In Germany, support measures for people with housing issues generally target men. However, housing shortages, coupled with this lack of specialist help, has meant many women are at risk of precarious housing, ‘hidden homelessness’ and social exclusion. 

Johanna, from the west of Germany, was one of those at risk, and found it very difficult to find the right support. 'In our world it depends on those who help and also those who support the helpers. In these actually very difficult times almost no institution has been available for me.' 

However, support for Johanna finally came from the 'Stand Out' project. The project, co-funded by the Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived (FEAD) and the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (BMAS), was one of the many projects provided by WABe e.V., a welfare organisation founded in 1985 to support people living in precarious conditions. Between 2019 and 2021, 558 people received counselling through 'Stand Out'. 

'Stand Out' focused on counselling women affected by housing shortages in the cities of Aachen, Eschweiler and Stolberg, and was part of a wide range of institutions and organisations that work together to find accommodation solutions. 

By going to the places where women with housing needs tend to go, such as railway station forecourts, 'Stand Out''s teams were able to reach out to hundreds of women who were not yet connected to the main support systems and social services, and offer them a variety of options and solutions. 

Making early, personal contact in this way meant that staff were able to build trust, which was vital for the project to work. Taking the service out to informal settings allowed the teams to assess wider local needs, which in turn allowed them to adapt and expand their activities to help more women and in many cases their children too. 

For Johanna, 'Stand Out' was able to offer her the specialist help that she had been looking for. 'With you, I got the support I needed. Therefore, I want to say thank you.'