Sozialdienst des Bezirks Affoltern

What Sozialdienst des Bezirks Affoltern does

Sozialdienst des Bezirks Affoltern is an interkommunale Anstalt (intermunicipal institution under Swiss public law) established on 12 February 2017 by popular vote of eight Trägergemeinden in the Bezirk Affoltern region of Canton Zürich, Switzerland. The organization serves as the exclusive statutory social services provider for approximately 40,000 residents across the eight founding municipalities (Aeugst am Albis, Hausen am Albis, Hedingen, Knonau, Maschwanden, Mettmenstetten, Obfelden, Ottenbach) plus three Anschlussgemeinden (Bonstetten, Stallikon, Wettswil a. A.) for asylum and migration services. It is governed under the Swiss Social Welfare Act (SHG) and Civil Code (ZGB), with the municipal councils of the Trägergemeinden exercising supervisory oversight and bearing residual liability.

The organization's core services comprise economic social assistance (Wirtschaftliche Sozialhilfe), professional guardianship (Berufsbeistandschaft), personal assistance (Persönliche Hilfe) including outreach (Aufsuchende Hilfe) and voluntary income management (Freiwillige Einkommensverwaltung), addiction counseling (Suchtberatung) with outpatient therapy (Ambulante Suchttherapie), and asylum/migration reception. It also operates the Sozialtherapeutisches Wohnheim Central, an IVSE-recognized residential facility offering 15 places for adults with mental impairments and IV disability pensions. Supporting infrastructure includes an Online-Schalter (digital intake portal with AES-256-bit SSL encryption) hosted on Innovative Web AG's i-web eGovernment platform, plus coordination networks PAK (Psychiatrische Arbeitsgruppe Knonaueramt, 30+ institutions) and Suizidrapport Knonaueramt (regional suicide prevention).

The organization is funded through intercommunal service fees billed monthly to municipalities on a per-client, cost-related basis, with surcharges to subsidize high-utilization municipalities. Most client-facing services (economic assistance, personal help, addiction counseling, income management) are provided free of charge, while the Wohnheim Central charges accommodation fees under the published Taxordnung 2026. Approximately 70 employees deliver services across social work, psychology, addiction counseling, legal guardianship, ICT, finance, and facility management, with no proprietary technology stack or AI/ML capabilities disclosed. Revenue is not publicly disclosed.

Name

Sozialdienst des Bezirks Affoltern

Legal name

Sozialdienst Bezirk Affoltern

Website

https://sdaffoltern.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Sozialdienst des Bezirks Affoltern is a Swiss interkommunale Anstalt providing statutory social services — economic welfare, guardianship, addiction counseling, and residential care — to approximately 40,000 residents across 11 municipalities in Canton Zürich under public-law mandate.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Social Services

NAICS

Individual and Family Services (6241), Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Outpatient Mental Health and Substance Abuse Centers (621420), Offices of Mental Health Practitioners (except Physicians) (621330)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAGAEAK

Financial Assistance & Benefits Navigation Services

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Social Services & Community Support (Food, Housing, Family)

SECONDARYBPADAHAE

Migrant & Refugee Legal Aid and Documentation Services

Business & Public Services/International Organizations & Development/Refugee, Migration & Displacement Services

SECONDARYBPADAIAK

Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) & Mental Health Programs

Business & Public Services/International Organizations & Development/Global Health & Population Programs

SECONDARYHLAFACAL

Behavioral Health for Children & Adolescents (Youth Services)

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Healthcare Providers & Systems/Behavioral Health & Substance Use Treatment

Keywords

• Public social services
• Welfare administration
• Addiction counseling
• Adult guardianship
• Municipal social work

Headquarters

HQ city

Affoltern am Albis

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Intercommunal service fees: The organization is funded through contributions from its 8 Trägergemeinden (founding municipalities). Service costs (administration costs) are billed monthly to municipalities on a per-client, cost-related basis. An additional surcharge (Zuschlag) is paid to subsidize municipalities with high service utilization rates.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Sozialdienst Bezirk Affoltern delivers statutory social welfare services mandated under Swiss public law (SHG and ZGB) for the 8 Trägergemeinden and 3 Anschlussgemeinden, covering approximately 40,000 residents. Core offerings include economic social assistance (Wirtschaftliche Sozialhilfe), professional adult guardianship (Berufsbeistandschaft), asylum and migration services (Asyl- und Migrationswesen), personal help (Persönliche Hilfe), addiction counseling (Suchtberatung) with outpatient therapy, and a 15-place IVSE-certified residential facility (Sozialtherapeutisches Wohnheim Central) for adults with mental impairments.

