The study provides an overview of the status quo of reception facilities for asylum-seekers in Austria. It analyses the historical development of reception facilities, beginning from the 1990s up to 2004, when the new asylum law entered into force, changing the federal care system. After laying out the legal framework of reception conditions the study describes the organization of reception facilities, provides statistics and draws attention to the challenges and strengths of the reception system. Furthermore, the study analyses the social situation of asylum-seekers within this system, describing duties of asylum-seekers and the provision of services.