Winter Assistance 2026/27: Hotlines & Cold Weather Buses in Your City
In the winter months, the cold can be life-threatening for homeless people. With an attentive eye and a quick phone call, you can quickly organize help in an emergency. Here you can find the most important cold aid hotlines and cold weather bus numbers in many German cities.
Contents
- When should you call the cold aid hotline?
- Hotlines & cold buses in your city
- Volunteer in cold weather aid and find out about donation opportunities
- Find your commitment via vostel.de
When should you call the cold aid hotline?
Sometimes it’s difficult to know when help is really needed. We’ll show you how to proceed in three simple steps.
- Ask: If you spot a person who seems to need help, speak to them and ask how they are and whether they would like help.
- Contact cold aid if you need support: If a person needs support such as warm clothing, drinks or accommodation for the night and would like to accept support, you can contact the cold aid hotline or the cold weather bus. You can find the telephone numbers below.
- In case of acute danger, call the emergency services: If a person is unconscious, injured or severely hypothermic, call 112 directly.
Hotlines & cold weather buses in your city
Throughout Germany
| Organization | Accessibility |
|---|---|
| One Warm Winter Cold Weather Assistance Hotline connects to the following cities: Berlin, Düsseldorf, Essen, Frankfurt am Main, Hamburg, Hanover, Karlsruhe, Cologne, Leipzig, Mainz, Munich, Stuttgart | 0800 800 1019 (November 1 – March 31) Donations for the One Warm Winter Cold Weather Assistance Hotline |
Aachen
| Organization | Accessibility |
|---|---|
| Johanniter cold weather bus | By phone: 0241 918 387 51 Donations for the Johanniter |
Augsburg
| Organization | Accessibility |
|---|---|
| Catholic Association for Social Services cold weather bus | By phone: 0821 50 80 80 30 (after 5 p.m.) or By phone: 0821 15 51 52 or 0521 51 65 69 (before 5:00 p.m.) (when temperatures are below freezing, 8:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.) Donations for the Catholic Association for Social Services |
Berlin
| Organization | Accessibility |
|---|---|
| Berlin cold aid (Kältehilfe app in the Google Play Store or iOS App Store shows free sleeping places, night cafés & food offers) | Cold Weather Assistance Hotline: 0157 805 978 70 (Mon–Fri 9 a.m.–5 p.m.) By phone: 0157 580 949 52 (daily 11:00 a.m.–10:00 p.m.; exclusively in Steglitz-Zehlendorf) Donations for Berlin’s cold aid |
| GEBEWO cold weather assistance hotline | By phone: 030 343 971 40 (daily from 7:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.) Donations for the GEBEWO |
| DRK cold weather bus | By phone: 030 600 300 1010 (daily from 6:00 p.m. to midnight) Donations for the DRK |
| Berliner Stadtmission cold weather bus | By telephone: 030 690 333 690 (daily 8 pm – 2 am) Donations for the Berliner Stadtmission |
| KARUNA Sub | By phone: 0157 866 050 80 (Mon–Fri 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.) Donations for the KARUNA Sub |
Bergisch Gladbach / Refrath / Bensberg
| Organization | Accessibility |
|---|---|
| Die Platte cold weather bus | By phone: 02202 272 6689 (Tours Mon, Wed, Fri starting at 7:00 p.m.) Donations for Die Platte |
Bochum
| Organization | Accessibility |
|---|---|
| DRK Wattenscheid cold weather bus | By phone: 0163 337 5402 (after 6:00 p.m. when temperatures drop below 0°C) Donations for the DRK |
| Johanniter “Cold Angel” bus | By phone: 0173 491 8356 (Thursdays 7:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.) Service area at the main train station; special operations conducted during extreme weather conditions Donations for the Johanniter |
Brandenburg an der Havel
| Organization | Accessibility |
|---|---|
| DRK Brandenburg cold weather bus | By phone: 03381 630 621 (daily) Donations for the DRK |
Braunschweig
