Steirmark expands the use of in-kind assistance cards for refugees
The state of Styria in Austria is moving towards the generalization of the use of the in-kind assistance card within the social assistance system designated for refugees and displaced persons, after the completion of a two-month trial phase in three areas, which was deemed successful without any recorded technical or organizational problems.
The pilot phase included the areas of Bruck an der Mur, Passail, and Graz, where fifty refugees residing in shelters were provided with the card. The state government explained that the experiment proved the smooth operation of the system and its achievement of its goals, which led to the decision to expand its scope to cover the entire state.
According to the announced plan, all refugees in Styria, numbering around 1,000 people, will receive in-kind assistance cards by summer, along with about 5,500 internally displaced persons, most of whom are from Ukraine. Authorities confirmed that the expansion will be gradual, as data entry and linking each card to its owner is done manually within the electronic system.
In this context, Hans Amspauer, the social affairs commissioner for the FPÖ party, explained that each person receives a card with a unique number, which works like a bank withdrawal card and is linked to a special code. He noted that entering the data individually takes time, which explains the continuation of the distribution process until summer.
The in-kind assistance card allows its holders to make payments in stores within Austria, but it is prohibited in certain areas, including gambling, purchasing weapons, and payments at tobacco kiosks, and it does not allow for money transfers abroad. Amspauer confirmed that the primary goal is to ensure that the funds allocated remain within the social system in Styria, which reduces the attractiveness of the state as a destination for refugees and prevents support for human trafficking networks or extremist Islamic structures abroad.
On his part, the government official Karlheinz Kornhauser from the ÖVP party confirmed that the assistance card provides an organized and transparent system for managing social assistance, ensuring clear and traceable mechanisms for disbursing support. He added that solidarity has its limits, and this card ensures that support is directed to those who truly need it, and that assistance is used according to the established rules and regulations.
According to the approved system, monthly amounts of up to 195 euros will be transferred to the card, depending on the degree of the person's self-reliance, with a cash withdrawal limit not exceeding 40 euros per month.