Hartz IV successor: citizen income recipient: "53 euros more are ridiculous"

502 euros. This is how much single adults who were previously entitled to unemployment benefit II receive with the citizen money monthly from the new year. That’s 53 euros more than before with Hartz IV. For children between the ages of six and 13, the amount increases by 37 euros. After a long struggle, the Bundestag and Bundesrat decided on citizen income in November.

The traffic light coalition wanted a comprehensive social reform carry out – after the original draft was prevented by the CDU and CSU, a compromise was agreed. Minister of Labor Hubertus Heil (SPD) was nevertheless positive. “We are creating a new system away from Hartz IV to citizen income,” he explained. However, it sounds different for people who depend on social security. Many are disappointed with the reform.

Citizens’ allowance: “An inflation compensation that is not even sufficient”

When you ask Anni W. about the citizens’ income, her voice becomes loud and energetic. “It really pisses me off that people keep talking about a raise. It’s not a raise, it’s a inflation compensationwhich is not even sufficient,” she says. Anni is a single parent and lives with her 10-year-old son in North Rhine-Westphalia. The 40-year-old has had depression for many years, and then she developed arthrosis – so she is not up to date more able to work, which is why she is dependent on Hartz IV.

Basically, Anni is convinced that, especially for people like her who are long-term unemployed, the basic income will not really change anything. “Civic Allowance is just that Citizen Hartz“, she thinks. “There are definitely changes and they will also be noticeable for one or the other person, but in general it’s just Hartz IV in a new guise.”

Increase in standard rate not sufficient

Anni finds it positive that people who earn their income with the social benefit increase, more of their salary should stay in the future. The fact that the main focus should be on further and advanced training is also fundamentally good. But the increase in the standard rate to 502 euros for single people is absolutely not sufficient, says the 40-year-old – not even to meet basic needs: “The 53 euros more are just ridiculous.”

It’s not about yourself luxury to be able to afford, it’s about not having to be hungry. “I don’t begrudge Christian Lindner that he has afforded an expensive dream wedding on Sylt. Then why am I grudged to just go shopping a little better?” Anni asks.

Even citizen income is hardly enough for healthy nutrition

Just like Anni, Nina H. can also because of her illness not working. The 35-year-old was actually doing an apprenticeship as an industrial clerk, but she became seriously mentally ill during the apprenticeship. She couldn’t find a job after that, and many of her illnesses are now chronic.

Nina lives in Osnabrueck. She is married and has a 9 year old son. Her husband, who is currently looking for an apprenticeship, is also currently on Hartz IV reliant. Citizens’ income, she says, sounded good in the coalition agreement at the time. “But what has come out now is just a tepid infusion of Hartz IV,” she says. “I have a feeling that something is being called a big reform here that isn’t even a real reform.”

Currently, the price increases would ensure that the family could not spend more money on anything other than food – and only to a limited extent. “We used to try to eat relatively healthy, now healthy is only for the child. We adults sometimes only eat one or two meals per day,” she says. Even the higher standard rates would not be enough to change that.

Sanctions: “Every time I go to the mailbox, I’m scared”

“I can’t even buy the child a new pair of pants when they’ve outgrown the old ones. It’s missing at every nook and cranny,” says Nina. “At the moment I would say that we no longer worry about going out on the 15th of the month with the citizen’s income Account watch, but maybe on the 20th. But it won’t be enough to get to the end of the month without worries and hunger pangs.”

She gets angry when she talks about the prejudices against recipients of social benefits. “None of us lie in a hammock and drink a cocktail and have a nice life,” she says. And no one would choose a life with Hartz IV or citizen’s income. Above all, she would have wished that the freedom from sanctions would have stayed. “There is always talk of eye level, but what I experience is a power imbalance.” One is constantly accompanied by fear in everyday life, said Nina. “Every time I go to the mailbox, I’m scared because every letter ends with at least one threat.”

More on the subject: Citizens’ allowance: “No reform, just an update from Hartz IV”

20 euros go on it just for the electricity price increase

“It’s a new name for the same system,” agrees Olli H. from Hamburg. “The increase will be completely swallowed up by inflation,” says the 49-year-old, who has also been dependent on unemployment benefit II for 11 years due to his mental illness. His advance payment for electricity – which is not taken over by the employment office, but has to be paid for from the standard rate – increased by 20 euros. “Theoretically, this will give me about 30 euros more. Theoretically, because food prices have doubled in places,” says Olli.

a healthy one nutrition don’t be in it in the future either. Just as little as social participation. “Especially for people with depression, this means retreating into solitude and thus increasing the symptoms,” he warns. Anyone who is not dependent on social benefits because of mental illness would become ill as a result.

Citizens’ allowance: “You get the impression that people are looking down on you”

Many people who are dependent on social assistance have turned to her fate not chosen. Just like Maria T. from Berlin. The mother of four children between the ages of six and 13 had to apply for unemployment benefit II after separating from her violent partner. The 41-year-old actually worked as a social worker to take care of her children, but she first had to give up her job.

When she wanted to apply for jobs again, her youngest son fell ill with epilepsy. She says about citizen money: “That as reform Acting is a real slap in the face. That doesn’t even offset some of the inflation.” While there is some improvement for people who are just starting out, there is little improvement for those who have been on welfare for longer.

Due to the price increases, it is currently difficult to make ends meet anyway. Maria has to rely on food sharing and discounts to groceries to get. “If I were to shop normally in the supermarket, I wouldn’t be able to feed my children. Especially not healthy,” says the mother of four. The sanctions are also an important point for them. “People who never get sanctions suffer the most from the sanctions. You just get the impression that people look down on you and that you are not a valuable person,” explains Maria.

Poverty researcher criticizes citizen income: “No substantial improvement”

From social associations there is criticism of citizen money. The parity general association described the reform after the decision as “absolutely disappointing”. According to calculations by the Paritätische Forschungsstelle, the payments for single adults would have to be increased to at least 725 euros in order to protect against poverty. The recipients of social assistance also get backing from science.

“In my estimation, the citizen’s income includes at most an adjustment for inflation, but compared to Hartz IV it does not mean a substantial improvement in benefits that would have been necessary, as all experts agree,” says about poverty researcher Christopher Butterwegge. The references would not have been sufficient without the inflation at the back and front, explains the expert. “Even without the price increases, the standard requirement would have had to be increased significantly.”

Also read: More parity: “citizen’s income keeps those affected in poverty”

*Name changed by editors

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