Living outside the basic services – Hurdles and challenges
Back to: Know-How: Support in Finding Accommodation (Austria)
Positive asylum decision
Asylum beneficiaries lose their entitlement to basic services four months after receipt of the asylum decision. Persons entitled to subsidiary protection may continue to live in a basic care institution even after the expiry of the four months.
In the case of asylum seekers with a legally binding negative decision, basic provision is provided for as long as they do not have to or cannot leave the country. Those who do not receive return documents despite their efforts can continue to be protected from homelessness by basic care as tolerated persons.
The asylum decision also gives those entitled to asylum unrestricted access to the labour market. However, many asylum seekers usually have no money for deposits or commissions, they often do not speak German well yet, are not mobile because they cannot afford a car and it is difficult for them to find an apartment under these conditions.
Overcoming financial barriers
If, after the support from the basic provision, the means of subsistence cannot be met from one’s own resources, an application can be made to the relevant social centre for needs-oriented minimum income support.
Legal regulations
The exact legal regulations on the subject of finding accommodation do not apply across the board to the whole of Austria, but differ in the various federal states. Therefore, it is important to know the current legal situation, which can make it very difficult to find accommodation.
Tight housing situation
The sharp rise in housing costs in Austria in recent years, especially in the metropolitan areas of cities such as Vienna, has meant that many people have to live under precarious conditions. Especially in Vienna, where, according to the Integration Report 2016, about 70% of those entitled to asylum settle.
The situation in Vienna, where about 80% of the population lives in rented flats, is as follows: Increased immigration and the decline in the subsidised rental housing sector have exacerbated the general shortage of affordable housing.
On the private rented housing market, destitute refugees compete with local people in need of housing. Refugees are confronted with a private rental housing market that has been characterised by deregulation and strong rent increases for decades. Migrants are referred to the lowest segment of the private rental housing market and usually have to make do with little living space. Furthermore, an informal commercial sub-housing market has emerged, characterised by the exploitation of the plight of migrants in need.
The social housing sector, in which 43% of Viennese households are housed, was and is largely inaccessible to refugees during their first years of residence.
The situation in the provinces regarding access to community housing is similarly difficult and usually an insurmountable hurdle. In addition, there are different legal and bureaucratic regulations in the individual Länder, such as the requirement of three years‘ main residence for moving into a municipal apartment.
In addition, asylum seekers are often confronted with the prejudices of landlords and often language barriers, difficulties in understanding and cultural differences make it difficult to find accommodation.
The two articles by Anita Eigner and Hilmar Zschiedrich, which describe the situation for refugees in their search for accommodation well, are available at the websites of asyl.at.
Networks
It can be seen that networks are the central model of the coordination of housing for refugees, both the networks of refugees and the networks of civil society organised helpers.
The following organisations provide help and information: