Currently in Germany, there are three critical social challenges: Housing & Homelessness Crisis, Migration & Integration Challenges, and Economic Stagnation & Social Inequality.
Working with Caritas, one of the largest non-governmental welfare organizations in Germany, we have decided together to focus on the problem of housing and homelessness crisis as the thesis research and exploration.
Problem Space
Rising evictions & housing instability
The growing shortage of affordable housing, paired with steadily rising rents, has led to a significant increase in evictions. In Berlin alone, the number of evictions rose by 22.7% in 2023 compared to the previous year, from 1,931 cases in 2022 to 2,369 in 2023 (Jacobson, 2024). This sharp increase reflects a broader trend across Germany, where more people are either becoming homeless or living in unstable housing conditions (BAG Wohnungslosenhilfe e.V., 2017).
According to Caritas and the Bundesarbeitsgemeinschaft Wohnungslosenhilfe e. V. (BAG W), around 607,000 people were homeless in Germany in 2022 (Bundesarbeitsgemeinschaft Wohnungslosenhilfe e.V., 2022). These figures underline the urgency of the issue.
In interviews with social workers from Caritas, including Tamara Schmidberger, who specializes in homelessness prevention at Caritas Fürstenfeldbruck, and Claudia Maier, a veteran social worker with 23 years of experience supporting women across different social challenges, a recurring theme emerged: Many tenants at risk of eviction lack basic knowledge about their rights and legal protections. This includes a lack of awareness about housing laws, tenancy rights, and the existence of support services like Caritas, BAG W, or other public assistance programs.
This lack of awareness appears to be a major barrier to early intervention, which is a critical factor when it comes to preventing a housing loss. Without understanding their rights or knowing where to find help, many individuals are unable to prevent their eviction in time. This insight raises a critical question at the heart of this thesis: Could timely and clear access to the right information and support make the difference between housing stability and homelessness?
Below are data from the 2022 statistical report on housing loss and homelessness (Lotties, 2022)
To emphasize the seriousness of the situation: In Berlin alone, the number of recorded eviction case rose by ~23% from 2022 to 2023.
This research explores various dimensions of product development and societal impact, focusing on usability, accessibility, user experience, AI implementation and more. It also considers broader systemic and ethical concerns to ensure a comprehensive and meaningful investigation.
The following research questions serve as a guide to this inquiry:
Critical factors in an eviction case
When an eviction case occurred, there are a couple of direct stakeholder and indirect stakeholders that are involved in the picture:
What should the tenant know so they have chance object the eviction notice?
In Germany, residential property is particularly protected under tenancy law as set out in the German Civil Code (BGB). Therefore, it is not easy for landlords to terminate a lease and subsequently evict a tenant through an eviction lawsuit. Special reasons must be present to justify the termination of a lease (Tenancy Law: Requirements and Procedure for Eviction Proceedings in Cologne - MTH Rechtsanwälte Köln, 2020).
To evict a tenant, the landlord needs to issue a termination notice with a legitimate reason, e.g., a tenant fails to pay rent, a tenant causes constant disturbance on the property, the landlord needs the property for personal use, etc. If the tenant refuses to vacate the property or fails to leave by the deadline, then the landlord must file an eviction lawsuit to proceed with the legal eviction. (Tenancy Law: Requirements and Procedure for Eviction Proceedings in Cologne - MTH Rechtsanwälte Köln, 2020).
Overall, there are times and ways for the tenant to act on their case. To raise the chance of preserving their accommodation, it is crucial that the tenant proactively takes action to defend their rights and react as quickly as possible.
The Structure of Social Assistance
There are three major social services and resources that people can seek help from
General steps and process of how individuals seek help:
During the evaluation process (of individuals' conditions and needs) in social welfare organizations, a social worker first defines which stage the client and their case are in.
By doing this, social workers can process the case and decide on the most efficient procedure to support the client.
A good example would be: if the social worker defines the case as being in the „Enforcement proceedings“ stage (refer to the photo below), meaning the client has little chance of filing an objection with the court and preserving their home, then the social worker would prioritize searching for emergency housing over other support tasks.
There are plenty of reasons why introducing a third party, such as Caritas, is important. But the most significant are that legal knowledge and information can be complicated, and it is often hard for people without a legal background to understand their situation, their rights, and what actions they can take to improve it. That is why having a third party, a professional who can guide and assist the client quickly, is so valuable. While social workers mainly support tenants, their involvement is often welcomed by landlords too, since going to court is costly and usually not in either party’s interest.
With all the findings, together with Caritas, we formed a Wouldn't It Be Great question:
Interview — User Research
To better understand the target users, I conducted interviews on both social workers and individuals that are/were affected by eviction challenge.
The findings and objectives are as below:
Affected individuals
Interview Objective
1. Understand how the eviction occurred
2. Learn about their personal experiences and how they managed the situation
3. Explore common struggles and needs shared by others in similar conditions
Methodology
1-hour qualitative interviews
Social workers
Interview Objective
1. Understand their daily workflow and experiences within different social welfare organizations
2. Identify pain points and challenges in their current practices
Methodology
1-hour qualitative interviews
Current practices
There are numerous support services available to the public that individuals affected by eviction or housing insecurity could turn to for help, and ideally, use to take proactive steps in their own cases. However, in practice, these resources are often outdated or poorly communicated, making them difficult to access and ultimately ineffective for those who need them most.
Digital tools such as Vivendi, C&S Computer & Software GmbH, Social Tracker, and TAU-Work-Together are already being used in the workflows of social workers and municipal offices across Germany. Yet, based on conversations with practitioners, two major issues frequently undermine their effectiveness: the absence of a centralized, shared database, and the use of inappropriate tools that do not fit the specific needs or contexts of the users they are meant to support.
