Poverty in the district of Ebersberg: shortage next to abundance – Ebersberg

From a purely statistical point of view, poverty in the district is not an issue: Bavaria has top marks in a nationwide comparison, and Ebersberg within the Free State as well. But therein lies the problem, because being poor among the wealthy is particularly bad. All experts agreed on this during a round of talks on Wednesday evening. What was particularly alarming, however, was that none of the four on the podium was able to say what the district’s population will now face in view of the astronomical energy prices. Let alone what to do in such a situation.

The Ebersberg evangelical community had invited to the discussion, the title of the evening in the “Horizonte” series was: “Poverty in the Ebersberg district too – that concerns us all!” A difficult topic, which, as expected, did not attract too many people to the parish hall. A visit would certainly have been worthwhile, as the experts gave very concrete insights into a world that so often remains hidden in this rich district. Jochen Specht from the District Office contributed official findings, Liane Spiegelberg from the Diakonie Rosenheim reported on the needs of the numerous Tafel customers in Ebersberg, Ulrike Bittner, Managing Director of the Landkreis-Awo, shed light on the immense number of unreported cases of the needy based on her experiences and Gerhard Größ, also from the Diakonie, devoted himself to “the most blatant form of poverty”, homelessness.

Open detailed view

Open detailed view

In order to adequately capture the situation despite the positive statistics, a committee of experts created a definition of poverty specific to the district in 2019. According to her, “poverty is essentially understood as a lack of means and opportunities to shape life in the way that is usually possible in the Ebersberg district”. In other words, if you are the only one who cannot afford to go to a restaurant or the cinema and therefore has to withdraw from society, you are poor.

Open detailed view

Single parents, children and pensioners are particularly affected – in increasing numbers. “Because in order to be able to keep up, increasing purchasing power is necessary,” said Specht, head of the social planning and demography department at the district office. And in view of the current crisis, it is to be feared that completely new layers will now be in need, added the head of the house, Pastor Edzard Everts. Of course, this will fuel an already big problem: the lack of skilled workers, especially in nursing and childcare, which in turn hits the poor particularly hard.

The cost of living in the district of Ebersberg is among the highest in Bavaria

This is the dark side of the much-vaunted quality of life: the district is one of the most expensive regions in Bavaria, especially in terms of housing costs. In 2021, the district office counted 725 children and young people in the Hartz 4 area – “that’s actually 725 too many,” warned Specht. And then there are numerous families who, although they are not entitled to state benefits, still do not have sufficient financial resources. “Some just don’t get any support just because they earn a few euros too much,” said Bittner.

But poverty alone is not about money, and the evening made that clear. In addition, there are usually exclusion, shame, excessive demands and loneliness. The single parents in particular are under such pressure because of the huge amount of organizational effort they have to do – “they withdraw completely and at some point they just collapse,” says Bittner. The Awo boss was able to name many examples of the consequences of poverty, especially from the day-care center area: children, for example, who always stayed at home on their birthdays because the families could not have bought pretzels and sweets for everyone. “That’s why we curbed this hype, the cake is now being baked by the children and teachers on site.” For the same reason, the nature of the excursions was changed: the children now explored the local area instead of Legoland. The Awo has also shifted the debiting of the fees, which is now taking place via the office. “It’s just not good when the team knows who’s tight right now.”

Christmas wish Hair dyes: Poverty in old age is also increasing

Spiegelberg also knew how to report a lot of shame. “We have an elderly gentleman who drives to us from another community so that no one notices that he is a table customer.” And how far these people are often missing was shown by the modest Christmas wishes from the elderly: “It said things like fabric softener, coffee or hair dye.” Incidentally, the number of table-goers in the district town has recently increased dramatically, from around 160 people in 2021 to around 450, because of the Ukraine war. But not only refugees are among the customers, according to Spiegelberg, but also the unemployed, low earners, those in debt, pensioners, the physically and mentally ill.

Problems that in many cases unfortunately go hand in hand. Größ from the housing emergency service spoke of “a great many people with multiple placement obstacles” who actually had no chance of improving their living conditions. And in other, less serious cases, it could take years to get social housing. That is why Größ sees a great need for action here, more affordable living space urgently needs to be created. “It has to be possible in such a rich district!”

Some turn to alcohol, which only makes the problems worse

The tip of the iceberg lands at Größ in the hostel, people without a home who not only lack money but “a second skin, a shelter”. In addition, there are often problems with alcohol and, as a result, with the psyche. “These are mostly difficult, annoying people, and that’s why they’re not particularly popular with the authorities,” says Größ, who helps the stranded to assert their rights. He estimates their number at around 300 across the county.

But Größ not only supports people who have already ended up on the street, but also those who are threatened with losing their homes. “Anyone who can no longer pay, who receives a reminder or even a notice of termination: Please come to us immediately!” Because rent arrears can often be settled with state aid – and even a large stack of unopened yellow letters can’t scare him. At the moment, the number of cases in which Ebersberger Wohnungsnotfallhilfe has already been terminated is around 250 per year.

So there is definitely poverty in the district – and what can be done about it? It became clear that there are many needy people who cannot get by on their own in the jungle of bureaucracy and the many forms of help. That is why there is an urgent need for more mediation bodies. And one must make it clear to the people that the state funds are not handouts: “Those affected should make use of their right to help, they are not taking anything away from anyone!”, says Specht.

It is important to pay attention and to help when someone is in need

There are many attentive, generous people in Ebersberg, said Bittner, and the Awo is happy about every unbureaucratic donation. In addition, everyone is asked – “just taking a close look, for example in the neighborhood, often helps a lot”. Because most problems can best be solved in personal contact. “It takes trust to let your pants down.” If, for example, a pensioner suddenly only orders the “Meals on Wheels” for three days instead of five, ask carefully. And most of the time, the offer to finance the other two deliveries by donation in the future is gratefully accepted.

Incidentally, it was quite cool in the evangelical community hall that evening. “We haven’t turned on the heating yet because we too will have to face costs that we can’t really afford,” explained Everts. But locking up is not an option, because young people and seniors meet in the house. “That’s why I’m toying with the idea of ​​turning the hall into a warming room this winter. That would be a concrete project that could help.”

In addition, the pastor surprised the guests with a personal revelation: He and his family lived on the subsistence level for some time, the four of them from 1600 euros net. “I wanted to be part-time, the children were more important to me.” At the time, he didn’t even think of an increase through a job center. But in this respect he knows very well that the complaint about the constantly increasing sense of entitlement only applies to a part of the population. “You can only hold back if there’s still some air up to the wall.”