Admin l Friday, November 25, 2022
FRANKFURT, Germany – Single refugees living in communal accommodation in Germany are to receive the same support as other single refugees, the Constitutional Court ruled on Thursday, striking down a 2019 decision to cut their allowance.
The authorities had cut the money paid to single refugees living with others by 10% on the grounds that they could save money by shopping and cooking together.
The decision contravened the constitution, the Karlsruhe court ruled, saying that the essential needs of those affected were not being covered.
The reduced allowance corresponds to the amount paid out to people living with a partner and results in a reduction of €37 ($39) on the €367 currently being paid out. The measure was introduced by the previous government in September 2019.
The court ruled that it was not clear that the savings outlined in the original measure could in fact be realized. The basic right to a humane minimum for those affected had been violated, it said.
The specific case concerns a Sri Lankan man born in 1982 who has been living in communal accommodation in the city of Dusseldorf since 2014.
The ruling refers only to those people who have been in Germany for at least 18 months. But the GFF human rights organization that brought the case is assuming that the increased allowance will also be paid to people during the first 18 months of their time in Germany.
