The "Grundversorgung" depends on whether one lives in assisted living ( e.g.camp) or in a private home.
In assisted living situations each person receives:
- € 5,- daily for food
- € 40,- monthly pocket money
When living in a private home:
-rent subsidy for single persons of maximum € 120,- monthly
-rent subsidy for families of maximum € 240,- monthly
-adults receive maximum € 200,- per person,per month for food
-minors receive maximum € 90,- per person,per month for food
-unattended minors receive maximum € 190,- (when living at a relative's apartment or with individuals in Vienna
Regardless of where one lives, everyone receives vouchers for school supplies, help with clothing, insurance etc.
I had offered the rent subsidy to Stephan and Eva, who were housing the family for free, to support covering costs such as water, heat and electricity expenses that were definitely higher now. However the Rasoul's could not apply for that, as Stephan and Eva were home owners and the subsidy is offered to tenants only. Stephan and Eva did not care about the money. They appreciated the offer but assured me that they were happy to help the Rasoul's. Mrs.Beck also applied for insurance for the father and the three children. Insurance was of outmost importance. I knew that the Rasoul's had been on the road for a while. A complete health check including blood work, a visit to the dentist and perhaps specialists if needed, was essential.
While waiting with the Rasoul´s I received a message from my friend Agnes who is a real estate agent. I had spoken to her many times about the the unjust and inhumane real estate business in Austria that needed to wake up and adjust. She called me and said that she and her company had a studio available that they would rent out - without security deposit or commission. Yes it was very small for five people. But once more: it was the first option and so far the only one. Even though Eva and Stephan offered to house the Rasoul´s for longer if needed, I believed it was best for everyone involved to find them their own place to live. Especially when taking into account how hard it was to find someone who would accept them as tenants. I had spoken so far to real estate agents, priests, churches, friends and various organizations - I had posted about it on social media such as facebook, twitter and instagram. Nothing so far. I even received an email of a man who was the acquaintance of a dear friend. He was "offering" his apartment for rent to refugees. His apartment was located in the 21st district, far away from the city center, not even near a subway station and he had the audacity to ask for 1150 Euros for a three room apartment which was not only above market price but also impossible to afford for family of five living with 827 Euros monthly. So much about "offering" help I thought.
We made an appointment to go and see the studio apartment in the 6th district together with Abdelaziz and Shamse on December 8th.
After the appointment at Caritas, the Rasoul's went back home to Eva and Stephan and I went to work. We set an appointment for that very same night for a big talk. As Mo, my translator friend from Jordan was not in Vienna anymore, I asked Nora, whom he had recommended, to join me that evening. I was excited to have her on board.
We met at 07 pm at Eva and Stephan's home. I had made a list of things we needed to talk about, important topics such as the near future, the apartment hunting and the future of Helz, the oldest, who was not of school age anymore. Helz kept sending me apartment links and even though I really appreciated that she would look for apartments, I had been unable to tell her that finding an apartment was not the real issue. So far, due to my lack of speaking Arabic, I could not inform them of the everyday rejections I endured so far and now that Nora was sitting at a table with us I was finally able to explain.
All the apartments that Helz was looking at, all those I had found so far, were apartments that we would not even be able to go take a look at. The majority of these apartments were listed by real estate agents. Whenever I would speak to one and explain the situation, I was rejected. "No refugees.", "No Syrians" is what I would hear constantly. It was very frustrating. I even took the time over and over again to reason with them. Thousands of refugees needed a home, thousands of children needed to go to school and these two things were connected to each other. To sit and rant in a few years from now about all those refugees who were not integrated was useless, as today they were denied integration.
The fact that it was getting colder and colder outside, was making the hunt for a living space for refugees even more important. Some people were sleeping on the streets and yet some real estate agents could not care less about what was happening around them. Other's listened, but chose to not campaign for refugees.
Nora translated all of this for me very patiently. It was a very difficult topic and I was ashamed of those Austrians who refused to house refugees. The housing system needed to adapt and the people were not ready. Refugees were allowed into a country to be safe from harm only to possibly find themselves homeless. How was this possible?
Shamse was not working yet but she was receiving her monthly guaranteed minimum income from the state of Austria. Real estate agents and homeowners did not accept this as a form of income. I was not able to act as a guarantor as most real estate agents were forbidden to offer an apartment to refugees. A guarantor, I was told, would not make a difference.
It came down to money. So I had started to offer real estate agents not only the security deposit, first month and last month of rent but more. Three thousand, four thousand Euros in advance that we could borrow for the start. When the money was rejected too, I knew that this country had a big problem. Many people were unwilling to accept the situation as it was. The refugees did not come for a vacation. They were here to stay and to start a new life. We are talking about the next 50-80 years for this one generation of immigrants. To deprive them from something as fundamental as a home, is not only cruel and against the laws of humanity, it is also counterproductive and in the long run even dangerous because if you deny a human the right to humaneness, you make him inhuman. It would stir frustration, pain and at some point hate. Home is where life begins.
Shamse, Abdelaziz and the children were listening.We had the option of the studio in Vienna - small but central and Eva found a house in Upper Austria that belonged to one of her friends - large but in a small town. However the latter needed to be approved first. The family decided to visit the apartment in Vienna first and then make a decision.
We then changed topic and we spoke about Helz. I explained the school system in Vienna and how it would be best for her to learn German and get a certificate. That certificate would allow her to apply for university amongst other schools. I insisted on the importance of education. The kids needed to be better than the average Austrian in order to build a future as their lives was a lot harder. We all agreed on all topics. Abdelaziz´s only wish was an apartment. That was of outmost importance to him and I agreed. Nora translated very patiently. Our talk ended 2,5 hours later.
When Nora and I left, I was extremely tired. I just wanted to go home and rest. All I was wishing for was a home for the Rasoul's so that their minds could be at ease, so that their hopes could be up again and give them strength to start a new life.
Nonethelss here´s a picture of me on that day. December 1st was very difficult and when one of my friends asked me how I am doing, I replied by sending her this picture.
* increases planned for 2016
No comments:
Post a Comment