LOCAL AUTHORITY OBSERVATORY PRAGUE
LOCAL AUTHORITY OBSERVATORY PRAGUE Cities and Active Inclusion: Housing Active Inclusion through Housing Services / Markéta Voborová / City of Prague, Prague City Hall, Social and Health Care Unit, [email protected] / Kater˘ina Alinc˘ová / Researcher
Acknowledgements With thanks to all of the NLAO partners: City of Bologna (Flavia Pesce and Nicoletta Ratini); City of Rotterdam (Kris Luijsterburg and Aat Brand); City of Sauthampton (Su Mihelic and Christopher Hawker) City of Stockholm (Anna Mattsson and Christina Groenberg).
For their guidance and support, thanks to our colleagues at EUROCITIES: Silke Moschitz, Anke Thiel and Daniela Amadio.
Finally, for their time and openness, we would like to thank all those who agreed to be interviewed as part of the project.
Cover design by: fuel. - www.fueldesign.be
Active Inclusion through Housing Services
National report on the role of housing services for the active inclusion of people furthest away from the labour market
Local Authority Observatory on Active Inclusion Prague
Foreword
The City of Prague is a partner in the EUROCITIES-Network of Local Authority Observatories on Active Inclusion (EUROCITIES-NLAO) project running from March 2009 to August 2010. This project is managed by EUROCITIES, the network of major European cities in cooperation with the cities of Bologna (Italy), Rotterdam (Netherlands), Southampton (United Kingdom) and Stockholm (Sweden). Each city has set up a Local Authority Observatory on Active Inclusion (LAO) that carries out policy research on how the EU’s Active Inclusion strategy is being implemented and working at a local level. The aim of this project is to share experiences and to use comparisons and examples of good practise in an attempt to influence future policy. The project is co-financed by the European Commission, Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities. Active Inclusion is a comprehensive strategy for combating poverty and social exclusion across Europe, based on common objectives and principles shared by all EU Member States. This strategy involves three elements: an adequate minimum income, inclusive labour markets, and access to good quality social services. The Active Inclusion policy must facilitate the integration into sustainable, quality employment of those who can work and provide resources which are sufficient to live in dignity together with support for social participation for those who cannot.1 The role of social services in the stimulation of active inclusion thus has two elements: 1) to help the target group to become employable, and 2) to support anyone who is unable to work to live a dignified life by providing advice, funding and care and establishing reasonable living conditions. The Commission is of the view that the following social services are particularly relevant in respect of the active inclusion concept: social assistance services; employment and training services; housing support and social housing; childcare; long-term care services; and health services. The EUROCITIES-NLAO project is a pilot project which is investigating two of the above areas: housing and employment. The five LAOs deliver a national report on each service area which form the basis for a comparative policy analysis by EUROCITIES. The focus is on the third pillar of Active Inclusion: the provision of quality of services available to people furthest away from the labour market. The project aims to identify key and common qualities in the provision of social support services at local level that can influence future European and national strategies; and to share examples of good practice in the provision of quality services. This report is the result of the work of LAO Prague in the first area of research. It has been drafted on the basis of desk research (see resources section) and interviews with experts from the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, Ministry of Local Development, NGOs, Prague City Hall, and the Academy of Science of the Czech Republic. A draft version of this report was discussed at a stakeholder seminar held on November 12 in Prague with housing specialists who drew the conclusions and suggested the recommendations. The written report was submitted by Marketa Voborova (Project Manager) and Katerina Alincova (Project Analyst).
This publication is supported under the European Community Programme for Employment and Social Solidarity (PROGRESS 2007-2013). The information contained in this publication does not reflect the opinion of the European Commission and all responsibility for the content lies with the authors.