Product overview

Sozialdienst Bezirk Affoltern is a unified social services organization offering a portfolio of integrated services for the 8 member municipalities (Aeugst am Albis, Hausen am Albis, Hedingen, Knonau, Maschwanden, Mettmenstetten, Obfelden, Ottenbach) with approximately 25,000 residents, plus 3 associate municipalities. The core services include Asyl- und Migrationswesen (asylum/migration), Berufsbeistandschaft (professional guardianship), Persönliche Hilfe (personal assistance), Suchtberatung (addiction counseling), and Wirtschaftliche Sozialhilfe (economic social assistance). The organization also operates a certified residential facility, the Sozialtherapeutisches Wohnheim Central with 15 IVSE-recognized places for adults with mental impairments. An Online-Schalter provides digital access to services. Supporting services include Aufsuchende Hilfe (outreach), Freiwillige Einkommensverwaltung (voluntary income management), and Ambulante Suchttherapie (outpatient therapy). Coordination networks include PAK Netzwerk (psychiatric) and Suizidrapport (suicide prevention).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Wirtschaftliche Sozialhilfe Point of contact for residents of the Affoltern district seeking economic social assistance under cantonal law; provides financial social welfare, social and professional integration support, crisis intervention, and social insurance benefit enforcement.
• Berufsbeistandschaft Supports and represents adults who can only limitedly assert their interests, providing tailored guardianship services for personal, legal, administrative, and financial matters based on adult protection law and ordered by the Kindes- und Erwachsenenschutzbehörde (KESB).
• Asyl- und Migrationswesen Responsible for accommodation and care of asylum seekers (Ausweis N), provisionally admitted foreigners (Ausweis F), and persons seeking protection (Ausweis S) assigned to the 11 municipalities; provides asylum welfare payments, integration measures, personal support, property management, and German language course referrals.
• Suchtberatung Provides information, counseling, and help for addiction risk, dependency, and abuse of legal and illegal substances as well as behavioral addictions; includes prevention work with Supad and referral to therapy facilities such as Forel Klinik and Suchtfachklinik Zürich.
• Sozialtherapeutisches Wohnheim Central Residential home offering 15 places for adult men and women with mental impairments and IV disability pensions; provides psychosocial support, DBT modules, skills training, and inclusion support; IVSE-certified by the Cantonal Sozialamt Zürich.
• Persönliche Hilfe Offers personal counseling, outreach assistance, and clarification for problematic consumption behavior; targets persons in personal distress or those being released from economic aid who need ongoing support.
• Ambulante Suchttherapie Outpatient addiction therapy providing psychotherapy, diagnostics, resource strengthening, and support for mental health conditions; billed through health insurance with medical prescription.

