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- For years, the canton of Aargau has not paid recognized and temporarily admitted refugees sufficient social assistance.
- These are people who live in asylum shelters because they cannot find an apartment.
- The above practice violates federal law and the refugee convention, as noted by the cantonal social service. Contributions will now be adjusted.
Refugees are on an equal footing with the local population when it comes to receiving social assistance. This is what federal law says. In Aargau, however, this principle has been ignored for years. Refugees living in asylum shelters received support benefits in accordance with the asylum law. 9 francs a day, less money than social assistance provides.
Starting October 1, these refugees will receive more money. The so-called “Basic subsistence needs” according to the recommendations of the Swiss Conference on Social Welfare (Skos). According to the Skos website, a single person is entitled to CHF 997 per month, a family of 4, for example, to CHF 2,134. If you work and receive a salary, the contribution will be reduced accordingly.
Good 700 francs per person
Refugees in Aargau do not receive the full amount anyway. Because these are people who are still living in asylum shelters because they cannot find their own apartment. For example, you do not have to bear any energy costs. Therefore, the amounts would be reduced to 73.5 percent of the basic requirement, according to a statement from the State Chancellery. So that’s a good 700 francs for an individual.
The difference with the previous contribution is around 200 francs, says the responsible department head in the online edition of the “Aargauer Zeitung, Link opens in a new window“Aforementioned. The canton expects additional costs of a good 500,000 francs annually. Around 200 people would benefit from the higher contributions.
“Illegal practice”
Aargau’s practice was already criticized in 2006 by the “Asylum Network” organization. In its statement at the time, however, the cantonal administration cited the fact that refugees in asylum accommodation benefited from special services. However, a few weeks ago, the cantonal social service announced that it would change the practice as it was illegal.
The question remains open whether refugees are also entitled to higher contributions retrospectively. The Aargau government is examining this question and will answer it soon. For this, an initiative of the SP from the cantonal parliament is pending. Aargauer’s SVP reacted “astonished” and announced that it wanted to provoke a change in the law in the Bundesbern.