1 EC Recommendation on the Active Inclusion of People Excluded from the Labour Market, 3 October 2008
2 Table of content
FOREWORD ...... 2
TABLE OF CONTENT ...... 3
1. POLICY FRAMEWORK...... 4
1.1. HOUSING POLICY AND URBAN CHALLENGES IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC ...... 4 1.2. SOCIAL HOUSING IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC...... 6 1.2.1. Regulatory context...... 6 1.2.2. Actors in social housing ...... 7 1.2.3. Funding of Social Housing...... 8 1.3. SUPPORTED HOUSING IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC...... 8 1.3.1. Regulatory context...... 8 1.3.2. Actors in supported housing...... 9 1.3.3. Funding of Supported Housing ...... 10 1.4. ROLE OF MUNICIPALITIES IN SOCIAL AND SUPPORTED HOUSING AND COOPERATION BETWEEN PUBLIC AUTHORITIES AND SERVICE PROVIDERS ...... 10
2. PROVISION AND COMMISSIONING...... 12
2.1. SOCIAL HOUSING PROVISION ...... 12 2.1.1. Target groups and allocation criteria...... 12 2.1.2. Availability and needs assessment ...... 14 2.2. SUPPORTED HOUSING PROVISION ...... 14 2.2.1. Target groups ...... 15 2.2.2. Availability and needs assessment ...... 16 2.3. PLANNING FOR SOCIAL AND SUPPORTED HOUSING ...... 17 A NEW APPROACH: COMMUNITY PLANNING OF SOCIAL SERVICES/SUPPORTED HOUSING...... 17
3. QUALITY AND MONITORING...... 20
3.1. QUALITY STANDARDS AND INSPECTIONS ON THE HOUSING MARKET ...... 20 3.1.1. Quality standards related to Social housing...... 20 3.1.2. Quality standards related to Supported Housing ...... 20 3.2. QUALITY MONITORING ...... 21 3.3. USER INVOLVEMENT AND TENANT/USER RIGHTS...... 22 3.3.1. Social housing...... 22 3.3.2. Supported housing...... 22
4. RECOMMENDATIONS ...... 24
5. CASE STUDY ...... 28
5.1. AN EXAMPLE OF THE “HOUSING LADDER”: AN EXAMPLE IN THE CITY OF PRAGUE...... 28
6. SOURCES...... 29
3 1. Policy Framework
The purpose of the following chapter Policy Framework is to describe the main challenges related to housing in the Czech Republic, provide an overview of the regulatory and institutional arrangements governing social housing and supported housing services, and highlight in particular the role of municipalities in these sectors. The chapter also explores the role of municipality and the forms of cooperation between the municipalities and service providers.
1.1. Housing policy and urban challenges in the Czech Republic
Since the nation of Czechoslovakia was founded in 1918, the housing market was based on democratic principles, on the "Housing Policy of the First Republic". After World War II, during the period of communism in Czechoslovakia, the housing market was abolished and destroyed, and the subsequent establishment of the socialist legal system was implemented within a two-year period (1948 - 1950). Housing was then mainly transferred to the state and cooperative housing ownership. During the period from World War II until 1989, the housing policy was centrally directed by the state and concentrated mostly on building new apartments, as the country lacked apartments and most of those available were of poor quality. The apartments were issued to tenants on the basis of an administrative allocation system (mostly related to their employment). This system was economically unsustainable and ineffective, as it did not motivate the citizens to take care of their own housing although the state supported the individual construction of homes. Significant changes in the housing policy of the Czech Republic occurred after 1989 with the change of the regime. New rules were introduced into the Czech legislation, impacting new apartment construction, rental prices, and private ownership. However, housing policy was a very sensitive issue for all political parties even if their intentions were to begin straightening out the devastated and distorted housing policy and create a housing market. Changes therefore started very gradually; the main issue of rent deregulation2 took nearly 10 years in terms of enforcing laws. The state transferred its property to the regions and municipalities of the Czech Republic and charged them with the management of this property. The municipalities and regions, however, did not have enough resources to be able to manage all their property effectively, so in order to manage more effectively, as well as for a one-time profit for their budget, they decided to privatize the housing stock. The municipalities themselves decided what part of their housing stock would be submitted to privatization and what part they wanted to retain and manage by themselves. Today, the structure of the housing stock of the Czech Republic from the perspective of its basic forms is the following: housing associations, privately-owned apartments, rental housing, other forms of housing. The percentage representation of the different forms of housing stock is expressed in the following graph:
2 Rent deregulation is designed to tackle housing supply shortages arising from controlled rent system which does nod allow to reflect location and quality of housing. In Prague, for example, dwellings with regulated rents in the city centre were available for the same prices as rental apartments in the periphery and rents did not take into account the quality of the housing units, number of floors, or accessibility to public transport.
