Ute Bock (27 June 1942 – 19 January 2018) was an Austrian educator who was known for her projects helping asylum seekers.
In the early 1990s the youth welfare office increasingly sent foreign youth to the facility where Ute Bock was
the headmaster. At that time she began to dedicate herself to the fate of these people and began to be involved in helping asylum seekers.
In 1999, during a raid on the centre, about 30 young Africans were
arrested for drug trafficking offences under the controversial Operation Spring, and Ute Bock was charged with banditry and drug trafficking, too. This led to her being temporarily suspended from duty. Later the charges were dropped, though she was forbidden to accommodate other African asylum seekers in the Zohmanngasse. She then organised private residential communities, which she self-funded and supervised. In 2000 she retired but she continued working on her project.
Meanwhile, there are over 350 asylum seekers who find accommodation and board in Ute Bock's organised apartments. Another 1,000 homeless asylum seekers have their mailing address at the Association Ute Bock. In addition, she made legal advice available to her clients. It relies on donations. She died in Vienna, aged 75.
Source: Wikipedia
