Salzburg plans shelter for girls targeted by drug gangs

Salzburg plans to open a protection and emergency sleeping facility near the main railway station for girls at risk from drug addiction and other dangers, ORF reported. The state plans to spend nearly 1.5 billion euros on social services through 2028, more than in previous years.

Social Affairs Councillor Wolfgang Fürweger said young girls, and sometimes children, from severely troubled circumstances were repeatedly falling into the hands of drug gangs. He said they were deliberately made dependent on drugs and held as sex slaves in homes. The planned shelter is intended to provide crisis support, safe spaces and overnight accommodation.

Fürweger described the railway station district as a crime hotspot and criticised the police’s assessment that it was not one. About two million euros has been earmarked for the facility over the next two years. It is due to open next spring.

The state also plans 80 new care places in total for people with mental illnesses and people with disabilities. They could allow people who are currently cared for in other federal states because suitable facilities are unavailable in Salzburg to return. The state currently spends more than 15 million euros a year on care for people with disabilities outside Salzburg, Fürweger said. He added that local facilities would keep jobs and economic activity in the state and make it easier for relatives to visit.

Social affairs and health are currently handled by separate political departments, though Fürweger said a merger could be considered during coalition talks after the state election in about 18 months.

Despite rising social spending, employees in the sector are expected to receive only modest pay increases over the next two years.