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The Sozialkontor is a non-profit provider of housing and assistance services that has been dedicated to supporting people with disabilities and mental illnesses since 1960.[1][2] With more than 1,100 to 1,200 people supported in Hamburg and Lower Saxony, the organization is one of the established providers of integration assistance and disability assistance in the region.[1][2]
The company pursues the overarching goal that people with assistance needs can participate equally in social life.[3] The Sozialkontor is based on four fundamental principles:[2]
The Sozialkontor offers a diverse and comprehensive range of support and assistance to its users:[1][2]
The Sozialkontor was founded in 1960 by Senator Ernst Weiß and originally aimed to provide targeted rehabilitation for people with severe physical disabilities.[3][5] The company has since continuously developed and modernized. In 1975, the supporting association was renamed to reflect the expanded field of activity.[5]
Today, the Sozialkontor operates as BHH Sozialkontor gGmbH and is supported by the non-profit Verein für Behindertenhilfe e.V., whose approximately 14 members are volunteers from various areas of business and social institutions.[5][6]
An important development in the company's history was the transition from stationary residential groups to outpatient shared apartments, which allowed people to become tenants and have more autonomy in shaping their everyday lives.[3] In addition, the normalization principle, which originated in Scandinavia, became established and replaced the medical perspective.[3]
The Sozialkontor is a corporate member of the Arbeiterwohlfahrt Landesverband Hamburg and is involved in numerous associations.[1] The company works in a networked manner with other regional providers and is supported by volunteers and the Verein für Behindertenhilfe.[1] This networking enables the effective implementation of socially oriented integration assistance and supports people in overcoming barriers.[1]
The Sozialkontor thus embodies a modern understanding of disability assistance, in which the personal goals and wishes of the users are at the center and they themselves decide where and how they receive support.
