Hamburg will be the first German city to seize empty commercial properties in order to house migrants.
With a new law that takes effect next week, Hamburg authorities can take over empty commercial spaces and convert them into migrant housing. It is a temporary measure that will only occur when refugee centers are full, according to Deutsche Welle, and will end in March 2017. Commercial property owners will be compensated.
To the west of Hamburg, the city of Bremen is considering a similar measure. And at least sixteen German states have already waived rules that limit the maximum capacity in communal spaces to free up space.
An estimated 800,000 asylum seekers and refugees are expected to arrive in Germany this year, the majority of whom are fleeing worn-torn countries like Syria.
Germany has been one of the most welcoming countries toward migrants in the EU. In some areas, German and Syrian families are living amongst one another in co-operative apartment buildings, and the German government expects to shell out $6.6 billion this year on necessities like lodging and schools to cope with the rush of people crossing its borders.