With the two night cafes in Bremen and Bremerhaven, there have been two model projects since 2016, primarily for people with a mental illness and an altered day-night rhythm.
Night shelters established
They stabilize visitors, support them in structuring their daily lives and coping with crises – outside the opening hours of regular services. The Senate has now decided to make these services permanent as overnight shelters through integration assistance.
Important, low-threshold contact points
Health Senator Claudia Bernhard says: “The night cafés in Bremen and Bremerhaven are important, low-threshold points of contact for people with mental illness during the evening and night hours. The staff listen and offer advice in difficult, emotional situations.”
Goal: To manage crises independently
"The goal is to support visitors so that they can cope with crises independently. The services initiated as pilot projects in 2016 have proven successful. Therefore, it is right and important to continue them permanently as overnight shelters," added the Senator for Health.
Support in difficult situations
Dr. Claudia Schilling, Senator for Social Affairs, Labor, Youth and Integration, emphasizes: “The night cafés are a low-threshold crisis service. They enable social participation, counteract social isolation and prevent hospital stays. Basically, anyone who is experiencing a difficult situation and needs support can visit the night cafés.”
Expert on-site support
“Specialists with social psychiatric training and recovery companions advise visitors on site and, if necessary, refer them to the crisis service or the emergency room,” explains the Senator for Social Affairs.
Nighttime meeting point in Walle
In 2024, the Bremen Night Café was visited by an average of ten to fifteen people per evening, while the Bremerhaven Night Café counted four to five people in 2023 (figures for 2024 are not yet available). The Bremen Night Café is open Tuesdays to Sundays from 8 pm to 1 am, and the Bremerhaven Night Café is open Mondays to Fridays from 6 pm to 10 pm. Further information can be found on the Nachtwerk Bremen website .
Future financing via integration assistance
Since 2016, the night cafés at the West Day Center (Bremen) and the "Boje" Day Center (Bremerhaven) have been funded by the Senator for Health, Women and Consumer Protection through pilot projects for psychiatric reform. However, the maximum funding period for these pilot projects ends on June 30, 2025. Subject to further approval by the relevant committees, they will be funded in the future as night centers, similar to day centers, through integration assistance.
The state of Bremen will contribute 84.5 percent (approximately 340,000 euros from 2026 onwards), while the two cities of Bremen and Bremerhaven will each contribute 15.5 percent (approximately 43,500 and 15,500 euros from 2026 onwards).
Source: Press Office of the Senate of the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen, The Senator for Health, Women and Consumer Protection / The Senator for Labour, Social Affairs, Youth and Integration, Press Release , 11 June 2025