PFIF, Finding Perspectives in Fürth | Counseling & Integration

PFIF – Finding Perspectives in Fürth is not a traditional cultural center or ticket location, but a municipal counseling project that supports people in settling in, addressing everyday questions, and connecting to the regular assistance system. The official assignment lies with the city of Fürth, Department IV – Social Affairs, Youth, and Culture. In publicly accessible documents, PFIF is described as a project for particularly disadvantaged newly arrived EU citizens as well as for homeless individuals or those threatened by homelessness. Since 2022, the project has been funded solely by the city of Fürth, according to ISKA, and no longer through EU funds. This is why PFIF is particularly strong where orientation, trust, and concrete referrals are more important than stage, seating plan, or box office. Therefore, those looking for events or tickets will encounter a social assistance system with multiple partners, various languages, and clear points of contact in Fürth. ([bmas.de](https://www.bmas.de/DE/Europa-und-die-Welt/Europaeische-Fonds/Europaeischer-Hilfsfonds/EHAP-Projektphase-2/Projekte/pfif-perspektiven-finden-in-fuerth-hauptprojekt.html))

Counseling, Orientation, and Free Assistance at PFIF

The core of PFIF is low-threshold, free counseling. The Family Information Fürth explicitly describes the offer for newly arrived EU citizens as support on topics such as learning German, finding kindergarten or school placements, contact with offices and authorities, personal and family life problems, as well as orientation in social, professional, and cultural life in Fürth. The AWO information on initial migration counseling complements this approach with a clear practical reference: those new to Germany receive assistance with job searching, training and education, career orientation, applications, housing issues, language courses, immigration law questions, authorities, and conflict situations. This mix makes PFIF particularly relevant for people arriving in Fürth who first need a reliable initial response before uncertainty becomes a real problem. It is also important to have the right attitude: support should not be instructive but empowering. The project documents emphasize that counseling is time-limited, appreciative, and respectful, and is not simply reduced to cultural differences. Thus, PFIF represents a form of social work that combines material assistance and relationships. It not only creates information but also structure, so that a new place of residence can become a new everyday life. ([familieninfo-fuerth.de](https://www.familieninfo-fuerth.de/beratung-und-hilfen/migration/))

PFIF for Newly Arrived EU Citizens and Families in Fürth

A particularly important focus of PFIF is the support of newly arrived individuals from the European Union. The BMAS project page explicitly mentions particularly disadvantaged newly arrived Union citizens, including parents with their preschool children up to 7 years old. This shows that it is not just about abstract integration goals, but about very concrete living situations: those arriving with children need daycare spots, school routes, daily routines, explanations for forms, orientation at the authorities, and often also the assurance of being in the right place. The ISKA page describes that many immigrants initially do not know the local requirements and possibilities and therefore do not utilize existing support offers sufficiently. PFIF addresses this directly: volunteer integration guides accompany people in everyday life, help with initial orientation, and build trust in local structures. The AWO page even states the goal of independence very directly: the counseling should help adult immigrants to shape their lives in Germany more independently. The combination of professional counseling and everyday assistance is particularly valuable. For example, those looking for a kindergarten spot, who do not understand a letter from an authority, or who need to sort out the next steps after a new arrival, receive not only advice but often also the appropriate referral. PFIF is thus a project for arriving in the true sense: not just being registered, but arriving in everyday life. ([bmas.de](https://www.bmas.de/DE/Europa-und-die-Welt/Europaeische-Fonds/Europaeischer-Hilfsfonds/EHAP-Projektphase-2/Projekte/pfif-perspektiven-finden-in-fuerth-hauptprojekt.html))

Homelessness, Housing Shortage, and Further Referrals

PFIF not only covers the perspective of new immigration but also addresses the issue of housing and housing shortages. The BMAS page names the second central focus as addressing, counseling, and accompanying homeless individuals or those threatened by homelessness. The previous project description and contact list also make it clear that this is not just a small additional task, but a separate strand within the project. The PFIF contact list includes specialized counseling for Germans and EU citizens with housing problems, including contacts for the specialized office for preventing homelessness. This makes it clear that PFIF not only provides short-term orientation but also refers to the right places for existential questions. This is particularly important in the area of housing because uncertainty often leads to a domino effect: those who can no longer reliably pay rent need information about social housing, support in contacting authorities, an assessment of the next steps, and ideally a calm contact person. The official documents also show a clear regional anchoring: for housing shortage counseling, Königsplatz 2 in Fürth is mentioned, while PFIF itself is connected to Mathildenstraße 13 and the integration office at Königstraße 86. From an SEO perspective, this is exactly why the project can be relevant in search queries about housing, assistance, emergencies, and support: PFIF is an entry point into the assistance system, not the entire system itself. Those who call or visit should not go in circles but receive a concrete next step. ([bmas.de](https://www.bmas.de/DE/Europa-und-die-Welt/Europaeische-Fonds/Europaeischer-Hilfsfonds/EHAP-Projektphase-2/Projekte/pfif-perspektiven-finden-in-fuerth-hauptprojekt.html))

