New housing program: 140 places for people with disabilities!

New housing program: 140 places for people with disabilities!

In the social department of the state of Upper Austria, decisive steps will be taken in 2025 to improve the living situation of people with disabilities. The creation of 140 new residential places will offer people who are dependent on support a better quality of life and the opportunity to lead a self-determined life. This is emphasized by State Councilor for Social Affairs Christian Dörfel, who also emphasizes that social responsibility and human dignity are central issues. Lebenshilfe Oberösterreich and Caritas are crucial partners in this project; They plan to create a total of 85 of these new places to meet current needs. Loud Volksblatt 4,655 residential places have been provided so far, with the budget for this increasing to 23.9 million euros next year.

Inclusion in the labor market

Another central concern is the better integration of people with disabilities into the primary labor market. A comprehensive program to create jobs and promote employment will be launched with a budget of 168.5 million euros. Caritas is particularly committed to supporting 6,778 clients in 686 cooperative companies so that they have the opportunity to gain a foothold in society. The “Work and Inclusion” process provides concrete measures to improve participation, such as providing inclusion grants for companies that hire people with disabilities of up to 1,276 euros per month. This initiative is intended to reduce the risk of employment for companies and at the same time increase the chances of those affected. Caritas reported that integration sustainably improves the working atmosphere in companies, which strengthens social cohesion.

The comprehensive rehabilitation measures, which are summarized under the concept of “services for participation in working life”, particularly support people with physical and psychological limitations. These benefits include vocational preparation measures, subsidies for employers and support for job retention. The Caritas promotes the creation of jobs through integrative employment models that benefit both those affected and the companies. These steps are crucial to create true equality and equal opportunities and to guarantee the right to work as set out in the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.