Social offices at the limit: Berlin citizens are waiting for help for months!

Social offices at the limit: Berlin citizens are waiting for help for months!

Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg, Deutschland - The Berlin social welfare offices are under immense pressure. More and more people are turning to the authorities with applications for basic security, but the processing is delayed considerably. Many needy are waiting for a decision for months or even years, which in numerous cases leads to financial bottlenecks and rent residues. According to a request from the Green Member Taylan Kurt, the situation is alarming and requires urgent measures.

Overall, a clerk in Berlin can edit an average of 188 cases, but the actual stress is often far higher. The Berliner Zeitung reports that in districts such as Tempelhof-Schöneberg, every employee is up to 350 cases is. However, the picture is heterogeneous in the districts: Marzahn-Hellersdorf has the best situation with around 150 cases per clerk, while the social welfare office in the middle of 395 cases per employee recorded the highest burden.

reasons for overload

The causes of this overload are diverse. The demographic change, rising living costs and an increase in those in need of care contribute to a growing number of applications. In addition, the immigration of refugees from Ukraine led to a further increase in applications. In Steglitz-Zehlendorf, for example, the number of basic security applications rose from 60,793 in 2019 to 67,416 in 2022, which corresponds to an increase of 10.9%. The situation is similar in Lichtenberg and Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf, where the number of cases has also increased significantly in recent years.

The personnel situation remains tense, and according to rbb24, the search for qualified staff is difficult. High fluctuation and unattractive working conditions in the public service do the rest. Many employees are forced to work overtime, which vary between 22 hours in some districts and up to three -digit numbers in Pankow.

criticism and approaches

The criticism of the Berlin social senator Cansel Kiziltepe (SPD) is loud in this context. In a "fire letter", social councilors pointed out the catastrophic conditions, which Taylan Kurt sees as an expression of an urgent need for action. Despite these alarm signs, the Senate's approach remains vague. A “voting process” to discharge the offices has been announced by the end of 2025, but specific measures have so far been pending.