Poverty in Berlin: Every fourth child relies on social benefits

Poverty in Berlin: Every fourth child relies on social benefits

poverty in Berlin: every fourth child depends on social benefits

An alarming fact: Every fourth child in Berlin lives in a family that rely on social benefits. In some districts such as Neukölln and Mitte, this proportion is even higher. These children not only grow up under precarious conditions, but also their chances of leading a better life in the future than their parents can make it possible today, are less compared to their peers who grow up in households with higher income.

Combating poverty in Berlin and in particular the promotion of children and adolescents should therefore be one of the most important tasks of the Black-Red Senate. The location is still dramatic in many known quarters such as Wedding, Gesundbrunnen or Neukölln, where the poverty rates are traditionally highest. However, poverty has long since spread into new areas on the outskirts, where it plays an increasingly important role. In these areas, the problems, measured by the number of children affected, continue to increase, while in the inner city districts of Berlin the prosperity is growing at the same time.

A positive development in the inner city districts should not hide the fact that the real problem still exists: Poverty in Berlin does not decrease, but has only shifted. Some former focal points such as Kreuzberg, Mitte or Nordneukölln may be considered for the positive development of Berlin. However, this development is based not least on an exchange of significant parts of the population due to rising rents and more and more condominiums.

It is important that Berlin remains a lively and diverse city and is not unreachable through rising prices and gentrification. An example of where this can lead in the worst case is the situation in the capital of France, Paris. There, the city center has become so expensive that violence spreads in the outskirts. Fortunately, Berlin is still a long way off. It is now the responsibility of the Senate to ensure that Berlin remains livable and affordable for all sections of the population.

It is urgently required that the Senate develops and implements further solutions for combating poverty in Berlin. This is the only way to reduce disadvantage and give all children and adolescents of the city the opportunity to escape the poverty spiral. Only if all Berlin citizens are offered the same opportunities, can the city society as a whole prince and develop.