4
Forms of apartment ownership in the CR (share in overall stock in %)
50% 46% 45% 40%
35% 31% 30% 25% 19% 20% 15% 10% 4% 5% 0% Housing Rental (municipal, Private Other state and private) association
Source: Ministry of Local Development
A significant increase in the share of private ownership of apartments has taken place since the 1990’s, due to the accessibility of mortgage loans and programmes focusing on young people. There is a significant increase in cooperative ownership since the 1990’s as well. Many tenants jointly bought a share in privatized municipal apartments and have created housing cooperative associations. The Czech Republic is currently facing a process of deregulation of rents, based on Government Act no. 107/2006 Coll. on the “unilateral increase of rent in apartments”3, which came into force in March 2006. The period of deregulation has been extended due to the current economic crisis and will be concluded in 2012. The deregulation process applies to both municipally owned housing stock as well as to privately owned apartments with regulated rents (in the case of private ownership, rents are still regulated for long-term tenancy). The majority of housing stock with regulated rent is located in the centres of the towns and cities. Following the liberalization, a significant increase of prices will take place which may endanger a major segment of people who have been living in regulated-rent apartments. The situation may increase the need of social housing and moving to other, cheaper locations, or increase the number of applications for housing benefit. In the area of supported housing services, there is a trend to increase the effectiveness of service provision and consider the user’s needs more strongly in the Czech Republic. There also is an emphasis on the provision of home care and counselling services and to consider supported housing facilities as last resort only, especially in case of elderly people. In general, there is a lack of capacity in facilities provided to socially excluded people.
3 This Act states that rents for municipal apartments or other flats with state-controlled rents may be increased by owners (municipalities or private landlords). The maximum increase is legally defined each year until previously state-controlled rents will equal the market price in any area. The average increase in regulated rents is 17% annually according to an estimation by the Ministry of Local Development (source: http://www.living.cz/)
5
1.2. Social housing in the Czech Republic
1.2.1. Regulatory context
The housing policy in the Czech Republic is regulated through a national Housing Policy established in 2005 and financed by the State Fund of Housing Development4. The State Fund of Housing Development Act gives the Government of the Czech Republic the right to regulate the conditions of using the financial means from the Fund. The term of social housing, however, is currently not clearly defined in the Czech legislation. Neither is social housing included in the list of social services defined in the Social Services Act. So far, there is a definition of social housing allowing for the application of a reduced VAT rate for the construction of new apartments and family houses or refurbishments which the Czech Republic managed to negotiate during its entry into the European Union. This definition is based on floor area only (apartments up to 120 square meters, family houses up to 350 square meters)5; as a result most of the housing stock in the Czech Republic thus qualifies as social housing.6 In 2005, the Czech government passed a resolution on housing policy that, for the first time, declared the need for the existence of housing with subsidised rents in the form of municipal apartments7. The development of this form of housing falls within the scope of activity of the State Fund of Housing Development. In 2009, a Government Directive8 defined concrete conditions for the utilization of the State Fund of Housing Development, predominantly with the goal of supporting access to housing for young people, lower-income families, people disadvantaged in gaining access to housing or people threatened with social exclusion. In response to the deregulation of rents outlined above, the Parliament of the Czech Republic passed a bill increasing the means of the State Fund of Housing Development in 2009 and the Ministry of Local Development by 8 billion CZK for the construction of social apartments. These means have been designated to cover the needs of those who will not be able to pay rent after the deregulation is completed in 2012. A lower sum will be available in 2010, the main reason for this being the current lack of knowledge about where the greatest need for social housing may occur. So far, there is no existing analysis that the state could rely on. A part of the means released will be designated to the renovation of the housing estates. Both municipalities and private developers may submit requests for support to the State Fund of Housing Development. According to expert estimates, over 35 thousand households may find themselves in a precarious situation of insolvency
4 Established through Act no. 211/2000 Coll. 5 The Act on VAT no. 235/2004 Coll., (zákon č. 235/2004 Sb., o dani z přidané hodnoty) 6 Lux/Grabmüllerova, Social Housing in the Czech Republic – Unresolved Questions and Future Prospects, p.4. 7 Government Resolution No. 292 of March 16, (Koncepce bytové politiky č. 292 schválena vládou usnesením ze dne 16. března 2005) 8 Government Directive 333 of August 17, 2009 (nařízení vlády ze dne 17. srpna 2009 o podmínkách použití finančních prostředků Státního fondu rozvoje bydlení ke krytí části nákladů spojených s výstavbou sociálních bytů formou dotace právnickým a fyzickým osobám 333/2009 Sb.
