INTERNATIONAL STORY ADDRESSING POVERTY IN OLD AGE IS A POLITICAL ISSUE BY ULRICH JONAS STACZEK [NAME CHANGED] SPENT TWENTY YEARS AT SEA, working for a Polish shipping company. According to the 80-yearold, he now receives a pension of 200 euros per month. In addition, he receives a few euros for the six years he spent as a removal worker in Hamburg. The former Hinz&Kunzt vendor was unable to put money towards a greater pension entitlement, as an employer pressured him to carry out illicit work. Later, various illnesses compounded the problem. Staczek is lucky to be able to live with a good friend at a reasonable rate. Thanks to that, and the 400 euros he receives in basic income support, he can just about make ends meet. But compromises are involved. “I used to be able to go home once a year for a week or two,” he says. “With today’s prices, that’s simply out of the question.” Staczek is one of about 50,000 in Hamburg, aged 65, or older, who suffer poverty in old age and therefore depend on the state’s support. That’s almost twice as many as 15 years ago. And the actual number of people in need is probably much higher. According to various studies, six out of every ten people who could receive basic income support in old age do not take advantage of this entitlement, whether out of shame, ignorance, or because the applications are so complicated. “There are people in Hamburg who tend to make themselves scarce at the end of the month. Because they’re worried about meeting someone who will say, ‘Let’s go have a coffee together!’ And they won’t be able to, because they don’t have any money to spare for that kind of thing,” reports Klaus Wicher, chairman of the Social Association of Germany (SoVD) in Hamburg. There are even people who are starving. “The increase in prices has been so tremendous that some people simply don’t have anything left by the end of the month.” The basic pension, a flagship project of the Federal Minister for Labour and Social Affairs, Hubertus Heil (SPD), helps very few. According to Wicher, only about every 50th affected person in Hamburg benefits from it. “And this is not even a basic pension, but rather a pension supplement,” he clarifies. It is paid under certain conditions to those who have been in employment for at least 33 years subject to social insurance contributions. Those who were not employed on a regular basis, who have only held shortterm positions, or who were self-employed are not eligible. Women in particular often have to get by on “minipensions,” according to the statistics. SoVD-chairman Wicher, therefore, consequently calls for fundamentally higher pensions, equal wages for women, and full recognition of periods of time spent in family and caregiver roles. While these are suggestions that the federal government would have to implement, Wicher believes that the Senate in Hamburg can also combat poverty in old age. One way of doing this is by using some of their own money to pay a 10% surcharge on top of the basic social security benefits, just like the city of Munich is doing. The RedGreen coalition rejected this idea already in 2019, citing missing data. The SoVD-chairman claims that this is simply an excuse. “It’s a matter of political conviction and the willingness to provide the necessary funds,” he says. Wicher insists that the Senate should make life easier for all people in need in Hamburg by implementing further measures quickly. These could include free train and bus tickets, free sports activities, and free admission to museums. He has been presenting these suggestions to the social security office, the SPD, and the Green Party for years – without success. In any case, the relief packages offered by the traffic light coalition will barely help those suffering poverty in old age, according to the SoVD-chairman. “One-off payments are of little use,” he says. “Significant increases in monthly allowances are what’s needed.” Michael David, who is in charge of old-age poverty at Diakonie Deutschland [the social welfare organization of Germany’s Protestant churches], made another suggestion. He suggests that if someone applies for a pension and it turns out to be a low one, it should automatically be reported to the social welfare office. The office could then check and verify the person’s further claims and thereby prevent hidden poverty in old age. “That way, the state can make sure that help is given to those who need it,” David concludes. ■ Translated from German via Translators without Borders Courtesy of Hinz&Kunzt / International Network of Street Papers PHOTO BY BRUCE TANG ON UNSPLASH NEW ITEMS NEEDED: Socks Sunscreen, toiletries (individual or travel-size) Toothpaste, deodorant, chapstick Bottled water Paper products for the office GENTLY-USED ITEMS NEEDED: Men’s shoes or boots (sizes 8-12) Men’s jackets/shorts (sizes L, XL, XXL) Women’s jackets/shorts (sizes M, L, XL) Backpacks Carrier bags USB-C charging cables AUTUMN WISH LIST DENVERVOICE.ORG/VENDOR-NEEDS Drop-offs are accepted Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. or schedule a drop-off by emailing program@denvervoice.org. 4 DENVER VOICE September 2022
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