{"id":1224,"date":"2014-10-22T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2014-10-22T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/%20rroma.org\/22-10-2014-integration-assistance-for-rroma-in-berlin\/"},"modified":"2022-07-24T15:57:27","modified_gmt":"2022-07-24T14:57:27","slug":"22-10-2014-integration-assistance-for-rroma-in-berlin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rroma.org\/de\/22-10-2014-integration-assistance-for-rroma-in-berlin\/","title":{"rendered":"22.10.2014 Integration assistance for Rroma in Berlin"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Lange (2014) reports on \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\ta successful integration project of immigrant Rroma in Berlin. The tenement \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\thouse in the Scharnweberstra\u00dfe in Reinickendorf was previously regularly the \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tscene of conflicts, according to Lange: many homes were overcrowded, hygiene \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tstandards were not met, there were repeatedly conflicts between the new tenants \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tand long-time residents. Thanks to an integration project, which took into \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\taccount both parties, these difficulties could be overcome: \u201cJust a year ago, the house on the \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tScharnweberstra\u00dfe 111 in Reinickendorf was as an example of failed integration. \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tOvercrowding of flats, conflicts between long-time residents and the Roma \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tfamilies, daily complaints to the police, daily visits of the health office. \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t[…] The first step in improving the \u201coppressive conditions\u201d, as Kerstin \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tKirsch of the Gewobag tenant advisory calls it, was the purchase of the house \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tby the local housing association. All apartments were renovated and the Roma \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tfamilies, who were previously known only as lodgers, became the main tenants. \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFor the long-time residents it was time to reduce prejudices, for the new \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\ttenants from Romania, to take responsibility in the neighbourhood. Both sides became \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\thelp from the Phinove association that accompanies Roma families during their \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tstart in Berlin, and is supported by the commissioner for integration and migration, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMonika L\u00fcke.\u201d <\/em>The integration project described here is indeed positive. \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tHowever, the context is discussed too little: in the past few months, in the \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tmedia and in politics there have been fierce debates about so-called \u201cpoverty \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\timmigrants\u201d that were often collectively referred to as poor, uneducated Rroma from \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tRomania or Bulgaria. Therewith, a one-sided notion of the minority was \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\testablished among a broad public: Rroma are supposedly poorly educated, have \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tmany children, and come from the slums of Eastern Europe to benefit from the \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGerman welfare state, which they then become dependent of. Of course, there are \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tmarginalised Rroma corresponding to these ideas. But they only represent a \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tminority of the minority. There are also well-educated Rroma, who belong to the \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tmiddle- or even the upper class. In addition, already now 110,000 to 130,000 \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tRroma live in Germany. Many of them have been in Germany for generations, speak \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tfluently German and are integrated. They are the living proof that integration \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tis possible without problems (compare Biermann 2014, Briest 2014, Kl\u00fcber 2014).<\/p>\n

Memarina (2014) reports \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\ton the opening of two emergency apartments for immigrant Rroma families in \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tBerlin. The apartments are intended as interim solutions until the families can \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tfind permanent accommodation. They are allowed to stay for a maximum of one month. \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMonika L\u00fcke, commissioner for integration in Berlin, stated that one wants to \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tcreate up to ten such flats: \u201cIn July \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t2013, the Senate had adopted a Roma action plan. It was planned to set up an \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tentire house for homeless families. But nothing came of it, it was obviously the \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tresistance in the districts. That\u2019s why L\u00fcke is now focussing on decentralized \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tsolutions \u2013 together with the Aachen estate and housing company, that owns the \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tfirst two emergency apartments\u201d <\/em>(compare rbb 2014). <\/p>\n