Since January, all offers of the emergency shelter and the administration of the sponsoring association “Sozialzentrum Vöcklabruck” can be found at the new address Gmundner Straße 69. Due to the pandemic, the official opening by Social Provincial Councilor Wolfgang Hattmannsdorfer only took place last week.
“Mosaic homeless assistance makes an important contribution to the care and advice of people in need,” said the provincial councilor. “As the state of Upper Austria, it is our job to support them as best we can.”
For 31 years, the house on Gmundner Strasse served as an emergency shelter and counseling center, but despite renovations and renovations it was showing its age. Five years ago, therefore, the search for a new location began. After a few setbacks, the decision was made in 2020 for the new location, which has served as a temporary home since 2004.
The house was adapted and got an extension. It accommodates 15 emergency sleeping places (previously ten), consultation rooms as well as administration and common rooms. During construction, an attempt was made to meet social and ecological requirements. The timber construction is heated with district heating, the electricity comes from the PV system. The state funded the project with 1.2 million euros. This financed 80 percent of the construction costs. A building block campaign raised 115,000 euros.
The new location was taken as an opportunity to change the name to mosaic – housing security/emergency shelter/integration. The facility advises more than 300 households every year, 90 percent of whom are successful. “It is important to us to keep phases of homelessness as short as possible,” emphasizes Mosaic Director Stefan Hindinger. Homeless people should move into their own apartment as soon as possible. “We have been able to broker 30 apartments since May 2021,” reports Hindinger about the successful work.
Source: Nachrichten
