Afghan local workers in Geretsried: Housing is the biggest challenge

Created: 06/17/2022, 8:00 p.m

By: Susanne Weiss

In action for the association “Help from person to person”: Anne Weinhart supports former Afghan local workers and their families in her office for migration advice on Elbestraße.

Painted pictures of children have a place of honor there.

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Former local workers from Afghanistan are accommodated in the transitional hostel in Geretsried.

Migration consultant Anne Weinhart provides insight.

Geretsried – The Taliban takeover in Afghanistan changed life for local workers.

They had to leave their homeland because they worked with foreign organizations.

Some of the Afghan local workers have found accommodation with their families in Geretsried.

In January, the government of Upper Bavaria converted one of the two communal accommodations on Jahnstraße into a temporary residence (we reported).

Anne Weinhart explains how the people there are doing.

The ethnologist works in migration counseling for adult immigrants, which the association offers help from person to person.

Ms. Weinhart, former Afghan local staff have been staying in Geretsried for almost six months.

142 people are currently living in the temporary accommodation.

How does the association Help from person to person support you?

Anne Weinhart:

With everything that helps people to settle in and integrate.

First, the applications had to be submitted to the job center.

Of course there were a lot of them, and the job center gave us a lot of support.

We have also helped people look for language courses.

Now we are at your side in finding work and housing.

There are also many children, we support them in contacting the schools.

All school-age children are already accommodated there.

The younger ones must be registered for childcare places.

In addition, people need to seek doctors.

That's a long list.

Are you doing all this alone?

Weinhart:

As a migration consultant, I am responsible for recognized refugees aged 27 and over or younger families who come close to this situation.

In the shelter, the refugee and integration advisors are on hand to help from person to person.

They are responsible for those who go through the asylum procedure.

This does not apply to the Afghan local forces.

But since they are in the shelter and there are a lot of people at 142, we work closely together and have divided the work between us.

It would not be possible to do this alone.

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Interview: People-to-people help looks after Afghan local staff

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Weinhart:

One colleague is in the collective accommodation on Blumenstrasse, two are on Jahnstrasse and I am in the office on Elbestrasse.

A colleague is in Wolfratshausen, and then we have another jumper who is deployed throughout the Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen district.

Two colleagues are in Bad Tölz.

Networking is also important for us, for example with Integration aktiv and the city of Geretsried.

Can you explain what it is like for the people to come to Geretsried as Afghan local workers?

Weinhart:

Everything is new, people have to get used to a new system and a new culture.

There's a lot people just don't know.

You have to learn who to contact, what do I need.

You lost everything overnight.

Here they come first to an accommodation and have to get used to it from scratch.

This applies to all areas: money, work and housing.

Health aspects also play a role.

Because of traumatic experiences?

Weinhart:

Of course, when the Taliban took power, there were traumatic experiences.

The flight, the way people were flown out, was also exciting.

And there is also concern for family members who are still in Afghanistan or who have fled to neighboring countries.

You don't know how to proceed.

This is very distressing.

What is currently the biggest challenge for the local staff?

Weinhart:

I would say looking for housing and living with rejections.

I think a lot depends on the living space.

The other things run alongside.

Geretsried: Afghan local workers are looking for housing and work

Why is owning your own home important to you?

Weinhart:

In such a large accommodation there is little private space.

The kitchens and bathrooms are shared.

This makes it harder for people to find peace.

The transition home is a transition for the people, they hope to find their own living space as quickly as possible so that they can take their lives into their own hands as quickly as possible.

From your point of view, how is the mood in the transitional hostel?

Weinhart:

It's certainly sometimes tense because people don't have their own living environment.

They share experiences and are in a similar situation, but at the same time everyone wishes to have their own home and to be able to work again to earn their own living.

Does the shared experience create a community?

Weinhart:

I think everyone is very busy with themselves.

People already feel connected to each other.

But everyone has a lot to do with their family, their fears and worries.

You don't like to share that with others.

How were people when they arrived?

Weinhart:

Before you came to Geretsried, you were accommodated in an arrival center in Munich for four to six weeks.

During the consultations, I hear that people were relieved that they were safe there for the time being.

But there was also concern for family members.

And they were also disappointed that, despite their commitment, they did not succeed in building their country.

You have worked for various German organizations that wanted to strengthen human, women's and children's rights.

(Read the latest news from Geretsried here.)

Afghan local workers are supported in Geretsried by former employers

What happened then?

Weinhart:

A lot has happened in the meantime, for example with language courses, and some of the children have already been accommodated.

People get support – from people-to-people and other organizations, and sometimes from the organizations or companies they worked for in Afghanistan.

These are, for example, the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ) or the Institute for Human Rights.

But a big issue is your own living space.

The local workers are recognised, so they can look for an apartment and a job directly.

Do they have a realistic chance in the market?

Weinhart:

People cannot apply for a residence entitlement certificate for social housing.

To do this, they would need a residence permit that is still valid for at least twelve months at the time of the application.

When they arrived, they only received a residence permit for twelve months.

So you can only search in the private housing market.

That's realistic when they have a large support network through the companies they worked for in Afghanistan.

Otherwise it's more difficult, because the living space is simply scarce.

What about work?

Weinhart:

It's realistic, since the educational level of local Afghan staff is generally high.

You have to learn German quickly.

The connection to integration courses worked well.

The language course providers and the job center were very helpful.

Some local staff have already received internships or offers from their previous employers.

Are people staying in the region or are they looking throughout Germany?

Weinhart:

The residence permit is only valid for Bavaria.

If they find work and housing elsewhere, they can apply to be allowed to move.

This is decided by the immigration office on site, but this is usually possible.

The people have a residence permit for twelve months.

What happens after that?

Weinhart:

Unfortunately, I can't tell you that.

According to the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees, the residence permit is limited to a maximum of three years and can also be extended beyond this period if the reasons for which it was issued continue to apply.

Helper network in Geretsried is reactivated

How can the people of Geretsried support them?

Weinhart:

Ask around for living space.

It would also be great if children could be helped with homework and friendships developed at school.

If everyone is open to it, you might be able to get in touch and suggest to the families, for example, which excursions they can go on.

Has a helper network already emerged?

Weinhart:

This is currently being reactivated by the city and active integration.

There are also inquiries about how to help.

There is readiness there.

It would be great if there was something to build up again.

Socially, the focus seems to be heavily on support for refugees from Ukraine.

Weinhart:

Of course, Ukraine has a big focus, that's understandable.

But there are always people who also support the Afghan local forces or other refugees.

It is important to us that everyone has the same opportunities.

We hope that people will continue to be open and interested in all groups.

Are there differences between the Afghan local workers in the transitional hostel and the refugees in the collective accommodation next door?

Weinhart:

The Afghan local staff did not have to go through the asylum procedure.

You were recognized directly for twelve months.

This means that these hurdles that refugees have in the asylum process do not exist with Afghan local workers.

That's a big difference.

On the other hand, Afghan local workers remain unsure about how things will continue after the twelve months.

info

More information about the association Hilfe von Mensch zu Mensch online at www.hvmzm.de