Mother’s Day in Caritas’ “Mother&Child” house in Feldkirch: There is a lot of joy, a lot of life. But also a lot of worries about what the future will bring. A very dedicated team led by department manager Doris Müller ensures stability in the often crisis-ridden young families.
In an interview, department head Doris Müller talks about the joy, but also the challenges in everyday life at Haus Mutter&Kind:
Doris Mueller: At the moment there are nine families – seven mothers and two fathers with their 13 children.
How do you celebrate Mother’s Day?
Doris Mueller: We take Mother’s Day as an opportunity to show the young mothers appreciation for their daily work and start the day with a brunch together. Each resident receives a small gift and flowers as recognition.
Grocery, energy, rents… do the current price increases hit women with minimal household budgets particularly hard?
Doris Mueller: The price increases affect our residents just like everyone else, but especially when there is a lack of income, for example due to irregular maintenance payments. The experiences of childhood shape our whole life. For children, growing up in poverty means disadvantages in central areas of life, such as health, education and a lack of social participation because, for example, the costs for leisure activities are not affordable for the family. A major challenge for young families in getting out of the poverty trap is the lack of, or expensive, childcare.
Many measures have been put together by the state, but it is often difficult for our clients to keep an overview: When will I get what? What needs to be requested? What do I get straight into my account?
Keyword renting: can women who are leaving the house mother and child find affordable housing?
Doris Mueller: This is actually almost impossible on the free housing market. Residents keep telling me that landlords turn them down when they say they have children, like ‘Better a dog than a kid’. Luckily we have good cooperation with the cities, the communities and the social welfare departments of the district authorities in order to find apartments and secure their financing. And one thing is clear: the topic is coming to a head and is increasingly reaching small and medium-sized companies.
In your opinion, what does a child need in order to grow into a happy person?
Doris Müller: Security, reliability, encounters and stable relationships, support, contact with others, trust, support, orientation, emotional experiences and joint activities, laughter, games, the feeling of being valuable just the way you are, your own (real) experiences can do and learn from it – after all, authentic role models are also very important.
Donation account Haus Mutter&Kind of Caritas
Intended use: extension of the mother and child house
