Social issues: More citizenship budgets pay for living

More households with a citizen allowance are to create higher costs for accommodation and heating than officially recognized. On the average of the past year, this concerned 339,000 so-called needs communities, as can be seen from a response from the Federal Government to a question of the left-wing parliamentary group. In the previous year, there were 320,000 citizenship budgets.

The average difference between actual and recognized costs for accommodation and heating was now around 118 euros per month for the affected households, the Ministry of Labor explained. Accordingly, 11.6 percent of the total of 2.9 million households with citizens’ allowance had to pay off.

Left: real housing costs should be covered

The left-wing MP Caren Lay told the German Press Agency, which is growing. “Instead of shortening civil allowance benefits, the new federal government should ensure that the real living and energy costs are covered in the citizens’ benefit. Nobody should have to decide to starve or freeze.” In many city centers, low -earners would no longer receive a rental apartment or have to do without culture or education for high rents.

According to the Social Code, needs for accommodation and heating in the amount of the actual expenses are recognized, insofar as they are “appropriate”, as the federal government generally explains. The actual costs claimed can be higher than the costs recognized by the job center. The gap can be financed from the standard requirement or savings itself, and the question of a move to a cheaper apartment can also arise.

In their coalition agreement, the Union and the SPD have agreed to redesign the previous citizenship into a “basic security for job seekers”. Mediation in work should have priority in work capable of work, and duties and sanctions should also be tightened.