Topping-out Ceremony for the BUTZE Street Kids’ Center in Berlin

On November 29, the organization Straßenkinder e.V. celebrated the topping-out ceremony for the BUTZE Street Kids’ Center in Berlin-Lichtenberg. This innovative project aims to provide homeless children and teenagers with much needed opportunities and help them get off the streets as quickly as possible.

“The BUTZE is not just a building; it’s a place of hope and a new beginning for children and teenagers facing difficult circumstances,” said Eckhard Baumann, chairman of Straßenkinder e.V., which was founded in 2000. The center will provide a much-needed safe space for homeless children and youth.

The seven-story building will serve as a unique community hub with approximately 40 different living and sleeping accommodations, including emergency shelters, transitional housing, and micro-apartments. Spanning a total of 3,650 square meters, it will also include a warming room, a large kitchen, offices for social and legal counseling, classrooms for job training programs, a clothing bank, and a street outreach center. There is no comparable concept anywhere else in Germany. If all goes according to plan, the BUTZE Street Kids’ Center will open in the spring of 2026.

The total project cost of the project is around 21 million euros, which is being financed entirely by donations. Among the financial supporters is the HahnAir Foundation, which has been supporting the organization for ten years.

More information and pictures of the construction progress can be found here.