Integration finally successful: training for refugees in Baden-Baden!

Integration finally successful: training for refugees in Baden-Baden!

The Baden-Baden city administration has taken a big step towards integrating and supporting refugees with a promising initiative. In 2024, a newly launched training series for tenant qualification was launched, which is already proving successful. The main purpose of these training courses is to provide refugees with essential knowledge about the housing market so that they can lead an independent life. The focus is on topics such as tenancy law, finding accommodation, communication with landlords, household management as well as financial planning and budgeting, as Goodnews4 reports.

The training series is not only tailored to the needs of the participants, but is also offered in five different languages, with German serving as the central language of instruction. So far, 128 participants have successfully completed all four modules - and the result speaks for itself: one in five participants was able to find a suitable apartment in a timely manner. The city administration sees education as the key to successful integration, because without a foundation of knowledge the path to independence is often rocky.

Challenges in the housing market

But where there is light, there is also shadow. Despite these positive developments, an analysis by Difu shows that the provision of housing remains a central problem in integration. Over a million refugees from Ukraine have come to Germany since 2022, and according to Difu, the number of asylum seekers rose to over 300,000 in 2023 - the highest figure since 2016. Since immigration is currently declining, municipalities are facing new challenges. The transition from accommodation to integration into the housing market is often difficult, which can be observed not only in Baden-Baden but also in other cities.

A fundamental problem remains the lack of affordable housing, especially for people with a migrant background. Many refugees have difficulty finding housing because discrimination and high financial demands such as deposits and commissions make life difficult for them. According to bpb.de, around a third of people with a migration background report discrimination when looking for accommodation. This is particularly the case among black people of Muslim faith, where almost 90% have experienced discrimination.

Education as the key to integration

The initiative in Baden-Baden sees great potential for addressing these challenges. Competent support from experts in the areas of housing security and refugee social work creates a protected space for individual questions and advice. The first training sessions started in July 2025, with further sessions planned for the fall and winter. The city administration plans to expand its target group in the future to also support people who are at risk of or affected by homelessness.

A crucial step for successful integration is the combination of educational offerings and practical support for access to housing. While the integration of refugees requires greater social effort, the positive feedback from participants shows that a lot can be achieved with the right measures.

The examples from cities such as Cologne, Hamburg, Berlin and Lübeck make it clear that successful approaches to integration and access to housing exist. Nevertheless, the path there remains riddled with numerous obstacles that need to be overcome together.