Will Berlin face budget cuts over rising social costs?

DW (English)

To keep Berlin’s social balance, the city is investing a lot into its social welfare system, which starts with giving the homeless a roof, but also providing child care for free.

Transcript

00:00Parents in the US pay up to 17,000 US dollars for child care a year, while in Berlin public

00:05daycare is nearly free.

00:07That's at Berlin's special.

00:09This is just one example for social needs that are covered by the city of Berlin for

00:12its inhabitants.

00:13But how much is it?

00:15Of Berlin's 40.5 billion euros total budget, around one quarter is spent on social services.

00:212.6 billion euros is for child care.

00:24Bigger districts like Friedrichsrein-Kreuzberg – yes, that's where the famous Berghain

00:27is located – with around 300,000 inhabitants and a lot of children, the neighborhood is

00:32getting almost 192 million euros.

00:36Something you can only dream of in the US.

00:38American couples with under-average incomes spend 32% of their take-home pay on child care.

00:43Britain's spend 25%, Swiss 22% and Germans only about 6%.

00:49Here in Berlin, people with a low income or who are in debt may apply for a grant to cover

00:53rent and energy costs.

00:55The city also finances homeless shelters and many other social services, like subsidies

00:59for rent and for people who provide nursing care for relatives.

01:02But there's not enough money to cover all that's needed.

01:05So NGOs like the Berliner Stadtmission still need to fill this gap, mainly through donations

01:09and volunteers.

01:10We can only do this because there is a broad civil-sociative engagement.

01:15This truck is taking some of the 9 tons of clothing donated here every week.

01:20From donation, to transport, to sorting, to distribution center, to the person in need, it's a long and

01:26costly chain.

01:27The gathering processing costs are 28 euros per given outfit.

01:31180 people a day are supplied with clothing.

01:33Berlin is spending a lot of public money to cover social needs.

01:46But amid growing cuts to social programs, civic engagement is still needed.

01:50.

01:51So important help you to charge your own business,

01:54and if you are not, we are getting it and thinking.

01:55By the way, years when you're working on campus, you are busy with animals on the

01:57top of your own business and the most important part of your business.

02:00The people that we are working on is to make our own business work.

02:03So I don't want to be in one position.

02:04Let's recap.

02:06I would like to do the best house.

02:08Good as you are on the other side.

02:09It's the one step.

02:10I've worked on this upcoming business plan.

02:13So, I have never mentioned that because of the space in the place.

02:15I don't know what you are doing.

02:16And I love this.

02:17I would like to pay attention to everyone else.

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