Bridge Schleswig-Holstein

What Bridge Schleswig-Holstein does

Brücke Schleswig-Holstein gGmbH is a non-profit (gemeinnützige GmbH) social-psychiatry and psychosocial services organization headquartered in Kiel, Germany, delivering community-based mental health, nursing, vocational, and housing support to people with psychological impairments and social disadvantages across nine districts and two independent cities in Schleswig-Holstein. Founded in 1984 from the German psychiatric reform movement and affiliated with the PARITÄTISCHER welfare association, the organization operates a decentralized network that includes outpatient assistance (Ambulante Hilfen), residential housing groups, day centers, psychiatric day clinics, sociotherapy services, vocational workshops, the Psychosocial Centre for Traumatized Refugees, and social enterprises such as bistro, textile-recycling, and bicycle-service operations. In 2021 the organization employed approximately 777 staff and reported Umsatzerlöse of €37 million; it has since expanded via the August 2024 merger with Brücke Elmshorn.

The business model is reimbursement-driven rather than commercial: primary revenue streams are statutory health insurance (GKV) and long-term care insurance (Pflegeversicherung) reimbursements for medical, psychiatric, sociotherapy, nursing, and rehabilitation services, supplemented by public sector commissioning (Jugendamt, Sozialamt, state of Schleswig-Holstein, AMIF and ESF project grants) and voluntary donations. A network of wholly and partially owned subsidiaries — including Integrationsfachdienst Schleswig-Flensburg gGmbH, WohnECK NF gGmbH, WirksamZeit GmbH, and stakes in Paritätische Pflege SH gGmbH — extends the platform into employment integration, social housing, time-management services, and nursing care. The technology stack is intentionally light: there is no proprietary care-management platform or AI/ML product, and the only disclosed technology investment is an AI-assisted web accessibility layer that adapts HTML and ARIA attributes to support WCAG 2.1 AA compliance for screen-reader and keyboard-navigation users.

Name

Bridge Schleswig-Holstein

Legal name

Brücke Schleswig-Holstein gGmbH

Website

https://bruecke-sh.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Brücke Schleswig-Holstein gGmbH is a Kiel-based non-profit social-psychiatry organization delivering community-based mental health, nursing, vocational, and housing services to people with psychological impairments across nine districts and two cities in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Services

NAICS

Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Vocational Rehabilitation Services (624310), Residential Mental Health and Substance Abuse Facilities (623220), Other Residential Care Facilities (62399), Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (624120)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090), Services-Specialty Outpatient Facilities, Nec (8093), Services-Health Services (8000), Services-Nursing & Personal Care Facilities (8050)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Mental Health Centers (CMHCs) & Public Behavioral Health Providers (HLAFACAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Outpatient Mental Health Clinics & Counseling Centers (HLAFACAA), Outpatient Mental Health & Counseling Clinics (HLAFABAC)

Keywords

• Mental health services
• Psychosocial support
• Psychiatric care
• Vocational rehabilitation
• Social psychiatry

Headquarters

HQ city

Kiel

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices10 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Statutory health insurance and long-term care insurance reimbursements: Core revenue from reimbursement payments for medical treatment, psychiatric care, sociotherapy, nursing care, and rehabilitation services covered under German statutory health insurance (GKV) and long-term care insurance (Pflegeversicherung). Revenue reported at €37 million in 2021.
2. Public sector contracts and project funding: Funding from public commissioning (e.g., psychiatric clinic operations, integration services, youth welfare services) and project grants from the state of Schleswig-Holstein and European Union (ESF-funded projects such as STEP).
3. Donations: Donations from individuals and organizations, processed via PayPal, credit/debit card, or bank transfer. Donations support specific projects such as the Psychosocial Centre for Traumatized Refugees.
4. Vocational rehabilitation and workshop services: Revenue from vocational rehabilitation services, workshop operations (textile workshop, carpentry, bistro, office services), and work integration programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Brücke Schleswig-Holstein gGmbH delivers community-based mental health and psychosocial support services for individuals with psychological impairments across Schleswig-Holstein, including outpatient assistance, residential housing, day clinics, sociotherapy, vocational workshops, and refugee trauma counseling. Services are delivered through a decentralized network of facilities in nine districts and two independent cities, reimbursed by statutory health and long-term care insurers and public commissioning bodies.

Product overview

Brücke Schleswig-Holstein gGmbH is a non-profit social services organization that operates as a unified platform of mental health and psychosocial support services. The organization provides a comprehensive portfolio of interconnected services organized by geographic regions across nine districts and independent cities in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. Core offerings include: (1) Outpatient assistance and residential living options (Wohngruppen, Wohnhäuser), (2) Day centers and community meeting places (Tagesstätten, Begegnungsstätten), (3) Medical treatment services including psychiatric day clinics and institute ambulances, (4) Sociotherapy for people with severe mental illness, (5) Vocational rehabilitation through Starthilfe programs and workshop facilities (Werkstätten) including Werkstatt Westküstenservice with its BILDSCHÖN Designwerkstatt, textile recycling, and various social businesses, (6) A Psychosocial Center for Traumatized Refugees providing free multilingual counseling, and (7) Prevention and integration projects like the STEP career orientation program. The organization operates integrated subsidiary companies including Integrationsfachdienst Schleswig-Flensburg gGmbH and generates revenue through social enterprises including cafés, canteens, bicycle services, and craft workshops. Founded in 1984, the organization employed approximately 777 staff members in 2021 with annual revenue of approximately €37 million.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Ambulante Hilfen (Outpatient Assistance) Outpatient support services for people with mental health conditions, including living assistance and community-based care delivered across multiple districts in Schleswig-Holstein.
• Wohngruppen und Wohnhäuser (Living Groups and Residential Homes) Supervised residential housing options for people with mental health conditions, including protected living arrangements and youth residential homes.
• Tagesstätten und Begegnungsstätten (Day Centers and Community Centers) Daytime facilities providing structured activities, social interaction, and therapeutic support for people with mental health conditions.
• Soziotherapie (Sociotherapy)

