Settled at Last – A Safe Haven in a Senior Community Center

Margit Domann
works in the field of Visiting and Care Services at a municipal community center. She is employed by the Pankow District Office.

The collapse of the German Democratic Republic meant an abrupt and radical change for Margit Domann: she lost her job and from that moment on, her life stayed precarious. It took years for her to find a reassuring perspective – a position with Solidary Basic Income at a municipal community center.

Margit Domann came full circle when she returned to her childhood neighborhood to start work in 2020. Born in Berlin-Prenzlauer Berg in 1960, she had lived with her parents and siblings on Naugarder Strasse, near the Greifswalder Strasse suburban train station, until she was of elementary school age. In 1968 the family moved to a new building near Jannowitz Bridge, where Margit Domann lived until she had completed her apprenticeship.

A trained ornamental horticulturist, Margit Domann began her career with VEB Gartenbau Berlin, a socially owned horticulture enterprise, in 1977. After passing the examination as a skilled worker with good results, she applied to the Decor and Floristry department in Berlin-Kaulsdorf, which solely accepted trained florists. “The Decor department supplied public buildings and authorities with flower arrangements and cut flowers,” Margit Domann tells us. “We equipped the Palace of the Republic, the Council of Ministers, the State Council Building and the Free German Trade Union Federation headquarters.” The cut flowers were supplied by surrounding nurseries: roses, gerbera daisies and carnations came from Pankow, while Kaulsdorf sent birds of paradise and orchids. Margit Domann was a dedicated employee and enjoyed her work, which was why she was offered an extra-occupational one-year training as a florist and decorator in 1986.

In 1979 she met a colleague in landscaping, who always brought her flowers; they have been happily married since 1981. Her first son was born that same year, followed by a daughter in 1984. As it was too far to commute to Kaulsdorf with two children, Margit Domann applied as a gardener with the Free German Trade Union Federation (FDGB) in 1987; from then on, she was responsible for looking after the building and its plants, and for furnishing events and the FDGB hotel with flowers. In a time of looming political upheaval, the Domann family expected their third child: in 1990, in the midst of the turbulent collapse of the German Democratic Republic, their second son was born. “My children all have good jobs. My youngest is an engine driver with German Rail (“Deutsche Bahn”), my daughter is a copywriter and my second son works for a cleaning company on Museum Island,” says Margit Domann. “My eldest has given me two grandchildren already, twins.”

The collapse of the German Democratic Republic was accompanied by the monetary union in 1990, and the Trust Agency (“Treuhandanstalt”) took over all socially owned enterprises. As a result, many GDR enterprises closed down – putting seven million East Germans out of work. Margit Domann was one of them: when the FDGB was liquidated, she, too, lost her job.

Margit Domann had a tough landing in this new societal reality. She had never imagined that one day, she would have to register with the unemployment agency to get the money she needed to survive. After the birth of her son, the unemployment agency continued to pay her wages for one year, but the benefits were canceled after the year was up – she was told her husband made too much. As a mother of three, she didn’t stand a chance with employers, as so many people were looking for work. “For years, I scraped by, usually on mini jobs that paid up to 400 Marks. With three kids, we didn’t have a choice.”

Despite the difficulties, Margit Domann remained true to her profession. “I continued to work as a florist for a long time,” she says. “I was with the Blume2000 chain as a salesperson for almost five years, then I worked at a flower stall at an underground station in Neukölln, and finally at a store near Jannowitz Bridge.” But the florist business was changing, and people were increasingly starting to buy cheap flowers at the supermarket. Margit Domann was finally no longer able to find work in this sector.

The unemployment agency suggested that she re-train as a care assistant. She gathered initial experience with the elderly in a retirement home. “I worked for half a year to get a feel for the job,” Margit Domann tells us. “As a care assistant, I supported the nursing staff and instructed the elderly during activities that included singing, crafting and gymnastics.”

“It was a constant back and forth.”

Margit Domann

Once she had obtained her qualification as a care assistant in January 2005, things started to take off. “I rotated between outpatient home care, assisted living and facilities for the care of the elderly.” At a time when nursing staff was urgently needed, Margit Domann suffered the absurd consequences of labor market policies: “The contracts I got through the unemployment agency’s support measures were never for more than one year. That included a six-month probationary period, the remaining six months were funded by the agency. Once the year was up, my contract wouldn’t be extended, because the companies preferred to hire the next worker funded by the agency.” This way, they saved labor costs.

In 2014 Margit Domann joined the St. John’s Association. “As a church organization, they paid better than others, they even paid a Christmas bonus and for trainings. Unfortunately, the contract ended after two years.” After that, she joined Domicil, a care company, where the pay was not exactly encouraging. “When I started working in care, I was paid an hourly wage of €7,” says Margit Domann. “Things like that have an impact on your pension down the road.” The job itself was far more motivating than the pay: “Most of all, I went to work for my seniors. They were desperately unhappy whenever I went on vacation.”

