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Despite funding commitments, the city and the project sponsors warn of an uncertain future for the sites.
The city of Darmstadt has announced that the Hessian Ministry for Family, Seniors, Sport, Health and Care has approved funding for the four existing community care facilities for 2026. While the commitment has been welcomed, uncertainties remain regarding the long-term continuation of the services.
Importance of community care in the neighborhood
“Of course, we are delighted that the organizations have agreed to continue the project together with the City of Darmstadt for the benefit of older people in the neighborhood,” says Mayor and Head of Social Services Barbara Akdeniz. “Over the past five years, we have seen that community care, alongside our Social Services and Counseling Center, the Care Support Center, and other services in the neighborhood, is an important point of contact for people seeking help – especially regarding care, daily support, or loneliness. However, the process of obtaining state funding is always a major challenge for us.”
The strained budget situation regularly leads to uncertainty: For voluntary services like community care, it is often unclear for a long time whether and under what conditions state funding will continue, what costs the municipality and service providers will incur, and whether these costs can be borne in the long term. "Furthermore, we would like to expand the locations in Darmstadt and include other districts. Unfortunately, there is no funding commitment from the state for this," Akdeniz continued.
Financial burden for the city and the organization
Despite a tight budget, the city of Darmstadt contributes €75,000 annually from its own funds, thus attempting to keep the financial burden on the service providers low. "It is becoming increasingly difficult – both for the municipality and for the providers – to maintain community care services using their own resources," confirms Jenna Reibold, head of the Darmstadt-Dieburg Regional Diaconal Service.
“The German Red Cross (DRK) with its two locations is facing particular challenges,” adds Benjamin Heier, Managing Director of the DRK Darmstadt-Stadt eV. “We are all the more pleased that we can secure the project for at least the coming year and deliver this good news to our elderly citizens and our community care workers. This brings us all great relief.”
“And that is precisely our top priority,” emphasizes Susanne Kemmerer, head of the AGAPLESION community center. “That our community care workers, who do a fantastic job every day, can continue working without interruption.”
State funding remains insufficient – a look ahead to 2027
State funding is capped at 80 percent of gross salary, with a maximum of €50,000 per location. This amount is insufficient for the providers. While community care workers can plan for 2026, all eyes are on the new funding call, which will significantly determine how community care can be structured from 2027 onward.
The funding project was briefly on the verge of being discontinued back in 2022. "We have always managed to keep the project going thanks to a great deal of effort. Therefore, we are confident that we will be able to do so in the future as well," said Akdeniz. "However, the fundamental problem is that municipalities are under enormous strain. We are urgently dependent on state funding – which is already insufficient."
In conclusion, the mayor calls for stable and reliable funding, appropriate appreciation for community care workers, and long-term planning security. She also refers to the petition from the Alliance for Care, which advocates for stronger support for community care workers. The petition can be found at www.openpetition.de/gemeindepflege
available.
Background on community care in Darmstadt
The community care service has been in operation since 2020. It was launched in Wixhausen under the auspices of the German Red Cross (DRK) Darmstadt-Stadt eV. Further locations were added over the years: Darmstadt-Nord (also DRK), Bessungen (AGAPLESION Heimathaus) and Kranichstein (Stadtteilwerkstatt Kranichstein, Regionale Diakonie).
(Darmstadt - Red/PSD/DK)
