Caritas Oost-Württemberg: A new way to work for the long-term unemployed!

Caritas Ost-Württemberg is actively committed to the professional integration of people who are long-term unemployed. This unemployment, often caused by personal, health and financial crises as well as addiction problems, affects many in the region. In collaboration with the job center, Caritas offers various support programs.

Richard Bronner, an occupational therapist, has worked for Caritas' Fairbuy services for 20 years. This initiative includes a logistics center that stores furniture and other items. Due to space constraints, Caritas is currently faced with the challenge of finding a new location for a central department store in order to bundle all fair purchase offers that have existed for over 30 years and sell sustainably used items.

Individual care and social participation

The fair purchase offers are open to all citizens without the need for authorization certificates. The protégés are looked after individually, with the age group of the people supported being between 22 and 60 years. An important goal is to refer people to community service through the courts in order to avoid alternative prison sentences. The “Sweating instead of sitting” project offers community service as an alternative to fines.

In order to enable the unemployed to find meaningful employment, one-euro jobbers are hired to promote structure and social contacts. There are currently 29 places available for the unemployed at three Caritas Ost-Württemberg locations. There is also an online shop run by unemployed people who have been qualified through the federal “Social Participation” program. The one-euro jobbers usually work between six and 24 months, and many of them remain active as volunteers afterwards. Donations are required to finance tickets and events for the one-euro jobbers.

In the broader context, the introduction of the Participation Opportunities Act in 2019 led to targeted support for long-term unemployed people. According to Diakonie Deutschland, the “participation in the labor market” funding instrument was established in accordance with Section 16i SGB II, which enables work subject to social insurance contributions without restrictions on activities and types of employers. The combination with in-service support and a high wage cost subsidy for employers is seen by the job centers as an important addition to the existing funding options.

Despite the positive assessments, it appears that Section 16i has lost significance due to insufficient funding in the federal budget. The coalition agreement of 2021 brings with it an agreement between the coalition partners SPD, Alliance 90/The Greens and FDP to further develop the Participation Opportunities Act. Diakonie Deutschland and EFAS are calling for a draft law to be presented before the summer break to strengthen the instrument in order to provide long-term unemployed people with sustainable career prospects.