As Lord Mayor Frank Klingebiel explains, this is over 45 percent of the 10 million euros that the state of Lower Saxony is paying out to a total of twelve cities this year. He continues: "Due to the refugee crisis from 2015 onwards, the influx of around 6,500 refugees into our city and the enormous challenges this posed, I demanded two measures from the state government: a halt to immigration and financial support. Without the around 26.57 million euros paid out by the state since 2017 as part of the integration fund, the effects of the influx of refugees to Salzgitter would hardly have been manageable. That is why both measures were urgently needed."

A wide range of offers and measures could and can be implemented in Salzgitter with resources from the integration fund. These include many low-threshold offers such as school social work, street work, employment promotion, integration offers in the city districts, office work and language support. The city works together with numerous organizations such as Diakonie, AWO, SOS-Mütterzentrum, Caritas and DRK. However, "visible" projects have also been implemented, such as the construction or renovation of facilities for children and young people with funding from the Integration Fund. These include the expansion of the Steinbergschule into a daycare center with two kindergarten groups and a crèche group, the addition of a crèche group to the Apostelgemeinde daycare center, the complete renovation and partial expansion of the Martin Lutherm daycare center, the creation of a daycare group in the St.Lukas, the complete renovation of the "Graffiti" children's and youth club, the conversion of the Käthe-Kollwitz-Haus for two kindergarten groups, the construction of a new four-group daycare center on the grounds of the Am See elementary school, the construction of a new five-group daycare center in the Fredenberg West development area and the purchase of room modules for the construction of an elementary school in SZ-Lebenstedt.

Mayor Frank Klingebiel concludes: "The state has also recognized that this is also and especially about social peace in our city and has allocated around 44.6 percent of the total integration fund to our city. Integration is and remains a long-term task, and it will continue to be important to provide long-term and reliable financial support for integration projects in the future."