Named customers2 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• 8 Trägergemeinden (Aeugst am Albis, Hausen am Albis, Hedingen, Knonau, Maschwanden, Mettmenstetten, Obfelden, Ottenbach)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 February 2017The 8 municipalities founded the intercommunal institution (interkommunale Anstalt) via ballot on 12 February 2017. They commission all standard social services and bear ultimate supervisory responsibility, approving the annual report and financial statements.
• 3 Anschlussgemeinden (Bonstetten, Stallikon, Wettswil a. A.)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 12 February 2017Three additional municipalities commission specific services (asylum and migration) from the organization, paying a surcharge to support high-cost municipalities.
• Supad (Suchtprävention Affoltern und Dietikon)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupad is the addiction prevention service covering the Affoltern and Dietikon districts. The Suchtberatung (addiction counseling) of Sozialdienst Bezirk Affoltern collaborates with Supad on outreach, awareness, and prevention work in schools and parent education programs.
• KESB Affoltern (Kindes- und Erwachsenenschutzbehörde)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerKESB is the statutory authority that orders adult and child protection measures. Berufsbeistandschaft (professional guardianship) services are mandated by KESB, and the organization collaborates with KESB on Aufsuchende Hilfe referrals.
• PAK Netzwerk (Psychiatrische Arbeitsgruppe Knonaueramt)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPAK is a network of more than 30 psychiatric care institutions in the Affoltern district, meeting three times annually for informal exchange. It functions as an extended arm of the Regional Psychiatric Commission (RPK) and improves triage efficiency among psychiatric care providers.
• Suizidrapport KnonaueramtcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA regional suicide prevention network operating under the Canton of Zürich's suicide prevention Schwerpunktprogramm. The Sozialdienst hosts semi-annual network meetings and has played a pioneering role in the canton for over 10 years.
• Kantonales Sozialamt ZürichcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerThe Cantonal Social Office of Zürich certifies the Sozialtherapeutisches Wohnheim Central under IVSE (Invalidenversicherung) standards. It also assigns asylum seekers and migrants to the organization's Asyl- und Migrationswesen department.
• External therapy and rehabilitation institutions (Forel Klinik, Suchtfachklinik Zürich, Spital Affoltern)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerThe organization refers clients to external institutions for detoxification, residential therapy, psychiatric treatment, and day clinic services. Spital Affoltern and Forel Klinik are specifically referenced as care pathway partners.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Sozialdepartement Stadt Zürich: The municipal social welfare authority of the City of Zürich, providing the same statutory services (economic social assistance, guardianship, addiction counseling, asylum coordination) under Swiss cantonal law. Directly comparable in mandate and service mix, but at materially larger scale and serving an urban population.
• Kantonales Sozialamt Zürich: The cantonal social office of Canton Zürich that supervises, certifies, and assigns asylum seekers to municipal social services including SdA Affoltern. Comparable in regulatory oversight and IVSE certification role, and serves as the upstream commissioner for many of SdA Affoltern's functions.

Regional players

• Pro Infirmis Zürich: Swiss disability advocacy and service organization that supports adults with mental and physical disabilities — the same population served by the Berufsbeistandschaft and Sozialtherapeutisches Wohnheim Central. Comparable for IV-coordination and guardianship-adjacent services.
• Sozialamt Stadt Bern: Municipal social services authority of the City of Bern delivering the same SHG-equivalent Swiss welfare services. Directly analogous mandate and service portfolio (economic assistance, personal help, addiction, guardianship, asylum), serving a different cantonal jurisdiction.

Emerging players

• Pro Mente Sana: Swiss advocacy and service organization for people with mental health conditions — overlapping with Suchtberatung, Ambulante Suchttherapie, and Wohnheim Central client populations. Provides complementary legal advocacy and self-help services that municipalities refer into.
• Caritas Zürich: A large nonprofit social services provider operating in Canton Zürich that complements municipal social services with charitable programs (food aid, debt counseling, integration). Overlaps with SdA Affoltern on asylum integration, economic hardship, and family support — and frequently receives referrals from municipal social services.
• Heilsarmee Schweiz: Swiss arm of the Salvation Army providing social services (housing, addiction recovery, family support) with overlapping client populations. Comparable in residential-care operations and addiction pathways — frequently partners with municipal social services.
• Stiftung Sucht Schweiz: National Swiss foundation providing addiction information, prevention, and counseling. Supad (SdA's addiction-prevention partner) operates under the broader Sucht Schweiz ecosystem. Directly comparable for Suchtberatung scope but national rather than municipal.
• Perspektive Bern: A Bern-based residential and ambulatory social services organization for people with addiction and mental-health challenges. Operates a comparable service mix to SdA Affoltern's Wohnheim Central and Suchtberatung, but in a different canton.

Direct peers

• Sozialamt Stadt Winterthur: The municipal social services office of Winterthur (second-largest Canton Zürich city). Operates the same statutory services under SHG/ZGB — economic social assistance, personal help, addiction counseling — with comparable governance structure. Strong peer because same canton, same legal framework, overlapping referral networks.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sozialdienst-des-bezirks-affoltern

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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