Best practice of Wiener Wohnen, Austria

Approximately 900 households are evicted every year from municipal housing due their non-payment of the rent or due to an anti-social behaviour. About 1,800 people are affected by evictions every year. The analysis of these cases shows that many of the affected people never have tried at all to get in contact with Wiener Wohnen – neither after receiving the court order nor even shortly before the eviction.

From an economic perspective each eviction costs the housing company at least 10,000 euros and generates incredible human suffering. But there are also hidden costs for the public administration caused by the need of caring for people experiencing homelessness. Scientific findings show that eviction is disastrous – particularly for children (350 minors are affected by eviction every year). Losing their home, their friends, their surroundings is a traumatic experience.

That is the background why Wiener Wohnen started a new service in March 2017, which is called Case Management. A team of nine persons including seven social workers try get in contact with tenants with rental arrears, who have already got a notice with the date of eviction. The social workers call them and if this is not successful they visit them. They offer support, analyse the individual situation and organise professional help. For example: social workers help to fill in the application form for housing benefits, organise appointments or accompany their clients to social organisations. In cases of health problems, they organise care or another form of accommodation. Each intervention is professionally documented in a data base and reported.

Find out more

To find out more on this initiative, please do not hesitate to contact the organisation’s Coordinator through the Members Only Zone.