| Organization | Accessibility |
|---|---|
| Malteser cold weather bus | By phone: 0531 237 9790 (Wednesdays and Fridays, 6:30–7:30 p.m.) Donations for the Malteser |
Bremen
| Organization | Accessibility |
|---|---|
| Johanniter cold bus | By phone: 0800 001 9214 Donations for the Johanniter |
Chemnitz
| Organization | Accessibility |
|---|---|
| Hilfebus cold weather bus | By phone: 0155 657 559 31 (Tuesdays and Fridays, 6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.) Donations for the Hilfebus |
Detmold Lage/Lippe
| Organization | Accessibility |
|---|---|
| Malteser cold weather bus | By phone: 0151 272 813 54 (Tours Nov. – March, every Saturday) Donations for the Malteser |
Dortmund
| Organization | Accessibility |
|---|---|
| Malteser cold weather bus | By phone: 0160 947 918 66 (Routes Mon, Thu 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.) Donations for the Malteser |
Düsseldorf
| Organization | Accessibility |
|---|---|
| Gutenachtbus cold weather bus | By phone: 01578 350 5152 (daily service from 10:00 p.m. to 12:15 a.m.) Donations for the Gutenachtbus |
Essen
| Organization | Accessibility |
|---|---|
| DRK Essen cold weather bus | By telephone: 0201 22 22 22 (24h hotline) Donations for DRK |
Frankfurt am Main
| Organization | Accessibility |
|---|---|
| Frankfurt Association Cold Weather Bus | By phone: 069 431 414 (daily service 9:30 p.m. – 5:00 a.m.) |
Frankfurt Oder
| Organization | Accessibility |
|---|---|
| DRK cold weather bus | By phone: 0162 314 2308 (when temperatures are below freezing, daily from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.) Donations for the DRK |
Fribourg
| Organization | Accessibility |
|---|---|
| DRK cold weather bus | By phone: 0761 885 089 88 (when temperatures are below freezing, 8:00 p.m. – midnight) Donations for the DRK |
Gladbeck
| Organization | Accessibility |
|---|---|
| Malteser cold weather bus | By phone: 02043 581 6054 (Tours Saturdays 1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.) Donations for the Malteser |
Halle (Saale)
| Organization | Accessibility |
|---|---|
| Four seasons cold weather bus | By phone: 0176 705 544 07 (3 times a week) Donations for the Four Seasons cold weather bus |
Hamburg
| Organization | Accessibility |
|---|---|
| City of Hamburg Hotline | By phone: 040 428 285 000 (Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.) |
| CaFée with a heart cold weather bus | By phone: 0151 656 833 68 (daily from 7:00 p.m. to midnight) Donations for the CaFée mit Herz |
| Midnight bus | By telephone: 040 401 782 15 (tours every evening) Donations for Mitternachtbus |
Hannover
| Organization | Accessibility |
|---|---|
| Johanniter cold weather bus | By phone: 0800 084 8488 (Mon, Wed, Fri 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.) Donations for the Johanniter |
| Malteser cold weather bus | By phone: 0511 959 8636 (Tours on Thursdays starting at 6:00 p.m.) Donations for the Malteser |
Heidelberg
| Organization | Accessibility |
|---|---|
| Malteser cold weather bus | By phone: 06221 160 864 (Routes on Mondays and Saturdays) Donations for the Malteser |
Karlsruhe
| Organization | Accessibility |
|---|---|
| DRK cold weather bus | By telephone: 07251 922 999 Donations for the DRK |
Kiel
| Organization | Accessibility |
|---|---|
| Malteser cold weather bus | By phone: 0170 140 9210 (Tue, Fri, Sun 5:30 p.m. – 9:15 p.m.) Donations for the Malteser |
Koblenz
| Organization | Accessibility |
|---|---|
| Schachtel cold weather bus | By phone: 0261 16992 Donations for the Schachtel |
Cologne
| Organization | Accessibility |
|---|---|
| FDKS cold weather bus | By phone: 0162 460 8745 (daily from 6:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.) Donations for the FDKS |
Leipzig
| Organization | Accessibility |
|---|---|
| City Leipzig cold weather bus | By phone: 0152 336 610 87 (daily from 6:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.) |
