Overview
- Melanie, 46, from Hamburg cares for a son with autism who attends school only a few hours, making full-time employment unrealistic despite her prior career.
- Her household has about €1,609 a month, including €600 in Pflegegeld she describes as the payment that keeps the family afloat.
- She left a payroll accountant role with promotion prospects 13 years ago and has since progressed through two thirds of a five-year distance-study program.
- The Jobcenter covers her 85-square-meter apartment but she must defend the housing each year because officials deem it oversized after her ex-husband moved out.
- After the documentary aired, she began speaking publicly on Instagram about life on Bürgergeld, drawing notable engagement from viewers facing similar struggles.