The end of the funding from the European Aid Fund also means the end of the “Alveni” project in Cologne, in which socially disadvantaged EU citizens, mostly from Romania and Bulgaria, were given advice. As the city announced, the federal government failed to get bridging aid until a new EU program can be adopted.
“That tears a big gap in our advisory system,” said Michael Lätsch from the EU immigration coordinator. “An important part of the support work will break away,” emphasizes Lena Teschlade from the Eva association, who advised migrants as part of the project. “The end is a great loss,” said Kai Sterzenbach from the Cologne Learning Region Association.
Background of the project
Background: The funding from the European Aid Fund for Disadvantaged People (Ehap) was awarded from 2014 to 2020. The fund supports projects in Germany that are aimed at disadvantaged, newly immigrated EU citizens, including parents and their children up to the age of seven. In Cologne, the money was used to support the Bonvena for adults and Zubefa for families and children projects from 2016 to 2018.
The Cologne project continued under the name Alveni in 2019 and 2020. The aim here was to advise and support newly immigrated EU citizens, including parents with preschool children. By the end of 2020, 3815 people had been advised in 8183 meetings. Over the entire funding period from 2016 to 2020, 9,574 people were supported in 22,435 consultations.
Eight clubs and associations, including Caritas, the Allerweltshaus, the Looks, Eva gGmbh, Agisra, Latscho Drom, Learning Region and the Vingst community center, participated in the project. Street workers sought out migrants in public spaces, for example in internet cafes, playgrounds or daycare centers, and offered advice in their native language. The main aim was to build trust and to refer people to regular consultations, said Sterzenbach. In particular, topics such as housing, health, integration and upbringing were in demand. The Alveni specialists also provided information on the hygiene regulations in the corona pandemic.
Precarious living conditions
EU citizens from Bulgaria and Romania in particular accepted the aid. These are considered to be particularly at risk of slipping into precarious living conditions. Many of them come as migrant workers, others live in precarious conditions in their homeland and are discriminated against as Roma, for example. But anyone who doesn’t have a job in Germany or who loses it quickly has little prospect of social benefits, explains Sterzenbach. “But many of them do not go back because the situation at home is also bad.” In Germany, families can at least send their children to school. “Sometimes, even as homeless people, they feel safer in Germany than in their home country.”
In fact, more and more Eastern Europeans are now ending up homeless. After all, the city and the social service of Catholic men have created overnight accommodation and medical care with a contact point on the foothills. Further consultations were carried out by the Alveni specialists, which will no longer be given in the future.
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