Funding loss threatens Klagenfurt inclusion café

The inclusive Stadtcafé in Klagenfurt, a café and training venue for young people with disabilities, faces closure in its current form at the end of the year, ORF reported. The café has been run by the Diakonie for 23 years, but its public funding will end in 2026.

Fifty-five young people with learning disabilities have been able to complete apprenticeships in gastronomy at the café. Diakonie de La Tour cannot finance the project independently, said its rector, Astrid Körner.

The loss of the Stadtcafé would remove one of the organisation’s training placements. The Diakonie also supports young people through integrative vocational training at businesses including a gardening operation and a joinery, but the programme will no longer continue in its current form at the café, Körner said.

The Ministry of Social Affairs confirmed to ORF that funding would be discontinued at the end of the year, saying savings were also necessary in this area. Three apprentices are still working at the Stadtcafé. Their training will continue to be funded, according to the ministry and Körner.

Körner said the Diakonie was examining ways to preserve the café as a meeting place for regular customers and as a welcoming venue in central Klagenfurt. She said she could not yet provide details.

The café’s trainers and social workers will be able to continue working for the Diakonie, Körner said. A similar project, the Autarkerie, has operated in Villach for several years under the association Autark.