The leading non-statutory welfare organizations in Saxony have issued an urgent warning about the consequences of the government's planned austerity measures. The draft budget must be improved, as the cuts would jeopardize social stability, according to the Saxony League.
"If necessary investments in social cohesion are permanently omitted, the long-term follow-up costs in the form of illness, social division, unemployment or political radicalization are considerably higher," said League Managing Director Frank Schaffrath. Above all, no structural cuts should be made in the Ministry of Social Affairs that could cause irreversible damage.
Counselling centers see their existence threatened
The planned cuts to consumer insolvency advice would almost halve funding in an area that is already overburdened. In 2023, more than 22,000 over-indebted people or people at risk of over-indebtedness received advice. The municipal lump sum for psychiatry and addiction is to be reduced by 25 percent, which would threaten the existence of the advice centers.
The league also considers cuts to the integration of immigrants to be unacceptable and a "devastating signal". "Integration can only succeed with participation - and participation needs resources," it said. The non-statutory welfare sector stands for a "diverse and tailor-made social infrastructure that is close to the people".
Institutions, services and initiatives are unsure whether they will be able to maintain their services next year. They would no longer be able to find skilled workers and would have to reduce or discontinue their services.
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