The “Jobcentre on Site” has moved to new premises in Leipzig-Grünau. We asked for more details

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Last week, it was announced that the ‘Jobcentre on Site’ is now also offering consultation hours at the Heizhaus building, Alte Salzstraße 59 – right next to the Grünauer Allee S-Bahn station. We thought this was a good time to look into the matter; even though the Leipzig Jobcentre’s project isn’t entirely new, there are still people who aren’t aware of it.

What is the ‘Jobcentre on Site’, how can the staff there help, and what services are on offer? We wanted to ask these questions and met on 3 August with Bärbel Hutschenreiter, the Equal Opportunities Officer for the labour market at the Leipzig Job Centre, and Laurine Lutter, the contact person at the Heizhaus, for a chat.

Ms Hutschenreiter, Ms Lutter, it’s great that you were able to make time for us at such short notice. What is the ‘Jobcentre on Site’ and how long has it been running?

B. Hutschenreiter: We launched the project in 2022, following intensive planning. We wanted to reach out to our clients where they are. We often find that people are hesitant to come into our offices and ask questions. Sometimes this begins right at their own front door. So we started offering neighbourhood outreach in many districts of Leipzig; we go into the neighbourhoods and answer any questions people have about the Jobcentre.

Jobcentre on site, opening hours at the Heizhaus. Photo: Thomas Köhler

I’d like to pick up on that straight away. You answer all questions relating to the Jobcentre. Does that mean people can come along, ask questions and get advice? But they can’t submit an application there?

B. Hutschenreiter: If, for example, they’re already receiving benefits and have received a decision notice or perhaps an invitation, and there’s something they don’t understand, then we’ll look into what the problem might be with the benefits – what’s missing or what still needs to be done. Or if they have a question about job applications, further training or advice from a job placement officer, they can ask us.

We also help with filling in applications. For example, our network partners – in this case, it would be the Heizhaus – print out an application form, and we fill it in together with the client during the consultation. However, we cannot take it to the Jobcentre with us; in other words, we cannot accept post on their behalf – this is due to data protection regulations. The application must then be sent to us directly by the client, or via the network partner.

L. Lutter: The advisers at the Jobcentre on Site also help people to set up an account with the Jobcentre and to install and configure the app so that they can use the online services. We can well imagine that this is a very useful service here locally.

So you’re offering a low-threshold service, particularly for people who find filling in applications overwhelming, or who don’t even know what they can apply for in the first place. How long have you been running this service here in Grünau?

B. Hutschenreiter: This specific project here is new; we held our first consultation on 28 July. However, there are other services available in Grünau, for example at the neighbourhood centre on Stuttgarter Allee. At the MüZeL Family Centre on Potschkaustraße, and at the Caritas Children’s, Youth and Family Centre in Grünau on Ringstraße, we run other events, such as those aimed at helping people return to work. In various nursery schools, we mainly provide advice on education and participation, as well as on all other matters relating to benefits and job placement.

Of course, people need to be aware of the local services first. For example, if I ring the Jobcentre and only have one question, will I be told about this service?

B. Hutschenreiter: I very much hope so. You’ll be calling our service centre, and our colleagues will check what they can answer straight away using the electronic file. If that sorts the matter, great; but if it’s more complicated, there’s the option to book an appointment online. Clients are then phoned first, and we try to sort it out over the phone; if that doesn’t work, they’re invited to come in. Information about the service should also be provided on site.

How do people in Grünau find out about your service?

B. Hutschenreiter: We mainly rely on advertising by our network partners, word of mouth and personal contact.

L. Lutter: As Heizhaus, we actively invite our visitors, those taking part in our projects and people in our neighbourhood to come to our premises during the Jobcentre’s opening hours. The dates are passed on to network partners in the neighbourhood, advertising is displayed in public view and leaflets are distributed throughout the neighbourhood. The ‘Nebenan’ and the Caritas shop have been informed and are happy to pass on the information. We are delighted to be working with our colleagues from the Jobcentre here in Grünau-Ost and hope that our neighbourhood will benefit from this service.

The consultations take place in German. We endeavour to bring in translators from the local community where necessary and welcome the support of local social organisations in this regard.

I’m not asking this without good reason. If nobody finds out about the service, you might end up with no clients at the first few appointments, and the project will then be discontinued. That, at least, is a concern. What has been the experience at other locations in Leipzig?

B. Hutschenreiter: As I said, we’re present at quite a few locations, and the response varies greatly. If I look, for example, at the Caritas advice centre on Ruth-Pfau-Straße, there are lots of advisers there. We hold consultations there from 2 pm to 5 pm, and we rarely finish before 6 pm because people come one after the other. Or at the Leipzig Men’s and Family Centre on Eisenbahnstraße – there are always so many questions and so many people turning up. However, there are also services where you might say: ‘Well, if nobody comes, we’ll just have to leave it at that.’

Grünau is a large area with a high number of jobseekers, which makes such low-threshold services all the more important. How often are you on site?

B. Hutschenreiter: We’re here at the Heizhaus once a month and at the neighbourhood shop run by the neighbourhood management team once a month. During the counselling sessions run by the neighbourhood management team, the staff also mention our appointment times. We’re then informed of how many people might be coming.

L. Lutter: We’d prefer it if people who wish to come during our consultation hours could book an appointment with us by phone beforehand. This helps to avoid long waiting times (book by calling: 0155 63 66 97 56). However, this isn’t compulsory. It’s also possible to drop in on the consultation day between 2 pm and 5 pm without booking.

Jobcentre on site: Laurine Lutter and Bärbel Hutschenreiter in the meeting room. Photo: Thomas Köhler

Finally, a question for Laurine Lutter: how did the collaboration between the Heizhaus and the Jobcentre come about?

L. Lutter: I wrote to Ms Hutschenreiter. As part of the Future Spaces project, we provide career guidance for young people in Grünau, and during these career counselling sessions I noticed that questions about the Jobcentre came up quite frequently among the young people. So I thought we needed to bring that expertise in-house so that we could answer their questions properly and confidently. Through Ms Hutschenreiter, I then learnt about the services offered by the Jobcentre on Site and, without further ado, invited her and her colleagues to join us. Our joint monthly counselling sessions are already scheduled until the end of the year. The ‘Jobcentre on Site’ service at the HEIZHAUS is open to all Jobcentre clients. Services like this require not only dedicated staff but also venues with no access restrictions and, indeed, available premises. We currently have just such a space here at Alte Salzstraße 59.

B. Hutschenreiter: It’s also important to note that there’s a separate room where confidential discussions can take place.

I think we’ve covered the most important points; the dates for this venue in 2026 can be seen in the image. All other dates for the ‘Jobcentre on Site’ can be found on the website. Ms Hutschenreiter and Ms Lutter, thank you for the interview and I wish you every success.

One more note: there are currently new projects at the HEIZHAUS:

• Counselling on school absenteeism, school refusal and school anxiety (once a month)
• Social counselling and job placement with the DAA (twice a week)
• Relocation of the workshop to the Alte Post (from September)
• Neighbourhood party (Alte Salzstraße) on the afternoon of 28 August