COVID-19 Emergency Aid in Austria

Poverty has arrived in the middle of society. The story of Leo (name changed to protect client’s privacy) shows how much Corona has changed people’s life’s. When you meet Leo at House Elisabeth in Salzburg, it doesn't take long for him to talk about his great love: the theatre. Even as a child he was a statist at the world famous Salzburg Festival, and after his studies (music and Italian communication studies) he worked in Vienna, Graz and Salzburg. "The beauty of the theatre is the diversity, that you can also learn something about history through the plays and work together with so many different people on- and offstage," says the 55-year-old enthusiastically. 

The first time experiencing poverty

Leo never thought it would happen to him: Poverty. "I was employed by the Landestheater in Salzburg and at the State Opera in Vienna, was insured, went to the coffee house. And now I'm going here to get a warm meal," says Leo. In recent years, he has worked as a freelance artistic director and assistant director. Due to the repeated lockdowns during the pandemic, he lost all of his assignments. For several years, Leo has lived in a Garconniere which his grandfather had given him. Otherwise, without an income, he would probably be living on the street.

Social counselling centre: Help when nothing else works

Soon his savings were exhausted and the AMS (Labor Market Service) stopped payments because he couldn't get enough job applications together. "For example, I applied to be a museum supervisor but I wasn't accepted because I was overqualified," Leo says. When he didn't even know how he was going to afford food, he turned to Caritas. Here he was given a few hundred Euros to make ends meet for the next few weeks.

During social counselling, Leo also learned about House Elisabeth, a day centre with social counselling, which also offers a winter emergency sleeping accommodation for women. There, people who find themselves in emergency situations receive a warm meal, can chat with others during the day, play games, or simply relax and get some peace and quiet. At the beginning it was difficult for Leo to come here, since he had never needed help before. But he is grateful that he gets warm meals here and can exchange with others. “To chat with the two fellows at the meal distribution is very refreshing. They bring such a coolness and are very professional at the same time."

The biggest dream: Working again

Soon, however, Leo would like to return to a normal everyday life. "At the moment it feels like being retired, only without money," he says, "Yet I still want to work for a long time. As long as I am mentally and physically fit." His greatest wish would be to have a fixed commitment again and to finally get back on his feet.

Covid-19 increases the number of people in need

"The phrase 'the crisis is over' is still not appropriate. Not from an epidemiological point of view and also not when it comes to the social consequences of the pandemic. In Austria, 1.22 million people are at risk of poverty," warned Caritas Austria President Michael Landau at the beginning of November 2021. The Corona crisis has brought new groups of people into precarious situations. One third of those currently seeking help in the Caritas social counselling centers have never made use of Caritas support in their lives before.

This becomes particularly clear during the cold season. Prices rise while incomes fall due to the Covid-19 pandemic. More and more people in Austria have to choose between a warm apartment and food at the end of the month - in one of the richest countries in the world. For those who can no longer make ends meet on their own, there are 56 Caritas social counselling centers throughout Austria that offer quick and unbureaucratic help. More than 62,000 people in Austria were supported in Caritas social counselling centers in 2020.

More than 70 tons of food distributed

To support people that were no longer able to put food on the table and to prevent children to have to go to bed hungry Caritas distributed food packages and food vouchers in Austria – above all Caritas Salzburg. Since the beginning of the Covid-19 crisis in Austria, Caritas Salzburg distributed more than 5,000 food packages totalling more than 70 tons of goods for people in need. How important this support is can been seen in the gratitude of those affected. As one single mother wrote: “I would like to say thank you again for the food package. I am a single mom with two kids. My youngest is autistic and has care level 3. Even though I go to work there is not much left at the end of the month.”

Since a new Austrian-wide lockdown came into effect at the beginning of this week, food packages are currently being put together again. For all those who need support in the current situation: Minimum pensioners, large families, single parents, homeless people, people with disabilities and those who had never thought they have to turn to Caritas for support in their lives. Thanks to the help of dedicated volunteers, corporate partners and generous donors like you Caritas is able to support these people in an extraordinary time of hardship.

Links:

• Caritas Austria Covid-19 Emergency Aid (GER)
• Caritas Austria (EN)