Caritas im Norden

What Caritas im Norden does

Caritas im Norden, legally the Caritasverband für das Erzbistum Hamburg e.V., is a registered Catholic charitable association (eingetragener Verein) headquartered in Schwerin, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany, founded in its current form on 21 April 2018 through the merger of three previously separate regional Caritas associations in Hamburg, Schleswig-Holstein, and Mecklenburg. The organization is affiliated with the Deutscher Caritasverband e.V., Germany's largest social welfare employer, and operates more than 190 counseling centers and facilities across Hamburg, Schleswig-Holstein, and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern — a service area of approximately 32,500 square kilometers — supported by five regional offices in Hamburg, Kiel, Neubrandenburg, Rostock, and Schwerin and a workforce of more than 2,000 staff plus 150+ volunteers in Schwerin alone.

The portfolio spans elderly care and nursing homes, hospice and palliative services, family and youth services, mother-child cure clinics, migration and refugee integration support, addiction and debt counseling, homelessness assistance, and disability inclusion programs. Service delivery is hybrid: in-person through walk-in counseling centers and residential/outpatient care facilities, and digitally through a free, anonymous, secure online counseling portal (Online-Beratung) covering 18 advice areas including general social counseling, migration, suicide prevention (U25), pregnancy counseling, and HIV/AIDS support. The online channel is presented as an accessibility feature rather than a technology product.

The revenue model is non-profit and multi-source: government service contracts (welfare, elderly care), church allocations (Kirchensteuer-linked funding), individual and institutional donations, and targeted grant funding from partners such as Deutsche Fernsehlotterie and NDR's Hand in Hand charity campaign. All services are provided free of charge to recipients. Governance is led by Diözesancaritasdirektor Matthias Timmermann (since 01.03.2023) and Vorstand Andreas Meindl (since 01.04.2025), under the oversight of a Caritasrat. Market positioning relies on Catholic social-ethics legitimacy, integration with the national Caritas Confederation, and diversified public-private welfare funding streams.

Name

Caritas im Norden

Legal name

Caritasverband für das Erzbistum Hamburg e.V.

Website

https://caritas-im-norden.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Caritas im Norden is the regional Caritasverband für das Erzbistum Hamburg e.V., a Catholic non-profit operating more than 190 counseling centers and care facilities across Hamburg, Schleswig-Holstein, and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, delivering free elderly care, family, migration, addiction, and disability services through in-person and online channels.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Welfare Services

NAICS

Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (62412), Continuing Care Retirement Communities and Assisted Living Facilities for the Elderly (6233), Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services (6242), Other Residential Care Facilities (62399)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Nursing & Personal Care Facilities (8050)

akta.pro primary industry

Affordable / Low-Income Assisted Living (Medicaid Waiver Focused) (HLADABAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Independent Living with Supportive Services (Light ADL/IADL Support) (HLADAAAE), Refugee & Humanitarian Newcomer Orientation (Resettlement Support) (EDAAADAI), Emergency Shelter, NFIs & Winterization for Displaced Populations (BPADAHAG), Continuous Home Care (Crisis Hospice) (HSABAFAB)

Keywords

• Social welfare services
• Elderly care services
• Migration counseling
• Family counseling services
• Addiction counseling

Headquarters

HQ city

Schwerin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Social Services and Welfare Funding: Caritas operates as a non-profit social welfare organization funded through a combination of church funding, government contracts, donations, and public funding for social services. Services include elderly care, migration support, addiction counseling, family services, hospice care, and housing assistance for homeless individuals.
2. Donations and Charitable Contributions: Individual donations from supporters, charitable contributions, and funding from partners such as Deutsche Fernsehlotterie for specific projects like the Empowerment Caritas integration project (142,000 EUR).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Caritas im Norden is a Catholic charitable association delivering free social welfare services to individuals and families in northern Germany. Its core offerings include elderly care (stationary, ambulatory, and hospice), migration and integration support, family and youth counseling, addiction and debt counseling, housing assistance for the homeless, pregnancy counseling, and a free online counseling platform covering 18 advice areas. Services are delivered through more than 190 physical centers and a digital online counseling channel.