“After 13 years in care, my body was ruined.”

Margit Domann

In 2015 Margit Domann developed heart problems. She was taken ill more and more frequently and was ultimately no longer able to continue work. Margit Domann was sent to a health resort and had to stay home for a longer period of time. After her re-entry, she stayed in care until late 2017. “It was a really nice job,” she says today. “But it was very strenuous.” A breakdown brought her career to an abrupt halt: Margit Domann developed arthritis and could no longer walk. She had to undergo surgery on her left knee, followed by rehabilitation therapy. She is now no longer able to bend down or lift or carry things, making it impossible for her to continue in this profession.

After an almost two-year convalescent phase, Margit Domann was once again without a job. She applied with the unemployment agency and her pension provider to re-train as a carer; as the training cost €6,000, the unemployment agency made things difficult and tried to demand that she stay in nursing. “Which was something I was physically unable to do. My left knee was ruined.” After a long fight, and an expert opinion compiled by Medical Services, Margit Domann was finally granted the five-month training, obtaining her qualification as a carer in February 2020.

Margit Domann, now a care assistant, went to the unemployment agency, but nobody there was able to offer her a job. She found the positions within the Solidary Basic Income (“Solidarisches Grundeinkommen,” SGE) project herself while studying vacancies – calling for carers for senior community centers in Prenzlauer Berg, her home neighborhood. The SGE jobs in this field were created to strengthen social contacts and societal cohesion in neighborhood assistance, at nursing facilities and senior community centers as well as in the home environment.

This specific SGE field is called Visiting and Care Services, and Margit Domann has the best qualifications for it. She applied and initially didn’t hear back for three weeks. “Until one day they called and asked me to come down to the district office. The job interview took place at the office on Fröbelstrasse in Prenzlauer Berg – with four of the bosses,” remembers Margit Domann. “It lasted a good half hour, during which they asked me a million questions.” At first, Margit Domann didn’t hear back from them after the interview. “I waited; I was really impatient. Today, I can’t recall exactly when they told me I could start on October 1, 2020.” Six SGE vacancies had been filled; the select few were handed their welcome folders for new employees in the district by the District Councilor herself.

For four months, Margit Domann learned the ropes in a community center which was deserted due to the coronavirus. “I whipped that place into shape,” she tells us. “The shelves were a mess. But I’m a child of the German Democratic Republic, I need everything to be nice and tidy.” Margit Domann kept a neat record of the inventory and made notes. “If I had any questions, facility management was always there for me.”

In February 2021 she moved to her current place of work at Husemannstrasse 12. This old Berlin apartment building is known throughout the neighborhood; when the entire Husemannstrasse was lavishly renovated prior to Berlin’s 750th anniversary in 1987, the “Working Life in Berlin Around 1900” museum moved into number 12. After the collapse of the German Democratic Republic, it was closed, and a municipal senior community center took over the premises.

When Margit Domann arrived, a lot of things were changing at the community center. The facility had originally planned to celebrate its 25th anniversary in 2020; a short time before, however, a new owner had acquired the building at an auction in the summer of 2019, and promptly terminated the rental agreement. The District Councilor intervened, the owner withdrew the termination, and a mutual solution was found which allowed the community center to stay in the building. The rental agreement continued without change for another two years, with gradual increases in rent agreed for the years between 2022 and 2026. What will happen after that will be subject to new negotiations.

At the same time, the community center came under new management. “Ms. Lenk-Ilte and I reorganized the Husemannstrasse center after so many things had been put off for so many years,” Margit Domann says. “We threw out all the old furniture and had the walls and floors renovated. Now we just need to do the kitchen, and everything will look nice and fresh.”

Regulars like Horst, an 85-year-old Prenzlauer Berg native, is delighted; for him, the community center is his home away from home. As one of the largest centers in Pankow, it has room for a wide range of activities: “Twice a month we organize a breakfast for seniors,” Margit Domann tells us. “Various associations use the center for their regular meetings, such as “Jahresringe,” an association that promotes education and employment. We have a cabaret group, a painting circle, a group for recovering addicts, Qi Gong practice, chess, and even a creative writing group.” The largest group is the PC Club, which helps people understand smart phones and computers. Prior to the coronavirus, the center even had a story time offer and a dance group for children; contrary to its name, the senior community center is open to people of all ages and thus does justice to the age structure in the area, of which the brand-new ping-pong table in the sports room is visible proof.

The seniors at the community center teamed up across the various groups to organize a multi-media exhibition on life during and with the pandemic, which officially opened on March 1, 2022 – a highlight after the tough restrictions and lockdowns.

The community center has become just as safe a haven for Margit Domann as it is for the seniors in her care. Before her contract runs out, Margit Domann will reach the legal retirement age. A reassuring thought, she says.

Copy: Katrin Rohnstock / Rohnstock Biografien