6 to pay rent. The program approved at the end of 2009 should support the construction of 8 thousand new social apartments designed for young people with low income, people with lower level of self- sufficiency and people over 75 years old9.
Today, the following forms of housing are available at affordable prices and/or for rent rates below the market level: • Municipal apartments with regulated rent, owned by the municipalities of the Czech Republic, • Private rental apartments with regulated rent that were provided to tenants before the process of rent deregulation started, • Apartments or apartment houses built with the support from the State Fund of Housing Development (in concordance with the Government Directive from August 17, 2009) • Apartments or apartment houses built with the support from the State Fund of Housing Development according to the older rules.10
The common denominator for all these forms of housing is a subsidised rent rate for the tenant. Some other specific types of predominantly municipal rental apartments have the character of social housing, for example small-scale apartments are provided to senior citizens who want to move to a smaller and cheaper apartment; or low-cost apartments and apartments with lower quality provided to non-payers. Finally, provisions exist for financial support towards housing costs: Act no. 117/1995 Coll. on state social support including specifications on housing benefits; and Act no. 111/2006 Coll. on help in material emergency which specifies additional housing payments11.
1.2.2. Actors in social housing
• The Ministry of Local Development is responsible for regional policy, policies concerning housing, housing stock development, and urban planning. Within the Ministry, the Housing Department is charged with housing policy in the Czech Republic. • The State Fund of Housing Development is an independent corporate body established within the sphere of the Ministry of Local Development. The Fund is responsible for all matters regarding the transfer of the state property to other entities, subsidies for building social apartments, and loans for building and modernization to municipalities and personal entities.
9 Source: Tenants association, Občanské sdružení majitelů domů, bytů a dalších nemovitostí v ČR, http://www.osmd.cz/ 10 Government Directive No. 396/2001 Coll. (The State Fund of Housing Development means are provided on municipal apartments renovation. Government Directive No. 146/2003 Coll. (The State Fund of Housing Development means are provided on municipal social housing construction). Government Directive No. 370/2004 Coll. (The State Fund of Housing Development means are used on infrastructure and housing construction). 11 Additional housing payments have been provided to families or persons from low income groups for covering costs relating to housing.
7 • Municipalities own most of the social housing stock and are thus the main providers of social housing in the Czech Republic. Within the scope of competences assigned to the municipality as well as individual city districts, the City of Prague also develops strategic plans for land-use, urban development, social service development etc. that have an effect on social housing.
1.2.3. Funding of Social Housing
Social housing represents about 31 % of all housing stock in the Czech Republic, i.e. about 1.2 million apartments. Approximately 60 % of them are owned by the municipalities while the rest are owned privately by legal entities or private persons. Funding of social housing is based on three primary sources: The state, municipalities and the users of social housing: • The state provides grants through the State Fund of Housing Development for construction and renovation works for social housing, to both legal entities and individual applicants. Allocation of funds is conditioned by the fact that the owner must meet criteria stipulated by the state. The municipality must then provide apartments as social housing for a period at least of 10 year, is limited in amount of rent12 and all buildings must be constructed as barrier-free. The volume of the subsidy is fixed at 500,000 CZK per apartment unit or up to 30 % of the total investment costs. • Rents paid by tenants of social housing constitute the second largest funding source. • Finally, municipalities contribute to the costs of social housing by co-financing remaining expenses that were not covered through state funds or rental payments.
