Electricity aid expires: What kind of Carinthian households?

Electricity aid expires: What kind of Carinthian households?

The "Energy Hand" is an important support for many Carinthian households, but expires on December 31. With the initiative, which was launched by the Ministry of Social Affairs, people with low income could be relieved of electricity, gas and heating materials with increasing energy costs. In 2023, the Volkshilfe Carinthia worked 876 applications that concerned a total of 1,933 people, as meinbezirk.at . Minimum pensioners and recipients of social benefits that are dependent on this help are particularly affected in order to cope with high additional payments. Alexander Matzan from Volkshilfe emphasizes that the help should cover acute residues, which in many cases was decisive.

The support from the Energy Handing Personal is discontinued due to a lack of financial resources; The disaster fund is heavily burdened by storm damage. While the rent support was extended by 2026, there is no succession solution for energy promotion. As a result, many households are forced to switch to other programs. Matzan warns that the remaining regional help offers are often associated with long waiting times of up to three to four months, which is a significant burden for those affected. Volkshilfe reacts to this challenge with monthly citizens' consultation hours to offer immediate support and plans to expand this initiative to other communities.

parish and delogation prevention

The parent, which was launched in March 2022, has set itself the goal of protecting people from delogation. Since January 2023, applicants have also received support for their energy costs. By 2026, a total of 200 million euros will be available for this program, as the information page of the Ministry of Social Affairs explains ( Austria.gv.at ). The program supports people whose debts cannot be covered by their own resources by aiming for advice and help when taking over rental and energy debts.

The closure of the Energy Handing Dire is left a gap, which can only be filled with the available regional support offers. This means that numerous households are faced with the challenge of using alternative help in order to cope with impending energy shutdowns and acute emergency situations.