Social affairs - Significantly more NRW households receive housing benefit
The number of households receiving housing benefit in North Rhine-Westphalia increased by 76 percent within a year. The housing benefit claim also significantly increased, as reported by the Statistical Office in Düsseldorf on Monday.
The average housing benefit claim stood at €319 at the end of 2023, which is €114 or 56 percent higher than the previous year. The number of households receiving housing benefit stood at 300,000 at the end of 2023, compared to 171,000 the previous year. In 2023, 3.4 percent of all private households in NRW received housing benefit, compared to 2 percent in 2022.
With the implementation of the Wohngeld-Plus law at the beginning of 2023, the highest level since the Hartz IV social reform in 2005, which was 181,000, has been significantly exceeded. Households with low income can apply for housing benefit if they have their own income and can avoid receiving basic income or social assistance through housing benefit.
PM with Infographic Housing Benefit Calculator
- The increase in housing benefit claims in NRW is being closely monitored by the social affairs department in Düsseldorf, the capital of North Rhine-Westphalia.
- To better understand the impact of housing benefit in the region, residents of Düsseldorf and other cities in NRW can use the recently launched PM with Infographic Housing Benefit Calculator.
- The surge in housing benefit claims in cities like Düsseldorf highlights the need for improved housing and social policies to address the concerns of low-income households in North Rhine-Westphalia.