1.3. Supported housing in the Czech Republic
1.3.1. Regulatory context
Supported housing13 is considered a social service and falls within the scope of regulation of the Social Services Act (no. 108/2006 Coll.), the basic legislation in the area of social services in the Czech Republic14. The Social Services Act has triggered an important change process in the provision of social service in the Czech Republic: • it holds a higher legal power than the 21 regulations it replaced, • it brings a transparent and clear arrangement for social services, • it defines the conditions of help and support to the individuals,
12 Maximum rent is 43 CZK / square meter in social apartments 13 According to the Social Services Act, supported housing is called “stay-in services” 14 The Social Services Act took effect on January 1, 2007 and constitutes the first legislation on social services. There was no unified legal norm before its passing and the area of social services was governed by 21 regulations. It is supplemented by Notice No. 505/2006 Coll. which defines and clarifies specific types of services, including for supported housing.
8 • it defines conditions for the registration of the social service providers, • it defines municipalities’ competences and procedures for social service provision, • it provides for quality inspections in the area of social services as well as the qualifications required for the operation of social service activities, • it defines the types and forms of social help to be provided.
For the area of supported housing, the Social Services Act defines the conditions for the provision of supported housing, target groups and forms of supported housing. Supported housing facilities have the character of emergency, temporary or permanent housing and are provided to people in adverse situations associated with lost housing or with reduced self-sufficiency. Facilities include: • homes for disabled persons are a permanent social service in which services are provided to people with reduced self-sufficiency due to their disability requiring regular assistance by another physical person, • protected housing is an ambulatory service provided to persons with reduced self- sufficiency due to their disability or chronic disease, including mental disorders, requiring the assistance by another physical person, • asylum houses provide supported housing services for a temporary period to persons in an adverse situation associated with lost housing, • “half-way” houses provide supported housing services to persons up to 26 years of age leaving educational facilities for institutional or protection care after attaining legal age, or possibly to persons coming from other children and youth facilities, and to persons released from imprisonment or compulsory treatment, • homeless shelters provide ambulatory services to persons without shelter interested in using sanitary installations and lodging.
1.3.2. Actors in supported housing
• The Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs is responsible for legislation in the area of social services in the Czech Republic and defines the framework and standards for the provision of services. The Ministry yearly earmarks means provided to regions, municipalities and social services providers. • The Regions15 are responsible for covering social needs within their territory. Regions develop so-called Strategic Plans for Social Service Development (see Chapter 2.3.). • Municipalities monitor the situation of social needs in their territory and if necessary, they establish semi-budgetary organizations to cover the need or provide grants to any social services provider. They can, for example, initiate the construction of new asylum houses within their territory. • Semi-budgetary organizations16 established by municipalities and NGOs17 are the main
15 The Czech Republic has been administratively divided into 14 Regions. The City of Prague holds a specific position – it is a Region and a municipality at the same time. 16 Semi-budgetary organizations are legal entities established with the purpose of fulfilling a task in public interest. The semi- budgetary organizations are established by the state bodies and municipalities. The organizations manage their own financial
9 providers of supported housing in the Czech Republic. These organizations do not usually own any housing stock but are provided with apartments from municipal housing stock to provide them as social housing to clients to promote their independence from social services in a “housing ladder” approach (see example below). • There are also private facilities providing supported housing services in the Czech Republic. They are allowed to apply for grants but also only for social services defined in the Social Services Act. The majority of facilities provide private housing services to elderly people or persons with disabilities.
1.3.3. Funding of Supported Housing
The funding of the supported housing services, as well as its planning, occurs on several levels. The main financial provision is granted by the state budget. The process of grant provision is depicted in the following diagram:
State Regional Municipal Providers budget budget budget
The state subsidies are granted through the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs to regions. The relevant Regional Authorities redistribute the state subsidy to the cities and municipalities in their territory or directly to semi-budgetary organizations that establish themselves. The municipalities perform the specific redistribution of grants to the supported housing providers. As supported housing is provided as a paid service, the fees paid by users18 also contribute to covering the cost of the housing facility. There is no price list given by the law of social services and housing services provision. The price of these services varies and is based on the quality of housing.
