Social business services opens new kitchen for youth with mental illness

The Social Business Services (SBS) opened a new kitchen and dining hall at its FOKUS day center in Purgstall an der Erlauf, Austria, to help young people with mental illnesses prepare for the workforce.

Werner Pitzl, the managing director of SBS, says the center provides social support for individuals who are currently unable to work due to mental health conditions.

The facility helps participants learn professional structures, such as punctuality and following instructions, while they work on products made from plastic, metal, and textiles. These activities help the participants discover and develop their personal skills with the long-term goal of finding employment. The center recently expanded its capabilities by adding a kitchen where participants can learn to cook food grown in the facility's own garden.

The organization secured funding for this project from Licht ins Dunkel, an Austrian charity that collects donations throughout the year. The funding also covered a dining hall and a photovoltaic system to help the center manage high electricity costs. Alexander Hofer, the regional director of ORF Niederösterreich, stated that inclusion is a vital social issue. He noted that the broadcaster reports on these projects year-round rather than just during the Christmas season.

The organization recently thanked large donors for the new facilities during a ceremony in the dining hall.