Tabakfabrik X Diakonie: A place that lives through people
23. September 2025
The employees of Diakoniewerk have been an integral part of Tabakfabrik for more than ten years. The integrative facility management team ensures that the area is well maintained. This makes Tabakfabrik a place where people enjoy spending time, working, learning and teaching.
Seven supervised employees work with two agogic specialists. The work is varied: keeping the grounds clean, maintaining green spaces, looking after entrance areas, providing support at events or tidying up after parties. A clear weekly schedule provides structure. The Agog:innen provide support, but the team does a lot of the work independently. The employees know the grounds like the back of their hand and are an integral part of everyday life at Tabakfabrik.
Working with purpose and freedom
Aron, Elisabeth, Claudia and their colleagues carry out their tasks reliably and are a well-coordinated team. Sandra, a social education worker and specialist for people with disabilities, emphasizes: “Everyone does what they can. We assign jobs according to their potential. It is important to us to promote independence and social integration. That’s how they develop a love of work. Our group is almost disappointed when it’s Friday. They identify very strongly with Tabakfabrik,” she explains.
For the accompanying employees, working here not only means a secure job, but also the opportunity to be part of a larger whole.
Ness Rubey
Ness Rubey
Mutual appreciation
The cooperation between Tabakfabrik and Diakonie is characterized by mutual appreciation and gratitude. Denise Halak, Managing Director of Tabakfabrik, describes it this way: “Our cooperation with Diakoniewerk is based on mutual trust, a high level of reliability, a shared commitment to this special neighborhood and to the diversity of our society.”
Sandra, an agogic companion from the very beginning, particularly appreciates the flexibility and the respectful interaction: “No two days are the same. I really like the variety, the contact with people and the appreciation.” Her colleague Mario adds: “I’m right in the middle of the action here, the work is fulfilling, dynamic and meaningful.”
More than just a job
The team’s work is more than just a traditional service: it creates spaces in which people with disabilities can take on responsibility and showcase their abilities. In this way, the team not only contributes to the maintenance of Tabakfabrik, but also shapes the social interaction of this special place. Tabakfabrik shows how inclusion, business and urban development can intertwine and how valuable it is when a place is cared for and shaped by people.
