Relief is written all over the face of Mayor Frank Klingebiel. Minister President Stephan Weil (SPD) and Finance Minister Reinhold Hilbers (CDU) announced today at the state press conference that the independent city of Salzgitter will receive €50 million from a special state government program to tackle its multiple structural problems. However, these funds are not earmarked for the creation of new affordable housing, as is the case in all other cities struggling with a severe housing shortage, but in particular for the purchase, demolition and redevelopment of so-called "junk properties".

Mayor Klingebiel praised: "Our Minister President Stephan Weil and the CDU parliamentary group leader Dirk Toepffer have understood in our intensive and lengthy discussions what a unique challenge my home town is facing and that we must now act together on a large scale. Since the end of 2016, I have never tired of pointing out to the political leaders in the state government and the state parliament that social peace in Salzgitter is in danger due to the rapid and high influx of recognized refugees, the associated long-term integration tasks, the continued high housing surplus in private ownership and the limited municipal and voluntary resources."

In October 2017, the situation in Salzgitter came to a dramatic head with the arrival of almost 6,000 refugees, many of whom had come from other municipalities. The city's support, services, education and care structures were in danger of falling apart and the many, many volunteers helping refugees were overwhelmed. "We urgently needed some breathing space and sustainable financial support from the state, which I vehemently campaigned for with the state government with the clear support of Stefan Klein and Marcus Bosse, members of the state parliament," recalls Klingebiel.

With the backing of the Salzgitter City Council and the support of the members of the state parliament, the Lord Mayor achieved the so-called "negative residency requirement" for Salzgitter for the first time nationwide on October 9, 2017 and the establishment of an integration fund by the state of Lower Saxony of €10 million annually in 2017 and 2018 for Salzgitter and cities with similarly high integration challenges.

"At the time, I made it unmistakably clear to the public that the integration fund was right and necessary, but that its scope would be far from sufficient to solve the challenges of learning the German language, creating additional crèche places, daycare places, school places and job placement in connection with the high number of refugees in the affected cities. Salzgitter alone had uncovered refugee costs of €12 million per year, and the trend is rising. The integration fund should and could only be an emergency aid measure by the state, which had to be followed by further sustainable action."

At the end of 2018, the state government launched an evaluation of the integration fund, which revealed at the final workshop on March 28, 2019 that the fund must be continued and significantly increased.

"The evaluation confirmed my findings and expectations, which I have clearly expressed in several personal discussions with Minister President Stephan Weil, Deputy Minister President Bernd Althusmann, CDU parliamentary group leader Dirk Toepffer, Finance Minister Reinhold Hilbers and Interior Minister Boris Pistorius since October 2018. My demands were a total of € 160 million in state aid for Salzgitter over the next 5 years. € 80 million for the uncovered refugee costs over the next 5 years and € 80 million for the purchase, demolition and redevelopment of considerable housing surplus in Salzgitter, which is exclusively privately owned and in a desolate condition and has a pull effect on recognized refugees and transfer benefit recipients from other cities and regions due to the low rents."

"With the special investment program for Salzgitter, a construction site can now be tackled properly and sustainably in order to ensure social peace in the city," the Lord Mayor is pleased to say.

In conclusion, the Lord Mayor sums up: "There is still a lot to do in Salzgitter. But the state government has recognized and acknowledged the complex problems. Together, we can stabilize the situation in Salzgitter and provide everyone - locals and refugees - with the necessary services. I would particularly like to thank Minister President Stephan Weil and the CDU parliamentary group leader Dirk Toepffer."