Poverty has a negative impact on a society in a number of ways: reduced educational opportunities for young people, social exclusion, poorer quality of life, higher health costs and lower life expectancy are just some of the direct social consequences. The North Rhine-Westphalia state government has therefore made it its mission to combat the consequences of poverty in a targeted manner and to create the conditions for preventing poverty and exclusion as far as possible in the first place. In order to support this financially, the State Parliament of North Rhine-Westphalia has provided the Ministry of Labor, Health and Social Affairs of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia (MAGS NRW) with additional funds for 2025 to implement “measures to combat poverty and promote social cohesion”.