A guide to the social welfare office for arriving refugees from Ukraine.
© dpa
With a lot of improvisation, Berlin's districts are trying to cope with the strong rush of Ukrainian war refugees now starting to apply for state benefits.
According to a report by the dpa on Thursday (March 17, 2022), the main focus is on social welfare offices, where refugees have to fill out applications for emergency financial assistance, for regular payments under the Asylum Seekers' Benefits Act or a health card for medical care.
Long lines are already forming in front of the first offices. The districts, which are plagued by staff shortages and already under heavy strain due to the pandemic, are reacting with internal staff reallocations, longer opening hours, the hasty preparation of additional rooms, and the use of volunteers and language mediators. The measures were given in a survey by the German Press Agency. The offices are demanding support from the Senate in terms of staff, sufficient funding, unbureaucratic cooperation and clear rules of procedure.