For instance
Based on the findings from both research and interviews, three key factors can be identified that hinder the effectiveness of the social support system, making assistance either inaccessible or less effective than intended:
Design contribution
Design Methodology
As part of an iterative design process, I applied a structured research and development approach to design a suitable solution. The methodology included:
- User interviews
- Usability testing
- Prototyping
- Field testing and stakeholder feedback
To design an effective solution for the identified problem space, I have identified product opportunities for two key target groups: individuals affected by eviction and social workers who support them:
Design Sprint 1 — Creating a solution for affected individuals
Based on the interview findings, I developed a representative user persona to better understand the user’s perspective and emotional experience. This persona also serves as a communication tool to align the design process and guide decision-making throughout development.
The outcome of Design Sprint 1 was based on the brochure Wohnung behalten, which outlines seven urgency stages in the eviction process. It provides individuals with legal knowledge, helps them assess their eviction risk, and offers actionable guidance, enabling users to take informed steps toward preventing homelessness.
Through user testing and feedback, the conclusion of design sprint 1 solution is as following:
Design Sprint 2 — Creating a solution for affected individuals
Based on the user feedback, I came up with another approach for the design sprint 2
Product design
Users can access support through two main pathways: an assessment form or an AI-powered chatbot.
The assessment form allows users to submit key information related to their case. It includes questions designed to evaluate whether the termination notice they received is legally valid. Users are also prompted to upload their eviction notice and rental agreement for analysis.
Based on this input, the Knowledge Tool analyzes the information and generates a detailed report outlining the case context, along with relevant legal information.
Alternatively, users can choose to interact with the AI chatbot, which is connected to a trusted legal database. The chatbot provides users with tailored legal insights and suggested actions. It can also generate formal response letters using accurate legal terminology, helping users to respond effectively to their eviction notice.
The second design approach proved effective and informative for users, real-time communication further enhances their understanding of their situation. It also allows them to ask follow-up questions when they feel confused or need additional guidance. Automatically generated responses and reports are especially helpful for users with limited time, encouraging them to take action more proactively.
However, validating this approach has been challenging. It's difficult to identify and reach the right target users, as their circumstances are often unknown. Additionally, due to data protection laws, social workers are not permitted to share personal information or directly recommend the tool to their clients.
Overall, the user testing and insights gathered from this phase have led me to iterate the product further using a new approach (see Design Sprint 3).
Design sprint 3 - Creating a solution for social workers
Based on the target user persona, we conducted several rounds of ideation to explore potential product features, aligning them with the core problems we aimed to address.
I defined clear product goals to guide the design process and support impactful decision-making. Through wireframing and prototyping, we continuously validated our solution approach with target users to ensure it met their needs.
This process helped ensure that both the user experience and the overall solution were genuinely valuable and relevant to the people we designed for.
Final product
Reducing research time for social workers
To address these needs, we propose developing a centralized digital platform that connects social workers, legal advisors, job centers, and other social welfare agencies. This platform will enable seamless sharing of case-related information, improving collaboration across institutions.
Real-time case updates: Authorized users can update the status of a client’s case, ensuring all stakeholders stay informed without time-consuming follow-ups.
Support during the eviction phase: The tool helps streamline communication and access to support options, reducing delays and helping clients receive timely assistance.
Reduction in administrative burden: By digitizing workflows and standardizing data entry, NestFreund minimizes reliance on paper forms, fragmented emails, and redundant tasks.
Increased legal literacy: AI-generated explanations simplify complex legal topics for both professionals and affected individuals, supporting better decisions and promoting self-advocacy.
By connecting case details and analyzing uploaded documents, AI functions as a digital assistant for consultants. It enables them to ask questions, extract insights, and compare similar cases, significantly speeding up their workflow. Ultimately, this frees up time for social workers to focus on building trust and providing direct support to their clients, instead of researching eligibility rules and legal details.
Creating a centralized database
Through our research and interviews, we identified that bureaucratic complexity and fragmented responsibilities among social workers significantly delay timely intervention and support. A centralized support system can address these inefficiencies by enabling faster, more coordinated responses. This conclusion is also supported by the “Fachstelle Wohnen” reserch (Magnus, 2018).
By consolidating information, such as past cases, legal references, and decision outcomes, a centralized platform allows social workers to access and share critical data in one place. This reduces the time spent on research and administrative tasks, empowering social workers to focus on what truly matters: providing direct, personalized assistance to individuals at risk of losing their homes.
Core Features of NestFreund — Knowledge sharing & AI assistant
Based on user testing with wireframes and click dummies, we improved the user flow and added clearer indicators for specific features. Additionally, to meet social workers’ needs for note-taking and knowledge management, we developed a knowledge-sharing hub called the Wissenspool (Knowledge Pool). This hub allows social workers to upload and share their documents via links or files, which will also be accessible to our AI assistant, Smart Helfer. The AI will analyze these files, converting various formats (e.g., slides, Excel, PDFs, and images) into searchable text. This enables social workers to quickly find specific information, making the knowledge access and research more efficient and seamless.
Conclusion and findings
A quote from BAG W e.V.
As mentioned earlier, early intervention and prevention are key. They increase the chances of preserving housing and simultaneously reduce the risk of homelessness.
However, the lack of education and the slow pace of social services create additional burdens. Improving access to essential knowledge is critical.
Secondly, the involvement of many stakeholders calls for better coordination. Collaboration among them must be strengthened. A connected system can enhance communication, speed up processes, and enable more efficient information sharing—allowing help to reach those in need more quickly.
Finally, the overall architecture of Germany’s social system needs to be rethought. Compared to more centralized systems in countries like Sweden or the Netherlands, Germany’s framework is fragmented across services and responsibilities. To improve outcomes, we must unify systems, standardize workflows, and empower both social workers and clients.
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