Diakonie Flüchtlingsdienst gem. GmbH

Diakonie Flüchtlingsdienst gem. GmbH is an Austrian human rights organisation and social service provider that has advocated for the rights of refugees and migrants for over 30 years. It is part of Diakonie Eine Welt, one of the four major diaconal works of the Protestant Church in Austria. The organisation accompanies approximately 40,000 people with refugee or migration backgrounds each year across Austria, supporting them in all phases of arrival and integration. Its work is grounded in a human rights-based approach, with a commitment to respect, empowerment, resource orientation, holism, and anti-racism. The organisation provides social and legal counselling, housing and inclusion services, integration and education programmes, and health and psychotherapy services. It operates nationwide and is known for its advocacy work, giving a public voice to the concerns of its clients. The Diakonie Flüchtlingsdienst emerged from refugee work that began in the late 1980s in Traiskirchen, when Pastor Christine Hubka opened her church to homeless refugees. In 1989, a legal and social counsellor was employed, marking the beginning of the organisation. Over the decades, it expanded its services to include emergency accommodation, mobile counselling, and specialised programmes. Today, it is a key player in Austria's refugee support landscape, working under the umbrella of Diakonie Eine Welt and the broader Diakonie Österreich.

The history of Diakonie Flüchtlingsdienst gem. GmbH is rooted in the refugee work of the Protestant Church in Austria. In the 1980s, long before Austria had a basic care system for refugees, many people lived without any support in the vineyards around the former camp in Traiskirchen and literally on the streets. The committed pastor Christine Hubka opened the doors of her church during a thunderstorm to about 90 homeless refugees, who then found a safe place to sleep in the church every night. It soon became clear that they needed more than a roof over their heads; they needed a perspective. In 1989, Pastor Hubka convinced the church leadership of the necessity of employing a counsellor. Thus began the story of Diakonie Flüchtlingsdienst, or rather its predecessor organisations. The first legal and social counsellor for refugees in Traiskirchen was Gertrude Hennefeld, who conducted consultations with a steadily growing team of full-time and volunteer staff in the parish hall of the church. In 2002, the counselling centre was finally able to move into its own premises in Traiskirchen. As early as 1991, the first emergency accommodation for refugees was opened in Vienna, followed by many more facilities for accommodation and care, up to today's innovative services in mobile and supported housing. Guided by the perception of urgently missing services for people with refugee and migration biographies, the organisation continued to expand. In 2009, Diakonie Eine Welt was founded, and Diakonie Flüchtlingsdienst became one of its two supporting organisations. Today, Diakonie Flüchtlingsdienst is part of Diakonie Eine Welt, which is the third-largest diaconal work in Austria. The organisation has grown from a single counselling service to a nationwide provider supporting around 40,000 people annually.

• 2009

  Diakonie Eine Welt is founded; Diakonie Flüchtlingsdienst becomes one of its two supporting organisations.

• 2002

  The counselling centre in Traiskirchen moves into its own premises.

• 1991

  First emergency accommodation for refugees opens in Vienna.

• 1989

  Pastor Christine Hubka convinces church leadership to employ a counsellor; Gertrude Hennefeld becomes the first legal and social counsellor for refugees in Traiskirchen, marking the beginning of Diakonie Flüchtlingsdienst.

Human rights organisation advocating for the rights of refugees and migrants, providing comprehensive support services across Austria.

• Social and legal counselling

  Mobile and specialised social counselling, as well as legal advice and representation.

• Housing and inclusion

  Needs- and target-group-oriented housing services, including dispersed housing.

• Integration and education

  Integration start accompaniment, language courses, compulsory school completion and further education programmes.

• Health and psychotherapy

  Psychotherapy, psychosocial acute help and medical services.

1. 1Diakonie Flüchtlingsdienst - Diakoniediakonie.at
2. 2Geschichte der Diakonie in Österreich - Diakoniediakonie.at
3. 3Geschichte der Diakonie Eine Welt - Diakoniediakonie.at
4. 4Unsere Geschichte - Diakoniediakonie.at
5. 5Diakonie Flüchtlingsdienst gem. GmbH - Wikidatawikidata.org