The European Platform against Homelessness, launched in June this year, aims to initiate dialogue, share knowledge and best practice and work to eradicate homelessness.
“In order to fulfill Prague’s ambitious goals in the area of housing deprivation, not only coordination and cooperation at the local level is required, but also cooperation with the Czech government and European structures,” said Prague Councilor for Housing and Transparency Adam Zábranský (Pirates) in a press release.
According to an analysis of the Center for Social Services in Prague from 2020, currently only 3,900–4,900 people live without a roof over their heads in the capital. However, the total number of homeless people varies from other studies in recent years, due to different data collection methodologies or the unclear classification of homeless people.
“Many people think that a homeless person has to be on the street. However, it is not that simple. If a person does not have a home, we consider him homeless. That is why it is important to think about who we will include in this group of people. Whether only people sleeping on the street or even those who sleep in dormitories and shelters. Theoretically, anyone who lives abnormally, ie in commercial hostels, with acquaintances, etc., is homeless. In this case, the numbers would be even higher, “describes Jan František Krupa, National Director of Social Services of the Salvation Army, in a press release from last year.
The European Platform against Homelessness offers an opportunity for cooperation between local actors, including cities and service providers. Those who participate in this initiative, including Prague, are committed not only to mutual cooperation, but above all to the undertaking of specific measures.
According to the Lisbon Declaration, to which Prague subscribed, it will now be the responsibility of the capital and its representatives, for example, to support homelessness prevention, use European funds to improve the situation of homeless people or share best practices across platforms.
The platform is also one of the objectives of the Action Plan for the European Pillar of Social Rights and was established at the Lisbon Conference as a successful socially oriented point under Portugal’s presidency of the EU Council.
At the same time, Prague councilors approved the application for membership in the European Federation of Organizations Working with the Homeless (FEANTSA), which is another international platform for national and regional non-profit organizations fighting homelessness or its effects.
A challenge on behalf of housing
The Institute of Planning and Development of the Capital City of Prague (IPR) in its Strategy for Housing Development in the Capital The City of Prague mentions some steps by which homelessness wants to prevent or fight homelessness in its territory. These include, for example, supporting the prevention of homelessness, developing social and health services for the homeless or integrating them back into society and everyday life.
As part of this strategy, the city’s other goals are to strengthen the role of rental housing and reduce the vacancy of urban housing. At present, the city is starting to operate the Municipal Rental Agency, which was launched less than two months ago. At the end of August, the agency secured the first seven apartments for rent, as Adam Zábranský stated on his personal Twitter. Through it, Prague demands vacant flats in its territory and subsequently offers them for rent to people in housing need.
“The concept of a city rental agency works in various forms in a number of European cities. We want to give apartment owners with social winners the opportunity to safely rent an apartment to people in the new without having to take risks, “Zábranský writes on the agency’s website.
“The situation in Prague has been very difficult lately. Families came to us with the idea that they had nowhere to go, that they had nowhere to live, that they would have to put their children, who they had after their relatives, in Klokánek, otherwise they would take them to the children’s home. And we don’t have to give them anything to use. The capacities of asylum houses in Prague are overcrowded, rental housing is unavailable, “outlined in a panel debate of the Václav Havel Library, the social worker People in Need, Jana Němcová. However, with the municipality’s newly implemented social housing policy – including a new housing allocation strategy – the situation began to improve slightly, according to Němcová.
“At that time, some families finally began to walk through the starting point. Due to the allocation of social housing, which used to be at the City Hall, it worked well. Paradoxically, one had to have some income to earn social housing. Now it’s about need, “thank you Nemcova.
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