Integration of refugees: Successful model in the Magdas Hotel!

Integration of refugees: Successful model in the Magdas Hotel!

Ungargasse 1030 Wien, Österreich - On February 14, 2025, the Caritas Hotel "Magdas" celebrated its tenth anniversary in Vienna. Since its opening at the Vienna Prater, the innovative “social business” has offered more than 100 refugee people a professional perspective. At a press conference, Tom Bodmann, the Caritas Director of the Archdiocese of Vienna, said that the integration of people with difficult access to the labor market was not only necessary, but also feasible. "Everyone should get a fair chance of an independent and self -determined life," emphasized Bodmann. Currently, 60 percent of “Magdas” employees will be affected by flight. The company has now settled in Hungary and offers a solid financial basis with 85 rooms and annual accommodation of around 35,000 guests.

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Gabriele Sonnleitner, managing director of "Magdas", was optimistic and summarized the goal of the hotel: to solve social problems through economic action. She asked politicians: "We do not leave potential unused and enable all those who are here and want to work quickly integrate into the labor market." Caritas underlines the importance of sufficient means for integration and development cooperation, especially against the background of the challenges in the labor market. Petra Draxl, head of the labor market service (AMS), also shared this view that integration programs needed time and resources. According to her, around 54 percent of the refugees who came to Austria between 2015 and 2016 are now in employment.

An example of successful integration is Hussein Ali Mohamad Ajob, who started in the hotel in 2018 and now works as a nursing assistant. "Integration does not happen by itself," said Ajob, "but requires hard work and the right support." Both Caritas and the AMS require an expansion of the funds for integration measures in order to continue to integrate people into the labor market in the future. In view of the 35,000 overnight stays and the commitment in training - ten apprentices are currently working in the "Magdas" hotel - it shows how sustainable and effective such an approach can be. "Magdas" is a prime example of how economic and social action can go hand in hand, Bodmann concludes.

For more information about the hotel and its history as well as sustainable integration, read the full report on Kathpress href = "https://www.ots.at/presseausendung/ots_20250214_ots0028/magdas-hotel-feier-zehn-jahne-integration"> ots.at .