Enormous increase in applications for housing benefit: long queues expected

Created: 12/28/2022, 08:00

By: Thomas Steinhardt

Citizens have to be patient when applying for housing benefit from the state.

(Iconic image) © Monika Skolimowska

Because of the rising cost of living and rent, it should be easier to get housing benefit from the state in the future.

However, applicants will probably need a lot of patience.

There are very practical reasons for this.

District – Around 1,100 households in the district are currently receiving housing benefits.

A spokesman for the Fürstenfeldbruck district office reported that there has been an enormous increase in applications for housing benefits since autumn 2022.

This is probably due to the fact that citizens are trying to receive corresponding housing benefits because of the rising energy costs and the reports in the media regarding the one-off heating cost subsidies (if they are entitled to housing benefit).

In fact, according to the previous calculation specifications, a large number of cases were rejected because of too high an income, the spokesman reports.

With the probably more favorable calculation modalities of the new "Wohngeld plus" (in particular higher income limits) from January 2023, however, a far higher volume of applications can be expected.

Cases are likely to triple

If the cases only doubled, twice as many staff would still be required for housing benefit processing.

However, no funds were made available by the federal government for this purpose.

The result: all applicants must expect a noticeable increase in processing time.

We very much regret that with a well-intentioned law, once again no consideration was given to how it should be implemented.

Thomas Karmasin, District Administrator © mm

No money for new employees

District Administrator Thomas Karmasin (CSU) assumes that the number of cases will triple.

Hiring new employees to cope with the rush does not allow the district's budgetary situation.

This means that the waiting time will also triple.

"There will be endless queues," Karmasin said recently in the district committee.

"We very much regret that, with a well-intentioned law, once again no consideration was given to how it should be implemented."

The Housing Allowance Plus Act was announced in the Federal Law Gazette on December 8th.

This means that it can come into force on January 1, 2013, reports the district office.

This law will make access to housing benefits much easier.

In particular, the legislature has raised income limits and adjusted the parameters for calculating housing benefit in favor of those entitled.

In addition, the housing allowance will in future contain a new flat-rate heating cost component, which is intended to compensate for the considerable burden on households entitled to benefits in the area of ​​energy costs.

According to the will of the legislature in Berlin, the circle of those entitled to housing benefit is to be significantly expanded with this law.

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My space

By submitting their application in full and with the necessary evidence and by refraining from asking questions that are not absolutely necessary (e.g. about the processing status), the applicants can also help to speed up the processing.

The housing benefits paid out by the district office have known only one development for years: upwards.

While there were 950 payouts in 2016 (equivalent to EUR 1.8 million), in 2020 there were already 1051 cases (equivalent to EUR 2.3 million).

In 2022, as of November, there were 1,105 cases (payment: 2.8 million euros).

officials under pressure

District administrator Thomas Karmasin again emphasized in the district council that the application processing was not possible with the existing staff.

The situation increases the pressure on the employees.

"People need the money." But if his employees don't get paid this, it affects them.

You can find more current news from the district of Fürstenfeldbruck at Merkur.de/Fürstenfeldbruck.