Wohngruppe

Wohngruppe (literally “living group”) is a form of organized communal living used in German-speaking welfare systems. It describes a small residential community in which several residents share a home-like living space, usually with private bedrooms and common areas such as a kitchen, living room, and bathrooms, while receiving ongoing professional support and supervision. Wohngruppen are used predominantly in youth welfare, disability services, and elder or mental-health care, and may operate as part of a stationary (residential) facility or as a semi-stationary arrangement.

Typically comprising four to eight residents, sometimes more, they are staffed by qualified caregivers who provide daily assistance, coordination of routines, and individualized support plans. The aim is to combine a homelike living environment with professional care, promoting autonomy, social participation, and learning of everyday life skills. Residents often participate in group meetings and decision-making about daily routines, meals, outings, and person-centered goals.

Wohngruppen are distinguished from Wohngemeinschaften (shared flats) by the presence of staffed care and a more intentional treatment or support focus, whereas WG arrangements are usually informal, housing-only arrangements for adults. The concept is embedded in German social policy and funding streams such as the Kinder- und Jugendhilfe (SGB VIII) and disability support services, and may exist in related forms in Austria and Switzerland.