Fight for a decent apartment: Bernd Herbst's desperate everyday life

Fight for a decent apartment: Bernd Herbst's desperate everyday life

Not an easy life: Bernd Herbst, a 66-year-old resident of Prenzlau, has struggled for years to find a suitable, barrier-free apartment. He has been confined to a wheelchair for nine years and has struggled with several serious health problems, including a heart attack, stroke and nerve damage. Despite these challenges, he wants nothing more than a life of dignity in suitable accommodation.

In the conversation, Herbst expresses his frustration: “I just want to be able to live in dignity.” His current residence on Klosterstrasse is anything but ideal. He and his severely disabled wife, who has kidney disease and who looks after him, live in just 85 square meters. The apartment does not have an elevator, and barrier-free living is extremely difficult due to slippery steps and the lack of a suitable bathroom. “The apartment is hardly usable,” he complains, pointing to the constant hurdles that make his life difficult.

Hurdles when looking for accommodation

The search for a suitable apartment turned into a real struggle for Herbst. In 2016 he was informed that he had been placed first on the housing association's waiting list, but he was denied an apartment. “It’s frustrating,” says Herbst. He reached out again in 2018, but left the offers made to him unanswered, which resulted in him being removed from the waiting list.

In recent years, the focus when allocating barrier-free apartments has increasingly been placed on people with greater need for support. The special requirements for this are unacceptable because Herbst is not a member of the cooperative and he does not have the necessary residence permits. It wasn't until this year that he finally submitted a new application, but a move could not happen until 2026 at the earliest.

Support for people with disabilities

The challenges that people like Herbst face are not just local. According to the family portal, many people with disabilities may have difficulty living in normal housing. However, there are various offers of help for those affected that support needs-based living. In addition to the housing entitlement certificate or emergency certificate, which can be applied for at the housing office, support services from the social welfare office are available. Social housing funding also plays a crucial role by supporting the construction and conversion of apartments suitable for disabled people, explains the website gesund.bund.de.

Another tool for improving the living situation is living assistance, which offers individual support in everyday life. Its goal is to support people with household management and contact with authorities so that they can lead a self-determined life.

Financial support for barrier-free living

The costs for necessary modifications should not be neglected. There are various subsidies nationwide to enable the barrier-free conversion of apartments. Nursing insurance, for example, offers subsidies for “measures to improve the living environment”, which can amount to up to 4,180 euros per measure. The KfW program for age-appropriate building also guarantees financial support for the conversion or purchase of age-appropriate apartments.

Finding appropriate funding and grants is crucial to creating a living environment for people with disabilities that meets their needs. Despite the many obstacles, Bernd Herbst remains optimistic and combative: “I just want to be able to live with dignity,” he emphasizes emphatically.