In the summer of 2019, the first edition of a Social Pathways Guide was published for the first time, providing information for the City of Salzburg. It resembles a city map that serves as a guide for people facing financial and social emergencies. The Social Pathways Guide provides basic information on legal questions, on entitlements that may support people facing difficult situations, and on places that offer help without bureaucratic thresholds. The booklet thematically lists numerous counseling service centers and social institutions, providing contact addresses and phone numbers as well as information on the best ways to reach the respective institutions.

The booklet is free of charge. It is available at official and independent institutions that offer support and guidance, and you can order a copy from us by sending an email to (office@ifz-salzburg.at). It is also available as a PDF-file.
The Social Pathways Guide is published by the ifz, the Centre for Ethics and Poverty Research ((CEPR)) ), as well as unicum:mensch and the Salzburg-branch of the Chamber for Workers and Employees. The two latter organizations also support the project financially, along, together with other sponsors.

A printed version of the Social Pathways Guide, providing information about services available in the City of Salzburg, already exists. Now, a consortium of five academic institutions, 14 social services organizations, and three companies from the IT sector are working on a digitized Social Pathways Guide. The project is headed by Andreas Exenberger (University of Innsbruck.).

In the process of developing the Digitized Social Pathways Guide, the lives and needs of people in need of support by the welfare system take the central role. By involving people exposed to such needs, the project ensures that its most important principles – non-discrimination, accessibility, and usability – are proactively implemented. Ultimately, the Digitized Social Pathways Guide will provide a set of digital tools (an open interface, a mobile app, web applications) that will ensure flexible and barrier-free access to information about places of consultation, assistance, and services as well as information about conditions people need to fulfill for receiving services or other legal frameworks that are in place.

At the ifz, we are conducting the academic analysis as well as the supervision of the process in the State of Salzburg (conceptualization and organization of workshops, networking with social services institutions). Together with the Centre for Ethics and Poverty Research we contribute to the project by providing our expertise.

Project Partners

On this project, we participate in a consortium of five academic institutes, 14 social services organizations, and three companies from the IT sector.

• Academic Institutions: ifz Salzburg; Centre for Ethics and Poverty Research (University of Salzburg), University of Innsbruck; Vorarlberg University of Applied Sciences (FH Vorarlberg); Management Center Innsbruck
• Companies from the IT Sector: ICC Werbeagentur GmbH & Co KG; M-Pulso GmbH; Michael Holzknecht
• Social Services Organizations: AQUA Mühle Vorarlberg; Diakonie Flüchtlingsdienst (Salzburg); DOWAS für Frauen (Tirol); Frau & Arbeit (Salzburg); IFS Vorarlberg; Lebenshilfe Tirol; Offene Jugendarbeit Dornbirn; ÖZIV Tirol; Pro Mente Salzburg; Schuldenberatung Tirol; Verein für Obdachlose (Tirol); Volkshilfe Tirol; unicum:mensch (Tirol/Salzburg); Zentrum für MigrantInnen in Tirol