public anniversary event at the Mobile Outreach Center’s location at Reisinger Anlagen in Wiesbaden. We were pleased to welcome numerous interested guests, service recipients, professionals, and supporters of our work. The anniversary celebration highlighted the impact that this donation-funded assistance can have. And even after 25 years, one thing remains true: upstairs is needed!
You can read more about our anniversary celebration in our news article.
In the latest episode of the podcast “echt gefragt” by Charlotte Mattes, an editor and host at the EKHN Media Center, Alex, a former client, talks about his life story: “Alex
was kicked out of his home at age 18. He experienced a lot of violence during his childhood and adolescence. Now 27, he has completed his training as a childcare worker, is studying social work, and lives in his own apartment. Upstairs—the mobile drop-in center for young people in need—helped him.”
This is important to us
What makes upstairs unique is the unbureaucratic help and support it offers, regardless of who is officially responsible. Anyone can come during opening hours and is welcome. Above all, there are people here who listen—and who don’t judge. “We’re responsible until someone else takes over,” is the motto. Young people who have fallen on hard times, been kicked out of their homes, or don’t know what tomorrow will bring still have their whole lives ahead of them. They’re always full of hope and trust that “things will work out.”
In Germany, it is estimated that there are 32,000 homeless youth, most of whom believe that things will get better within a year. If that doesn’t happen, it becomes increasingly difficult to break free from the cycle of homelessness, unemployment, and violence. Getting help at the right moment can change a person’s entire life.
For these young people, the key is this: first, they need to regain trust in an adult; then we can help.
upstairs - The mobile drop-in center for young people in Wiesbaden
Providing Immediate and Unbureaucratic Help
When young people find themselves in distress and their situation seems desperate and hopeless, they need help and support—with as little red tape as possible.
Since its founding in 2001, the “upstairs” project has offered a wide range of support to young people in need. It is a donation-funded drop-in center located in the Reisinger Anlagen in Wiesbaden that provides assistance in acute emergency situations. Services include initial care, counseling, clothing, food, public transportation tickets, and—depending on availability—housing.
Building Relationships
The team at upstairs builds relationships with those seeking help and supports them as they integrate into existing support systems, such as government agencies or the healthcare system. Young people in particular—those who have suddenly become homeless or don’t know what to do next—need this support. Many of these young people hope their situation will improve quickly—but often it doesn’t. In Germany, there are about 32,000 homeless youth, most of whom hope to find a home again within a year. If they don’t succeed, it becomes all the more difficult to break free from the cycle of homelessness, unemployment, and violence. Timely assistance can change a person’s entire life in such moments.
EVIM gGmbH | Youth Services
2
Jonas-Schmidt-Str. 65193 Wiesbaden
jugendhilfe@evim.de
Klaus Friedrich
Geschäftsführung
T +49 611 5899 0
F +49 611 5899 30
Olav Muhl
Stellv. Geschäftsbereichsleitung
T +49 611 5899 19
F +49 611 5899 30
Kristina Preisendörfer
Stellv. Geschäftsbereichsleitung
T +49 611 5899 0
F +49 611 5899 30