“We can do it.” When Chancellor Angela Merkel said this sentence at her annual press conference on August 31, 2015, the communities in the Würmtal have long been busy doing their part in overcoming the refugee crisis. Five years later, a lot has been achieved - and integration is more important than ever.
Würmtal – 609 refugees currently live in the Würmtal. Most are housed in communal accommodation, a smaller proportion in decentralized apartments. 42 percent are no longer regarded as asylum seekers, but as foreigners with a residence permit. District Administrator Christoph Göbel estimates that the process has not yet been completed for only 800 to 900 of the total of around 3,600 refugees housed in the Munich district.
Göbel was "right in the middle of the question from day one". Already in 2013 as deputy district administrator and from 2014 after winning the election as the successor to Johanna Rumschöttel. "At that time it was about logistical issues, about the admission of refugees and about restoring the rule of law." Looking back, Göbel says: "That was a challenge that in some cases we were not up to."
Gyms are becoming emergency camps
On June 22, 2015, the first refugees moved into one of the two triple gyms of the Planegger Feodor-Lynen-Gymnasium. On August 19, before Angela Merkel opened the border for refugees on the Balkan route, the district office also occupied the hall of the Graefelfingen Kurt-Huber-Gymnasium.
Fixed communal accommodation has been available in Planegg since early summer 2016, at the cemetery and on the former football field in Parc de Meylan. In 2016, seven two-story houses with space for 208 refugees were moved into Gräfelfing on Großhaderner Strasse and Neurieder Weg. The container accommodation on Kraillinger Hubertusstraße was also opened in 2016. In Gauting there are two communal accommodations, as well as 65 decentralized refugees. All 47 refugees live in apartments in Neuried.
255 of the total of 609 refugees are recognized and therefore incorrect documents. They are allowed to live in the accommodations of the government of Upper Bavaria or the districts of Munich and Starnberg because they cannot find anything on the free housing market. It's not luxurious: a 40 square meter container in Krailling is designed for six people.
Difficult apartment search
“Above all, we are dealing with a clear lack of affordable but freely available living space. The topic goes far beyond the refugees, ”says Göbel. As an example, he cites the municipality of Graefelfing, of which he was mayor until 2014. “Graefelfing has a very high public housing stock.” Usually 30 applicants responded to the advertisement for an apartment. “Who am I giving this apartment to? I can only award it once. ”Compared to applicants who have been involved in fire brigades or other associations for decades,“ the refugee who has only been there for two or three years falls behind ”, says Göbel.
Living is one thing, integration is another. Five years after the refugee summer 2015, Göbel says: “It is far from over. The challenge of integration just got a little bigger. Those refugees who wanted were manageable in a first step. "
One example is Samar. At the age of 13, the Afghan was shown how to repair his bicycle with other children and young people in the Planegger “screwdriver hut” on the grounds of the Feodor-Lynen-Gymnasium. Samar got stuck, screwed whenever he had time. In the meantime he has completed his qualification, an apprenticeship as a retail salesman and also bought a car. "He went through the typical development of a young man," says Volker Haberland from the team at the "screwdriver hut". "He made his way."
Haberland noticed that things are going differently from the example of an Iraqi Kurd who ended up in the Würmtal with his wife and five children. Like the others, he too initially worked on a voluntary basis, but then "lugged in some bikes, repaired and sold them with us". When asked about it, he no longer showed up. The man spoke broken German, a conversation was only possible with the help of the oldest daughter, who had to translate.
"As much education as possible"
"As much education as possible, as much employment as possible" are, in the opinion of District Administrator Göbel, basic prerequisites for "communicating social affairs" and thus achieving cultural integration. "Wherever there are children, integration is faster."
Brigitte Söhne has also had this experience. The Kraillingerin started teaching German to refugees in the FLG gymnasium in the summer of 2015. “Lessons, I thought, I can,” says the university graduate with a teaching degree.
When the container accommodation for a total of 144 refugees on Hubertusstrasse was opened in 2016, “it was very exciting for us among the helpers”. You had already organized yourself well in advance and could start right away. 80 citizens got involved at weddings, in some cases refugee families were looked after by two helpers. Today the hard core of the Kraillinger Helferkreis consists of five to ten committed people. This is partly due to the signs of wear and tear that have occurred over the years, but also because help is no longer so urgently needed. “The refugees have become much more independent.” And finally, the coronavirus is also to blame, because almost all helpers are over 60 and thus belong to the risk group.
The pandemic and its aftermath worries sons. Because homework supervision could no longer be offered, she fears that the refugee children “will have fallen behind” in the new school year.
With regard to Angela Merkel's “We can do it”, the creed of the Kraillinger helpers is: “To be able to work, you need an apprenticeship.” We have had good experiences with young men from Afghanistan. One is now working as a boat builder, one has ended up at Webasto, and three have completed their training as hotel specialists. "Most of them are doing well, they go to school, have an apprenticeship or work." Since young Afghan men are currently not recognized, this is only possible with an apprenticeship or work permit.
Traditional role model in families
The traditional role model is evident among Afghan families. In all the years that Söhne has been involved, she has only seen the woman go to work once. The women neither have many opportunities to integrate, nor do they see this as necessary. “They live together in the facility and they talk together,” says Söhne, who thinks: “More should happen there.” The children, on the other hand, especially the girls, are “really good, incredibly hard-working. They want to get ahead and are all striving to get good jobs. "
"The willingness of the helpers to look after people is incredibly important," says Göbel. And it will stay that way. “We mustn't make the mistake of thinking that the issue of flight has been dealt with. The disorderly influx is over, we are in order, but we can start again. "
Krailling has had an asylum worker since February .