Product overview

Caritas im Norden (Caritasverband für das Erzbistum Hamburg e.V.) is a Catholic charitable social welfare organization, not a technology product company. It provides social services including general social counseling, elderly care, migration support, youth and family services, homeless assistance, addiction counseling, hospice services, and Kur (rehabilitation clinic) services across Hamburg, Schleswig-Holstein, and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. The organization operates more than 190 counseling centers and facilities but does not offer technology products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Online-Beratung (Online Counseling) Free, anonymous, and secure online counseling covering 18 advice areas including general social counseling, migration, addiction, debt, youth, suicide prevention (U25), pregnancy, and more. Available to people in need across northern Germany.
• Stationäre Pflege (Residential Elderly Care) Residential nursing and care services for elderly people, including facilities like Caritas Alten- und Pflegeheim St. Nikolaus in Parchim serving 90 residents, providing comprehensive care and nursing services.
• Ambulante Pflege (Outpatient Elderly Care) Outpatient home care services for elderly and people in need, providing nursing and support in their own homes across Hamburg, Schleswig-Holstein, and Mecklenburg.
• Betreutes Wohnen (Assisted Living) Assisted living services for older people who need support with daily living while maintaining independence.
• Hospiz- und Palliativberatung (Hospice and Palliative Care) Hospice and palliative care services including ambulante Hospizdienste (outpatient hospice services) for end-of-life support.
• Migrationsberatung (Migration Counseling) Migration, integration, and asylum counseling for refugees and migrants including Asylverfahrensberatung (asylum procedure counseling), Integrationskurse (integration courses), and integrationsnetzwerke.
• Familien- und Jugendberatung (Family and Youth Counseling) Family counseling, youth services, pregnancy counseling, Caritas Kitas, Kinder- und Jugendhäuser, and approximately 150 family centers in Schleswig-Holstein providing early support and social space services.
• Suchtberatung (Addiction Counseling) Counseling and support services for people dealing with addiction and substance abuse issues, delivered through walk-in centers and online counseling.
• Schuldnerberatung (Debt Counseling) Debt counseling and financial support for people experiencing financial hardship, including Carisatt-Läden (social food stores).
• Obdachlosenhilfe (Homeless Assistance) Housing assistance and outreach services for homeless individuals across northern Germany.
• Mutter-Kind-Vorsorge Kurkliniken (Mother-Child Rehabilitation Clinics) Mother-child preventive rehabilitation clinics and Familienerholung (family recovery) services for mothers, fathers, and families needing health recovery and respite.
• Inklusion und Behindertenhilfe (Inclusion and Disability Services) Ambulante Dienste, ambulante Wohnformen, stationäre Einrichtungen, Schulbegleitung Integrationshilfen, and Betreuungsvereine for people with physical, intellectual, or psychological disabilities.
• Ehrenamt (Volunteer Engagement Program) Volunteer engagement program with over 150 volunteers in Schwerin and broader regional programs supporting Caritas services, including FSJ and BFD (voluntary social service programs).

Quantifiable outcome

• More than 190 counseling centers and facilities serving Hamburg, Schleswig-Holstein, and Mecklenburg
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• LIGA der Spitzenverbände der Freien Wohlfahrtspflege in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern e.V.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 December 2024Caritas im Norden is a member of LIGA MV, which coordinates the work of free welfare associations in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. LIGA advocates for social infrastructure and conducts dialogues with political parties on social policy issues.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• AWO Bundesverband: Workers' Welfare Association is a secular umbrella welfare organization operating elderly care, youth services, migration support, and family services in direct competition with Caritas for public contracts and donor funds.
• Arbeiter-Samariter-Bund (ASB): Workers' Samaritan Federation offers nursing, hospice, family assistance, and refugee services, competing with Caritas im Norden for the same regional government contracts in northern Germany.
• Diakonie Deutschland: The Protestant counterpart to Caritas, Diakonie is Germany's second-largest welfare organization, operating nursing homes, hospitals, counseling centers, and social services across the same service categories and geographies.
• Malteser Deutschland: Catholic aid service with nationwide operations in emergency response, hospice care, migration services, and youth work. Direct competitor in faith-based welfare delivery with comparable service categories.
• Deutsches Rotes Kreuz (DRK): The German Red Cross operates nursing, hospice, family, and refugee services nationwide, directly competing with Caritas im Norden in northern Germany for government contracts, volunteers, and care staff.
• Johanniter-Unfall-Hilfe: Protestant-affiliated welfare organization providing home care, hospice, youth services, and refugee aid. Operates in the same northern German geographies with comparable service breadth.
• Paritätischer Wohlfahrtsverband: An umbrella organization for non-confessional welfare providers offering elderly care, disability services, migration counseling, and family support — a structural peer competing for the same public funding channels.

Broad incumbents

• Deutscher Caritasverband: National umbrella organization and parent body of Caritas im Norden, coordinating 25,000+ facilities and 690,000 employees nationwide. Operates overlapping services at national scale and sets the strategic direction for regional Caritas associations.
• SOS-Kinderdörfer: Major nonprofit operating residential care, family support, and youth services across Germany. Overlaps with Caritas im Norden's children, youth, and family service lines in northern Germany.

Regional players

• Vinzenz Gruppe: Catholic-affiliated healthcare group operating hospitals, nursing facilities, and social services primarily in southern and western Germany. A regional structural peer in faith-based care delivery with limited geographic overlap in northern Germany.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@caritasimnorden
• Facebookfacebook.com/caritasimnorden
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/caritas-im-norden
• Instagraminstagram.com/caritasimerzbistumhamburg

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Caritas im Norden