As a response from the Ministry of the Interior to NEOS mandate Stephanie Krisper shows, a good 2.5 million have had to be spent since the end of 2020. The facility in Schiefling alone cost around 386,000 euros. In total, around 13.5 million have been spent on disused accommodation since the refugee crisis in 2015.
Krisper is annoyed that an incredible amount of money is still being wasted due to the mismanagement of basic services. The Court of Auditors clearly explained what the government had to do – namely, to work with the federal states to develop an overarching concept for an effective and economical approach to the accommodation and care of asylum seekers. It is primarily the rental costs that make bookings difficult. Over the past three years they amount to around 2.3 million, plus another around 245,000 euros in operating costs.
In addition to the care facility in Schiefling, those on Lake Wörthersee were particularly expensive at around 345,000 euros and those in Korneuburg at almost 334,000 euros. It must be noted that the facilities were not completely shut down and that for some the contracts had already been terminated. At the beginning of December, only those in Leoben and Frankenburg were shut down, even if they were not used. Therefore, the costs incurred were not that high recently. Last year it was around 143,000 euros.
In 2022, the last of a strong refugee movement to date, hardly any of the facilities were closed, de facto only the one in Schiefling, which is why this Carinthian care center incurred the highest costs over the period. In a report published at the beginning of 2022, the Court of Auditors criticized the fact that the Ministry of the Interior had concluded contracts for asylum accommodation for too long.
Long leases
The Interior Ministry referred to the large refugee movement in 2015. In order to cope with the ongoing migration flows and to avoid homelessness, the top priority was to create additional accommodation options in the federal care sector as soon as possible. However, the Court of Auditors noted that individual rental contracts are binding for up to 15 years. Long notice periods further limited the ability to react flexibly to changing conditions.
According to the report, the federal government had incurred costs of over eleven million for closed care facilities by the end of 2020. In addition, there are now the 2.5 million since then that show the response to the query.
