The living room of the Munich apartment alone is roughly the size of the entire container of the refugee accommodation in Garching, in which the Maslo family lived for the past two years. Light floods through the high windows into the spacious room, which is already furnished with sofas, TV and a small table. The glass panes provide a view of the garden, where flowers glow in the sun and raspberries grow. There is still no water in a small pool. “Maybe we will fill it up soon,” thinks Ilona Maslo.
Since May she has lived in the small apartment in Munich with her husband Oleksandr and their two young daughters Anna and Katja. The fact that the Maslos have found a landlord who will take the family in is anything but natural. It was only with the help of the Oberhachingen association “Fairmieten” that the search for an affordable apartment, which was considered impossible, was successful. “We looked for a long time, but didn’t have a chance. Without support, we would never have found anything,” says Ilona Maslo.
Around two and a half years ago, the family left their home in the Ukraine to come to Germany. The reason: Her now six-year-old daughter Anna needed a kidney transplant. “In the Ukraine there were hardly any treatment options for children. The quality of the equipment and medication is not that good,” says Ilona Maslo. Thanks to the help of the “Ein Herz für Kinder” foundation, the family was able to come to Germany, Anna received the vital transplant. However, her body rejected the foreign organ three times. “It is also still uncertain how long the current kidney will work,” says the mother. What is clear is that her daughter continues to need regular examinations and medication. The family therefore applied for asylum in Germany. “The medical care is best here.”
It was not easy for the Maslos to leave their homeland behind, as they themselves say. Not just emotionally: in Ukraine, parents had secure jobs – Ilona worked in a pharmacy, Oleksandr had studied business administration. Both degrees are not fully recognized in Germany. “We had to start from scratch,” says Ilona Maslo. Her husband now works in a printing company and both have learned German. She, too, would like to go back to work soon, preferably as a pharmacist.
The Maslos are well on their way to building a new life in Germany. Until recently, the only thing that seemed hopeless was the search for an apartment. After several stops in between, the family last lived in a refugee shelter in Garching. There she became aware of “fair renting” through the Caritas advisor Katharina Kreppold.
The non-profit association was founded only a few months ago in Oberhaching. “Fair renting” is intended to act as an intermediate tenant and thus relieve apartment owners of the fear of renting out to the needy. “We provide security. Even if one tenant doesn’t work, we can immediately arrange the next one,” explains Nina Hartmann, who is Oberhaching’s third mayor and who started the association together with other volunteers.
Those in need of help can apply to “Fairmieten” using a detailed form. Not only families like the Maslos should receive support, single parents, the unemployed or other socially disadvantaged people can also turn to the association. “Each of our landlords can indicate who they can imagine as a tenant for their apartment,” says Hartmann. In the case of the Maslos, the landlord, who would prefer to remain anonymous, was looking for a family who would stay long-term and who could take care of the large garden. “Fair renting” compares the wishes with the applicants and brings two to three candidates to an appointment, says Hartmann. When the landlord has decided on one of them, the association takes care of the contracts.
According to Hartmann, “fair renting” has already been able to conclude three contracts in this way, and two more are being negotiated. “When we founded the company, we didn’t know whether landlords would even come up and willing to support us,” says Hartmann. “But it was quickly confirmed that there are people with this social thought who want to help.” Little by little, donors would also be found who support the association financially. The self-employed Claudia Appel from Oberhachingen, for example, laid out the bail for the Maslos.
In order to be able to satisfy all sides, a bit of luck is also required. “With the Maslos, however, it sparked immediately during the inspection.” Ilona Maslo can only confirm that. The joy of moving into the new apartment can be seen in the 32-year-old. “We feel very good.” According to their mother, the children are also happy: “On the first day here, our daughter kept asking: Mom, do we really live here now?”