1.4. Role of municipalities in social and supported housing and Cooperation between public authorities and service providers
The role of cities and municipalities in providing social and supported housing is significant in the Czech Republic as the subsidiary principle is very important in this policy area. Municipalities are independent in the planning of social housing; for supported housing, they share the
means as well as additional funds provided by the establishing body. They are established for the social, educational and health areas and other areas. 17 Non-government organizations are legal entities established with the purpose of providing publicly beneficial activities independent from the state. In the Czech Republic, NGOs may exist in the form of associations, publicly beneficial corporations (or societies), foundations and foundation funds, or church legal entities. 18 Social services are provided for free or as a paid service. Supported housing services are all provided as a paid service, the price depends on the character of the service.
10 responsibility for planning and funding with regions, as part of their obligation to provide social services. Here, they use the methodology of community planning which will be explained in more detail in the following chapter. Public authorities (regional or municipal) cooperate with social service providers (semi- budgetary organisations, NGOs) and provide grants that fund their activities. According to the Social Services Act grants are provided only to registered providers. The Act stipulates regions to register providers if they meet the criteria. Those are: freedom from debt or impunity, service cannot be provided as gainful activity, appropriate qualification and skills of staff; for supported housing services, the applicant must prove ownership or lease contract to the building where the service will be provided; in the case of NGO, the organization must be previously registered with the Ministry of the Interior. The applicants are automatically registered if they meet those criteria regardless of the capacity of social services in their region. Regions are responsible for registration and updating the list of providers (this is displayed online on a website administered by the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs. Regions are not required to have their own register of providers but some of do, such as the City of Prague’s own “The Map of social services providers” or the region of Pilsen’s “The Socio-information system”. Registration onto the list of social services providers does, however, not mean the automatic allocation of grants, but providers must also meet the priorities introduced in the Medium Term Plan of Social Services Development. There is no rigid rule for providing grants at the national level in the Czech Republic. Regions have their own methodical rules that take into account – in addition to the official registration of a provider – the following criteria: the kind of social service; users payment (whether the social service is provide free or on a paid basis); staff available for a facility; and balance in previous years. Providers are allowed to use grants only for predefined activities.
11 2. Provision and Commissioning
The purpose of the following chapter Provision and Commissioning is to inform about the provision of social and supported housing in the Czech Republic and in the City of Prague; it looks at the target groups, allocation criteria; need assessments and planning tools.
2.1. Social housing provision
Housing policy in Prague
The housing policy of the City of Prague is based on the principle of the responsibility of each individual and his or her family to take care of their own housing needs within the framework of the available possibilities. At the same time, it counts on assistance (on the basis of specifically stipulated conditions) for those citizens who cannot ensure adequate housing for themselves through their own effort in spite of their responsible approach and who have found themselves in a precarious situation not of their fault (e.g. by selling their apartment or providing it to their immediate family). In the City of Prague, rental housing constitutes about 27 % of all housing stock. The providers of social housing in the territory of Prague are Prague City Hall, who manages a part of the public housing stock (10,000 apartments), and the municipality’s individual districts, to whom a large share of the stock has been transferred (60,000 apartments)19. The number of flats of the housing stock of the City of Prague and its city districts has been decreasing since the early 1990’s since the municipal apartments are being privatized.
2.1.1. Target groups and allocation criteria
All the housing forms described above target similar user groups (as defined in the Directive 333/2009 Coll.). The main purpose of the social housing policy is to provide adequate and affordable housing for those people who are disadvantaged in access to housing, for financial, health or other reasons. An application for social housing can be submitted by every citizen of the Czech Republic; the decision on issuing an apartment will be dependent on meeting the conditions stipulated by the provider. Since there is no clearly delineated definition of the term “social housing”, there is also no unity in the way the system of the allocation criteria is set up. For example, this means that in Prague there may be some differences between allocation policies of Prague City and the districts. In general, the main target group for access to social housing are lower income people and families, but there are some non-economic criteria as well, for example older and senior people, incomplete families, the unemployed, people with addictions, ethnic minority members, or the handicapped.