Language Mediation, Integration Guides, and Volunteer Support

A central quality feature of PFIF is the connection between professional work and volunteer support. The ISKA page names the integration guides as individual contacts for coping with everyday life and integration on-site. Their help includes language training and German conversation, accompaniment to offices, doctors, schools, and daycare centers, form assistance, interpreting, application assistance, as well as joint city walks and also sports or cultural activities. This is more than mere translation. It is about breaking down barriers that are often invisible in everyday life, such as when a letter is too complicated, an office appointment makes one nervous, or expectations in school and daycare remain unclear. The project documents also emphasize that volunteers should be open, communicative, reliable, and tolerant and receive regular meetings, exchanges, and training. The volunteer context is also very well established in Fürth: the FZF has been working since 2008, is part of a strong network, and has accompanied over 400 volunteers and more than 1,300 mediation and counseling conversations in the last ten years, according to its own representation. This is important for PFIF because integration does not arise solely from forms but from relationships, language practice, and trust. The fact that various mother tongues are represented in the team and that counseling is offered in German, Romanian, Bulgarian, Turkish, and Russian underscores the multilingual approach. Those looking for a place where not only what is missing is stated but where it is jointly explored what is possible next will find one of the strongest points of contact in Fürth at PFIF. ([iska-nuernberg.de](https://www.iska-nuernberg.de/fzf/eu_zuwanderer.html))

Locations, Contact Methods, and Partner Network in Fürth

PFIF is not a single building with one door, but a network of several locations in the center of Fürth. The contact list names the PFIF address as Mathildenstraße 13, 90762 Fürth, with the phone number 0911 / 97908585. Additionally, the project is located in the integration office of the city of Fürth at Königstraße 86, Room 001; Jochen Sahr is named as the contact person there. For the target group of EU immigrants, Alin Safta and Iulia Lavric are also listed in the PFIF office at Mathildenstraße 13, while for the AWO Culture Bridge at Theresienstraße 34, another specialized counseling service in German/Bulgarian/Turkish is provided. The volunteer integration guides and language mediators can be reached through the Volunteer Center Fürth at Theresienstraße 3, and for housing shortage questions, specialized contacts are mentioned at Königsplatz 2. This spatial distribution is not coincidental but reflects a connected assistance system: each location has its own focus, and together they form the PFIF framework. This way, people can be picked up where their specific problem lies, instead of disappearing in an unclear large structure. The Family Information Fürth also confirms this embedding and refers to free counseling for newly arrived EU citizens. Therefore, those seeking contact should not think of PFIF as an event location but as a coordinated social infrastructure: several specialists, a common goal, short paths, and clear referrals. ([admin.integreat-app.de](https://admin.integreat-app.de/fuerth/wp-content/uploads/sites/177/2020/04/Kontaktliste_PFIF.pdf))

Why PFIF is Not a Traditional Event or Ticket Location

The search terms entered around events and tickets show a typical misunderstanding that quickly arises with place names that have a strong brand character. However, the publicly accessible information about PFIF points in a completely different direction. The BMAS page documents an EHAP project with clearly defined counseling and accompanying tasks, the ISKA page describes integration guides, language training, accompaniment, and mediation work, and the municipal and association pages speak of free counseling, orientation, and referrals. Nowhere is there a description as a concert venue, hall operation, or regular ticket platform. There is also no capacity in terms of seating or event hall because the project is not a stage but a support system. This is important for seekers because those hoping for tickets or an event program should not confuse PFIF with a venue. At the same time, the hits on the municipal page for integration and migration explain why the project can still be connected to public appointments and offers in a broader sense: there, integration councils, promotion of integration projects, and event tips are bundled, while PFIF itself takes on social support. The correct expectation is therefore: not an admission ticket, but initial contact; not program search, but orientation; not seating plan, but signpost. In this role, PFIF is valuable for Fürth because it provides people in uncertain situations with a first stable address and then accompanies them to where the next help actually takes place. ([bmas.de](https://www.bmas.de/DE/Europa-und-die-Welt/Europaeische-Fonds/Europaeischer-Hilfsfonds/EHAP-Projektphase-2/Projekte/pfif-perspektiven-finden-in-fuerth-hauptprojekt.html))

Sources:

• BMAS – PFIF – Finding Perspectives in Fürth ([bmas.de](https://www.bmas.de/DE/Europa-und-die-Welt/Europaeische-Fonds/Europaeischer-Hilfsfonds/EHAP-Projektphase-2/Projekte/pfif-perspektiven-finden-in-fuerth-hauptprojekt.html))
• Family Information Fürth – Migration / Integration ([familieninfo-fuerth.de](https://www.familieninfo-fuerth.de/beratung-und-hilfen/migration/))
• ISKA – For EU Immigrants ([iska-nuernberg.de](https://www.iska-nuernberg.de/fzf/eu_zuwanderer.html))
• PFIF – Contact List (PDF) ([admin.integreat-app.de](https://admin.integreat-app.de/fuerth/wp-content/uploads/sites/177/2020/04/Kontaktliste_PFIF.pdf))
• AWO Fürth – Initial Migration Counseling ([awo-fuerth.de](https://www.awo-fuerth.de/navid.32/migration-beratung-deutsch.htm))