Comment on Just work a little harder

• glorkon@lemmy.world ⁨4⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

  On welfare they pay your rent. Tap water in Germany is perfectly drinkable, so - free water. Food? Bahnhofsmission. Also, the free money you get on welfare allows you to get food.

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  • faythofdragons@slrpnk.net ⁨2⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

    You don’t have to pay for tap water in Germany? I pay about $100/month for municipal well water that’s barely drinkable.

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    • glorkon@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨hour⁩ ago

      You have to pay for tap water, but not when you’re on welfare. The state will cover it.

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    • friendlymessage@feddit.org ⁨1⁩ ⁨hour⁩ ago

      If you are on welfare (Bürgergeld) all costs in Germany are covered by the state that are deemed necessary for a dignified life. Several governments over the years repeatedly tried to cut benefits below that but were stopped by our constitutional court, referencing the first article of our constitution:

      (1) Die Würde des Menschen ist unantastbar. Sie zu achten und zu schützen ist Verpflichtung aller staatlichen Gewalt.

      (1) Human dignity is inviolable. To respect and protect it is the duty of all state authority

      It’s not a perfect system and many fall through the cracks because like everything in Germany, the welfare system is highly bureaucratic. But yes, basic necessities including tap water are covered. To be honest, I don’t get that this is so mind-blowing to some, I think that’s the bare minimum

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      • faythofdragons@slrpnk.net ⁨59⁩ ⁨minutes⁩ ago

        I had misinterpreted and thought they meant tap water was free for everyone in Germany, which is what sounded weird to me.

        It makes sense that you can get utility assistance if you’re on welfare. Even the US has hardship programs or charities that will pay for utilities, its just usually limited availbe slots restricted to the homeless, families with kids, or its a church membership benefit.

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