Welcome to the foundation Das Rauhe Haus
Close and vibrant church welfare: Das Rauhe Haus is represented in and around Hamburg by some 100 institutions, residential groups and regional offices as well as its educational institutions. We look after children, young people and their families. We care for elderly people and support individuals with intellectual disabilities as well as those with mental illnesses. We educate children, teenagers and young adults.
Education
Wichern School
Wichern School is open to young people of different denominations and origins. We aim to offer them a place for living and learning. We are a Protestant school consisting of a primary school, district secondary school and grammar school.
Protestant University for Social Work and Diaconry
The Protestant University stands for the intensive study of social pedagogy and welfare-related theology. It meets European standards with its Bachelor's and Master's qualifications. The church exam conferring the title of “Diakon” or “Diakonin” is a special qualification.
Protestant Vocational Care School
At the Protestant Vocational Care School we train state-recognised carers for the elderly as well as health and care assistants. Alongside medical skills, we teach people to understand the needs and wishes of elderly people and to offer them good support in everyday life.
Social Work
Support for children and young people
We help children, young people and their families in difficult circumstances.
- We offer advice and assistance for families.
- We work in city districts and provide care in families, day-care centres and schools.
- We welcome young people who cannot remain in their family into our residential groups.
Assistance for handicapped persons
Home, work, activities and leisure time all combine to provide meaning and fulfilment in daily life. We look after people with disabilities and support them and their family and friends.
- We offer care in their own home.
- Those in need of more support live in one of our residential groups.
- Work and activities provide a common thread for the day.
- We offer leisure time opportunities and adult education at our cultural meeting points.
Support for persons with mental illnesses
We offer people with mental illnesses a secure framework for a life that is as independent as possible.
- Our assistance is tailored individually to the person in question.
- We offer care in their own home and in one of our residential groups.
- Meetings with friends and other people are part of everyday life.
- We offer activities and workplaces with various requirement profiles.
Caring for the elderly
The care home Haus Weinberg on the foundation's premises is home to 70 old people, some of whom are suffering from dementia. There are 20 additional places for short-term residents. The manageable size of the building and the furnishing of rooms with the person's own furniture mean it quickly becomes a home. We offer our residents loving care and respect in their twilight years.
Education
Wichern School
Wichern School is open to young people of different denominations and origins. We aim to offer them a place for living and learning. We are a Protestant school consisting of a primary school, district secondary school and grammar school.
Protestant University for Social Work and Diaconry
The Protestant University stands for the intensive study of social pedagogy and welfare-related theology. It meets European standards with its Bachelor's and Master's qualifications. The church exam conferring the title of “Diakon” or “Diakonin” is a special qualification.
Protestant Vocational Care School
At the Protestant Vocational Care School we train state-recognised nurses as well as health and care assistants. Alongside medical skills, we teach people to understand the needs and wishes of elderly people and to offer them good support in everyday life.
Brothers And Sisters
From the beginning of the foundation we train and educate deacons, since 1971 at our Protestant University. The brother- and sisterhood is the spiritual community of Das Rauhe Haus.
It All began with an Idea in 1833
The young theologian Johann Hinrich Wichern started working as a Sunday school teacher in Hamburg. He saw many children homeless and suffering, just living on the street. He then followed his idea: children should grow up in companionship and security, like in a family, and not in barracks, as was then customary.
In 1833, 25-year-old Wichern persuaded leading Hamburg politicians and businessmen to found a "rescue village" for neglected and orphaned children. A small thatched peasant's cottage in Horn became the foundation's first "family house". Wichern’s idea was successful and more houses were erected on the site of Horn. Between ten and twelve children lived with a carer in each of the houses.
The children's carers were to be like brothers to them. In Wichern's time, it was craftmen and journeymen who were given pedagogical training in Das Rauhe Haus and became deacons ("Diakone”).
Nowadays the foundation Das Rauhe Haus is one of the best-known church welfare organisations in Germany.
We Embody Shared Values
We are vibrant. We know that life doesn't always run a straight and predictable path. We take life as we find it. Even in difficult situations, we find a way.
We are church welfare. For us, all people are God's creations. We meet people at eye level. We help anyone who entrusts themselves to us to take control of their life.
We are close. Our route to people is short and direct. We are there on the spot for people who need our help.
Das Rauhe Haus in figures
Support for children and young people: 610 individuals cared for
Social psychiatry: 580 individuals cared for
Care for the elderly: 100 individuals cared for
Participation with assistance: 490 individuals cared for
Wichern School: 1,500 pupils
Protestant Vocational Care School: 280 trainees
Protestant University for Social Work and Church Welfare: 550 students
Brotherhood and sisterhood: 640 members
Some 1,200 employees and 175 volunteers work at Das Rauhe Haus. We can be found at approximately 100 addresses in and around Hamburg.