Hartz und herzlich participants face housing and financial crisis

Jasmin and Maik, featured on the reality television program ‘Hartz und herzlich’, are facing severe financial and housing instability. After leaving a supervised parent-child home, the couple is temporarily living in a 63-square-meter apartment with Maik’s mother, Bärbel.

The situation is complicated by the fact that Jasmin is pregnant with their third child, while their two existing children are currently in the care of the youth welfare office. Due to the recent change in living arrangements, their ‘Bürgergeld’ (citizen's allowance) benefits must be recalculated, leaving them with virtually no income.

To survive, the couple relies on financial support from Bärbel, the sale of personal belongings, and collecting money from returning empty bottles (Pfand). Despite tensions arising from living in a shared household, the couple is actively searching for their own apartment and working to renew their social benefit applications through the Jobcenter.