Quantifiable outcome

• 777 employees serving people across nine districts and two independent cities in 2021.
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Stiftung PARITÄT Schleswig-HolsteincoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParent organization and majority shareholder of Brücke SH. Provides organizational support, advocacy, and network within the PARITÄTISCHER umbrella of 500+ social organizations in Schleswig-Holstein. Brücke SH actively supports the association's guidelines.
• Integrationsfachdienst Schleswig-Flensburg gGmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint venture with Nicolaiheim Sundsacker e.V. and Norddeutsche Gesellschaft für Diakonie e.V. Provides employment integration services for people with disabilities, offering recruitment, placement, and workplace support. Services are free and confidential.
• Paritätische Pflege SH gGmbHminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerShareholder of Brücke SH, operating in the field of nursing care services in Schleswig-Holstein.
• Die Brücke Schleswig e.V.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional member association of Brücke SH located in Steinbergkirche.
• Die Fähre e.V.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional member association, shareholder of Brücke SH.
• Die Brücke Dithmarschen e.V.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional member association based in Heide, 25746, operating in Dithmarschen district. Shareholder of Brücke SH.
• WohnECK NF gGmbH, Soziale WohnraumLösungenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBeteiligung (subsidiary/affiliate) of Brücke SH focused on social housing solutions in Nordfriesland.
• JAW DithmarschenminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPartner in the STEP (Selbsteinschätzung, Training, Entwicklung, Perspektive) project for vocational orientation of students with special educational needs in Kreis Dithmarschen.
• Wirtschaftsakademie Schleswig-HolsteinminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPartner in the STEP project for vocational orientation of students in Kreis Pinneberg.
• Kieler Spendenparlament e.V.minorGTM or Marketing PartnerNon-profit organization that enables donations to specific Brücke SH projects, such as a bicycle project for refugee women at the Psychosocial Centre.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Der PARITÄTISCHE Gesamtverband: National umbrella of PARITÄT-affiliated welfare and social organizations, of which Brücke SH is a member; provides governance, advocacy, and network reach across 500+ member organizations in Germany.
• Caritas Deutschland: Catholic welfare umbrella offering social psychiatry, counseling, refugee, and disability services across Germany; competes in the same public-tender marketplace and shares the non-profit/commissioned-services revenue model.
• Diakonie Deutschland: Germany's largest Protestant welfare association operating psychiatric, social, and care services nationwide through diocesan/regional bodies; competes with Brücke SH for the same statutory health-insurance and public-commissioned contracts across Schleswig-Holstein, but at significantly greater scale and diversification.
• AWO Bundesverband e.V. Workers' welfare association providing mental-health, psychosocial, and youth welfare services through regional AWO chapters; peers on ambulatory psychiatry, sociotherapy, and vocational rehabilitation in many German Länder.
• Deutsches Rotes Kreuz e.V. National Red Cross society running outpatient nursing, mental-health, and refugee psychosocial programs via regional chapters; comparable in service mix and reliance on statutory/public commissioning, though broader in scope.

Emerging players

• Sozialverband Deutschland (SoVD): National advocacy and support organization for disabled and chronically ill members, increasingly providing psychosocial counseling and vocational-integration advisory services — adjacent, partially overlapping demand space (people with psychosocial disabilities) where Brücke SH operates.
• Stiftung Deutsche Depressionshilfe: National foundation focused on depression awareness, research, and treatment innovation including outpatient pilot projects; narrower clinical focus but competes for the same publicly funded mental-health service contracts and patient populations in parts of Germany.

Direct peers

• Pinel gGmbH: Berlin-based non-profit community psychiatry provider offering ambulatory support, housing, employment projects, and sociotherapy — a like-for-like operating model in a different German state, comparable on service-line composition rather than geography.
• Brücke Berlin gGmbH: A fellow Brücke non-profit providing community-based psychosocial and mental-health services; operates under a near-identical service model (ambulatory assistance, housing groups, workshops, vocational integration), making Brücke SH's closest organizational counterpart at a state-vs-state comparison level.
• Brücke Ruhrgebiet e.V. Regional Brücke social-psychiatry organization in the Ruhr area delivering ambulatory, residential, and vocational services to people with mental illness — overlapping mission and operating model with Brücke SH, useful as a like-for-like functional benchmark.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/brueckesh

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Bridge Schleswig-Holstein