The European Union supports social housing

Thanks to the support provided to local governments in the preparation of project proposals and technical documentation, six local governments, through donation of the European Union, received funds to finance the construction of social housing

The analysis of the situation in substandard Roma settlements and the preparation of urban and technical documentation for social housing projects and accompanying communal infrastructure is only the first step in improving the living conditions of Roma women and men. In order to ensure the sustainability of this measure, the Project EU Support to the Improvement of Living Conditions of Roma provides support in the preparation of proposals for project funding through training and direct mentoring, as well as support in strengthening horizontal mechanisms for Roma inclusion at the local level. In the previous period, the project worked with 9 local governments, which were provided with direct support in the preparation of project proposals for the public call within the project “European Union Support to Social Housing and Active Inclusion” (EU SHAI). Out of 9 local governments that were supported in the preparation of project proposals and preparation of planning and / or technical documentation, 6 local governments will receive financial support within the EU SHAI project: Loznica, Sabac, Vrsac, Boljevac, Svilajnac and Odzaci.

The project team worked with the cities and municipalities to prepare the technical documentation required for the issuance of the construction permit, including joint work with the LS on removing ambiguities and obstacles in the permitting process. As part of the support, construction projects for social housing facilities for all 9 local governments will be completed. The second direction of support included mentoring work on the elaboration of project proposals, especially additional measures related to active inclusion. Within the mentoring support, special attention is paid to defining an adequate form of resolving the housing issue, whether it is the process of eviction with a resettlement plan or housing support.