Federal Building Minister Barbara Hendricks is supporting local authorities with additional funding for their efforts to deal with increased immigration. This funding is part of a total package put together by the Federal Committee of State Secretaries dealing with the legal issues and challenges presented by citizens of other EU member states drawing on the social security systems. The federal cabinet discussed the matter today. "Integration starts in your neighbourhood. Having neighbourhoods worth living in is a crucial condition for the integration of immigrants. In order to be successful, we must therefore offer community projects mainly at neighbourhood level", Barbara Hendricks said.
At the beginning of the year, Hendricks had already begun to address the problem of increased immigration in certain cities by inviting representatives from several local governments and Länder for talks in Berlin. The knowledge gained informed the work of the Federal Committee of State Secretaries.
Funding from the programme "Social City" is an important part of the total package. This programme offers funding from both the federal and Länder level for urban development in disadvantaged neighbourhoods. With these funds, neighbourhoods can create or expand community centres and points of contact for citizens. It is also possible to make public spaces safer and more liveable. Neighbourhood managers continue to be part of the programme. They bring together various neighbourhood measures on the basis of integrated development strategies. By involving the entire neighbourhood, the managers can help avoid or solve local conflicts.
The Federal Government intends to increase funding for the "Social City" significantly this year. An additional 40 million euros are planned, bringing the total to 150 million euros. Around 10 million euros are earmarked especially for municipalities particularly affected by immigration. The programme is complemented by others from various federal ministries. "By focussing on the "Social City", it is possible for us to join in tackling problems close to home in an interdisciplinary way. This alone is not enough, though. For integrated, social urban development it makes sense to put together a total package", said Hendricks.
Funds will also be available from the national ESF programme "Education, Economy, Work in the Neighbourhood" (BIWAQ) of the Federal Ministry for the Environment and Building. For the ESF funding period 2014 to 2020, there will be 40 million euros (20 million euros from the ESF and 20 million euros in national co-financing from the Ministry's budget). This will allow the programme "Social City" to be complemented by support for local, job-oriented education and training programmes for those over 27. However, Hendricks pointed out that federal-level support should not be focussed on a few specific municipalities. "It is not only those municipalities especially affected by immigration from Eastern European countries that need support from the federal and Länder level.
Creating liveable housing and shaping our social relations will continue to be a central challenge for the future in many other cities and neighbourhoods. For me, it is above all important that this example of interdisciplinary cooperation sets a precedent for the Social City project as a whole."