Almost seven million people in Germany are heavily in debt, 19,000 people, more than in the previous year, according to the latest Figures of the study by debtor Atlas. How can this be in one of the richest countries in the world?
“You come to us, if you are over-indebted and no way out to see. If your debt will grow, even though they strive to reduce. Or you don’t know how to pay the credit rates.” Who is in Bonn that he no longer comes solely from the debt trap, ends up most likely in the Central debt advice. And in your head Henning Dimpker, the works for four years, and to the point, why more and more people seek advice from him. “In the past, there was usually only one over-indebtedness reason, for example, the purchase of a property. Nowadays, there are usually two reasons, or even three.”
In the case of the debtor’s advisors, one no longer speaks of the so-called “Big Six” of the causes of over-Indebtedness, the purchase of a property is part of currently. “The main reasons are today, unemployment and a permanent low-income. The low-wage sector has become in the last ten, 15 years, significantly bigger”, explains the graduate social worker. In addition, people come to Dimpker who are seriously ill, have a divorce, or simply beyond their means to have lived. “And then there’s the failure of the self-employed. These are mostly young single fighter, which also had no employees.”
Debtor Consultant Henning Dimpker
For a long time especially young adults came to Dimpker, but their share will go back. “Now, especially older people, from 50. And increasingly, people from 60 upwards,” says the financial Advisor. The term poverty in old age does not come about by chance. The classic case of: “people who work, but at the same time receive social benefits. Not quite a Job sufficient, however, to feed the family with children.” According to Dimpker the people in General, would in a crisis situation over the debt: an income that is eliminated, a separation or a sudden illness.
Professional help is to late
Until the people find the way to debt counselling, it is usually already too late. Many are already learned for years, over-indebted and have to live with your debts, so Dimpkers experience. “And then only if the account is seized and you no longer come to your money.” In the initial stage of installment payments, and out-of-court comparisons were still possible, in the case of a massive debt it was, however, only to the resolution of insolvency proceedings. “The longer people are in debt, the lower the Motivation, their problem to address,” explains Henning Dimpker.
More than one in five is in the district of Bremerhaven over-indebted, according to the debtor, the Atlas is the leader in Germany
Added to this is a specifically German phenomenon: It is not speech in this country, about money, about debt already times not at all. “In Anglo-Saxon countries is the question of ‘how Much merit?‘, of course. Here is an absolute taboo topic,” believes the social worker. That is why often people who were in debt would be silent out of shame. And absolutely nonsensical things: “So the neighbors won’t notice, is not sold, the car in front of the door. And instead, the rent is not paid. And then these people will be terminated without notice. But the car is still there!”
Debt trap is the vicious circle
About a third of the debtor comes out of a private drive to Dimpker, a third of which are pushed by family or friends, and then a third, where the job centre or social services strongly advise. Then it goes in the first conversations, first of all, the backup of the current life situation. “The most Important thing is always to keep the apartment. If someone is homeless, we don’t need to talk about debts at all.” The next set of questions on Dimpkers Agenda: paid for the electricity? And what is with the insurance company? “Especially in the case of families, it is of great importance that you can live in a warm apartment. And for the chronically ill, that not only the minimum supply of funds attacks.”
Over-indebtedness as a male Problem: 4.23 million men are currently over-indebted and only 2.7 million women
And what can politicians do to ensure that the number of debtors decreased again in the next years? “Pre-emptive, the population groups who are in transitional situations. And debt advice for a better network!” You mean, a debt Counsellor with the addiction counsellors together in a Team work. Henning Dimpkers called his favorite example: “It simply makes no sense, a happiness addict game to deleverage without therapy, because of the has within the shortest possible time, new debt.”