Erfurt (dpa/th) - Thuringia's Ombudsman Kurt Herzberg expects a massive processing backlog for applications for housing benefit in the coming year. The municipalities are not up to the expected flood of applications, explained Herzberg on Thursday in Erfurt. It is therefore already foreseeable that many of those affected will have to wait several months for the actual payment of the state rent subsidy.
According to the Ombudsman, with the housing benefit reform on January 1, 2023, almost 50,000 Thuringian households will be entitled to this benefit for the first time. With an average monthly housing benefit of 370 euros, many Thuringians are entitled to important help in view of rising prices and energy costs. Households that do not receive social benefits but still have little money can apply for housing benefit.
Applications must be submitted to the responsible housing benefit authorities. These are based in Thuringia at the district offices, the independent municipalities and the cities of Gotha, Ilmenau, Rudolstadt and Saalfeld. A digital application is not yet possible in the Free State.
