Support to local authorities to prepare projects for open call

Preparation of urban and technical documentation for social housing projects and accompanying communal infrastructure is only the first step in improving living conditions in substandard Roma settlements. In order to ensure the sustainability of this measure, the Project “"EU Support to Improvement of Living Conditions of Roma" provides support in the preparation of project proposals for funding, through training and direct mentoring, as well as through support in strengthening horizontal mechanisms for Roma inclusion at the local level. In the previous period, training modules for project preparation were developed, with a special focus on inclusion of vulnerable groups, the implementation of which is planned for the beginning of 2021, while the end of 2020 is reserved for supporting LSGs in preparing project proposals for the recently published open call within project The European Union Support to Social Housing and Active Inclusion Programme (SHAI)

Having in mind the complexity of the open call, as well as the request to submit a construction permit with the project proposal for projects in which the housing issue is solved through the construction of new facilities, meetings with all interested local governments for which the Project prepares technical documentation for social housing, were organized at the end of November and during December. Concrete support to cities and municipalities is agreed, which means that the project team will focus on three areas. The first is the work on the completion of the technical documentation required for the issuance of a construction permit, including joint work with the LSGs on the elimination of ambiguities and obstacles in the permitting process. Second area of support include mentoring the development of project proposals, especially measures related to active inclusion. The third direction of work is legal support in defining an adequate form of resolving the housing issue, whether it is the process of eviction with a resettlement plan or housing support. During January, the project team will work intensively in all three areas with interested cities and municipalities, so that the documentation for the public call would be adequately prepared.