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Good practice Imported

DIGITALES ZUHAUSE — Individualised Digital Coaching for Homeless People in Berlin

Germany · Berlin · See the Germany profile · See the Berlin profile

Evidence: Descriptive / self-reported Top 82% 52/100 · Ask Evidence Copilot about this practice

Since May 2020, Berlin nonprofit Neue Chance has equipped homeless people with smartphones, laptops and tablets alongside one-to-one digital coaching from social workers, reaching 200+ participants in its first two years and winning Germany's Digital Prize in 2022.

200+ people
Participants reached in first two years of operation (2020-2022)
DIGITALES ZUHAUSE — Individualised Digital Coaching for Homeless People in Berlin

Details

Maturity
Established
Promoter
Neue Chance Berlin e.V. / Neue Chance gGmbH
Period
2020–present
Region (NUTS)
DE30
Keywords
digital inclusion, homelessness, digital literacy coaching, device provision

Context

Neue Chance, a Berlin social-services nonprofit, launched DIGITALES ZUHAUSE in May 2020 with initial funding from Aktion Mensch to connect homeless people to devices and the internet.

Objectives

Equip homeless people in Berlin with a device (smartphone, laptop, computer or tablet) and individualised, needs-based digital coaching from experienced social workers.

Activities

One-to-one coaching tailored to each participant's needs and starting point, covering housing-search platforms, word processing, email, social media and online-safety awareness, alongside device provision.

Results

More than 200 participants reached in the project's first two years of operation (2020-2022). The project won the German Digital Prize (Deutscher Digitalpreis) in June 2022, received the Wichernplakette (the Diakonisches Werk Berlin-Brandenburg-schlesische Oberlausitz's highest honour) in June 2023, and was a 2023 Deutscher Engagementpreis nominee in the Digital Togetherness category.

Conclusions

After its initial Aktion Mensch grant period ended in October 2020, the project has run solely on donations. Publicly available sources report participation counts and award recognition but do not disclose a formal outcome-evaluation study, such as housing or employment placement rates.

Implementation
Indicative cost
Low (< €50k) — Small nonprofit programme providing devices (smartphones, laptops, computers, tablets) plus social-worker coaching time; seed-funded by Aktion Mensch, donation-funded since October 2020.
Time to results
Medium (1–3 years) — Continuous operation since May 2020 with no fixed end date; award recognition continued through 2023.
Staffing & skills
Experienced social workers delivering one-to-one digital coaching

Conditions for success

  • Individualised, needs-based coaching rather than device handouts alone
  • Continued donation funding after the initial Aktion Mensch grant period ended in October 2020

Common failure modes

  • Dependence on donations only, without renewed grant funding, creates financial uncertainty for continuity
  • No formal outcome evaluation exists to demonstrate housing or employment impact

Where it fits

Governance type
NGO/nonprofit
Scale
local
Income level
high-income (Germany)

Commonly funded by

Philanthropic / foundation funding

Indicative funding routes for practices of this type — always check each programme's current calls and eligibility rules.

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Data sources

Where this practice's information was retrieved from, and when.

Attachments

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