Supporting senior citizens

Program for young people: affordable housing and doing good

Alongside their studies, young people look after older people.(Bild: Kwp)

The "Young Living" program of Häuser zum Leben offers a win-win situation: students benefit from affordable housing, while senior citizens receive company.

Housing in Vienna is particularly difficult to afford for students. This is where the "Young Living" program from Häuser zum Leben comes in. Young people in training have the opportunity to combine affordable housing with voluntary work.

One of around 50 young people in training is 26-year-old Anja B. "The people here are so much fun," says Anja enthusiastically. For a monthly rent of just 256.13 euros for a room in a double apartment or 408.68 euros for a single apartment, the young residents spend 25 hours a month doing voluntary work. They support the senior citizens in their everyday lives, go for walks with them, drink coffee together or have nice conversations. "There are so many lovely people here and most of them really wanted to spend time with me," she says. The senior citizens also really appreciate the young residents. "There could be more young people living here to bring in a breath of fresh air," says Karl Reiter, a resident of Augarten House.

Houses to live in expand the offer
Due to the high demand, Häuser zum Leben is expanding its "Young Living" offer for trainees to twelve locations. In addition to affordable housing, residents benefit from affordable food and shopping facilities as well as free Wi-Fi in the building. Further information can be found at: kwp.at/leistungen/wohnen/junges-wohnen.