At the turn of the year there should be housing benefit for a total of 2 million households Photo: Arne Dedert/dpa
By Peter Tiede
The housing benefit reform planned for January 1st will not reach hundreds of thousands of households until the summer!
“It already takes three to six months to process an application for housing benefit,” said Gerd Landsberg (70), head of the German Association of Towns and Municipalities, to BILD. “That will be pushed back much further until the citizens get their money.”
Reason: not enough staff. The municipalities are expecting a flood of applications!
At the turn of the year there should be more housing allowance for a total of 2 million households. So far, the number of beneficiaries is 600,000.
But, Landsberg warns: If no deductions can be paid, it could “take well into the summer before payments can be made everywhere”.
According to Landsberg, the cities have also advertised the positions – but cannot fill them.