Lübeck
| Organization | Accessibility |
|---|---|
| Warmth from the Heart Bus | By phone: No direct helpline available (Mon, Wed, Thu, Fri 6:30–8:00 p.m.) Donations for the Warmth of the Heart Bus |
Mainz
| Organization | Accessibility |
|---|---|
| Cold weather bus of Rheinhessen Hilft e.V. | By phone: 0163 686 7137 Donations for the Cold Weather Bus |
Mannheim
| Organization | Accessibility |
|---|---|
| City cold weather bus | By phone: 0621 293 3425 (daily starting at 9:00 p.m.) |
Munich
| Organization | Accessibility |
|---|---|
| Kältebus cold weather bus | Telephone information: 089 200 045 930 / By email: info@kaeltebus-muenchen.de Donations for the Kältebus Munich |
| Diakonie cold weather bus | By phone: 089 77 10 84 (three to four times a week in the evening) Donations for the Diakonie |
Münster
| Organization | Accessibility |
|---|---|
| Malteser cold weather bus | For more information, call: 0151 12264836 (Tours are always on weekends) Donations for the Malteser |
Nuremberg
| Organization | Accessibility |
|---|---|
| Caritas warming center | By phone: 0911 443 962 Donations for the warming center and street clinic in Nuremberg |
Oldenburg
| Organization | Accessibility |
|---|---|
| Johanniter cold weather bus | By phone: 0152 395 502 86 (Tuesdays and Fridays, 6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.; Sundays, 5:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.) Donations for the Johanniter |
Rostock
| Organization | Accessibility |
|---|---|
| Homeless Assistance Winter Bus | By phone: 0381 697 382 (Tours Wednesdays 3:00–5:00 p.m. & Fridays 9:00–11:00 a.m.) Donations for Obdachlosenhilfe Rostock |
Solingen
| Organization | Accessibility |
|---|---|
| Malteser cold weather bus | By phone: 0212 290 4020 (staffed 24/7; Routes Sunday/Monday: 5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m., Thursday/Friday: 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.) Donations for the Malteser |
Stuttgart
| Organization | Accessibility |
|---|---|
| DRK cold weather bus | By phone: 0711 219 547 76 (Routes 10:00 p.m. – 2:00 a.m.) Donations for the DRK |
Trier
| Organization | Accessibility |
|---|---|
| Caritas’ Cold Weather Bus | By phone: 0651 88130 (Routes on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.; additional routes during periods of very cold weather) Donations for the Caritas |
Ulm
| Organization | Accessibility |
|---|---|
| DRK cold weather bus | By phone: 0171 299 1898 (daily from 6:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.) Donations for the DRK |
Wiesbaden
| Organization | Accessibility |
|---|---|
| Cold weather bus of Rheinhessen Hilft e.V. | By phone: 0163 686 7137 Donations for Rheinhessen hilft |
If your city is not listed, you can easily find more offers via a search engine by searching for “cold aid”, “Kältehilfe” or “Kältebus” + your city (e.g. via ecosia.de).
For more information on other cities, check out the cold map.
A quick call can save lives. It’s best to save the numbers of the cold help in your city in your cell phone so that you can react quickly in an emergency.
Discover ways to donate and get involved in cold-weather relief efforts
Hotlines and cold buses are the first port of call in emergencies. But you can also support homeless people in other ways, e.g. through donations, material goods or your own involvement in helping the homeless. You can find out how to do this in our special article on getting involved in helping the homeless.
Find your commitment via vostel.de
In addition to various projects to help the cold and homeless, you will also find countless volunteering opportunities in areas such as education, nature conservation and equal opportunities on vostel.de. Find out now which volunteering opportunity suits you best.
Thank you for your commitment to cold weather aid!
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