19 The City of Prague is divided administratively into 57 city districts with the municipal statute. Social housing is provided on the basis of the Resolution of the Board of Councillors of the City of Prague No. 1015 from 1993 and the Resolution of the Board of the City of Prague No. 1360 from 2005.
12 Allocation of social housing by the Prague City Hall is explained by the following diagram:
Supported housing Senior facilites, NGOs people Professions (65+)
Single mothers, lone persons, young families, people Prague City Hall, Directors of returning from housing department departments or prison, mentally institutions handicapped people
People with Prague City health districts handicap
Source: Housing department of the Prague City Hall, http://byty.praha-mesto.cz/
Social housing from Prague City Hall is predominantly designated for the group of seniors above 65 years of age who can apply directly to the Housing Department of Prague City Hall. The same possibility applies to people with special needs (people with a health handicap) with permanent residence in Prague. Employees of the local administration who ascertain the basic operations of the city – policemen, firemen, medical doctors, nurses, teachers – also have access to social housing as well. They submit their applications through the directors of the respective departments or institution of Prague City Hall and receive long-term rental contracts. The City of Prague also provides social housing to the target groups of the Active Inclusion strategy - people in precarious situations without own housing including single mothers, lone persons, young families, people returning from prison, and mentally handicapped people. These groups apply through special procedures to supported housing facilities, NGOs or the districts of Prague City. They are provided housing on the basis of a two year rental contract which can be extended by another two years if the adverse situation of the applicant continues. The situation is different for those applying for social housing with the Prague city districts. The city districts do have a larger housing stock available but they also set up their own rules for the provision of a rental apartment. Their approach to the different target groups varies: e. g. some districts provide social housing only to people with permanent residence on the territory of the City of Prague (or the territory of the respective city district), some to all citizens of the Czech Republic. The City of Prague is using a quite effectively set-up system of rules for providing housing to socially excluded and needy people. The effectiveness of the exit policy has been monitored
13 regularly since 2006 (see the table below). The vacated municipal apartments are provided to the next applicants who are on the waiting list. The number of apartments available has been so far continually increasing according to the monitoring.
Year 2006 2007 2008 2009* Total
Number of cleared 255 226 352 322 1155 apartments
Source: Housing department of the Prague City Hall, http://byty.praha-mesto.cz/ (* the data for 2009 is not complete)
2.1.2. Availability and needs assessment
Due to the lack of definition of social housing, there are no rigid rules for needs assessment or planning. Municipalities are fully independent to plan (or not plan) new construction on their territories or to earmark housing stock for social purposes. They are, however, obliged to follow state rules in case they use grants for construction provided through the State Fund of Housing Development as mentioned previously. The situation in terms of availability in the City of Prague is similar to the rest of the country – availability of social housing does not correspond to the number of applications filed. In case of apartments for people with health handicaps, for example, the waiting time for issuing a social apartment is 3 months. In case of people in a precarious situation the waiting time is even longer and does not cover the need of the applications filed.
2.2. Supported housing provision
Supported housing services in Prague
The City of Prague supports social services providers to provide complex services to promote a “housing ladder” that enables clients to gradually become independent of social services. An example of such a provider is the “Prague Centre of Social Services”, providing a complex coverage of social services (also in cooperation with NGOs) on the territory of the City of Prague. This semi- budgetary organization operates shelters, low-threshold day centres, asylum houses and provides the services of social counselling and social prevention. The semi-budgetary organization has been allocated five social housing apartments in cooperation with the Housing Department of Prague City Hall which it can provide to its clients with the goal of their gradual social inclusion. In this case, the semi-budgetary organization “Prague Centre of Social Services” selects clients who have gone through the ladder from shelters, through the asylum house to the social housing.
14 Social housing apartment Asylum house Low-threshold day centre
Shelter
Housing Ladder, “Prague Centre of Social services”
According to the Social Services Act, all providers have to provide social counselling services to users. There are also provided specialized social counselling services according to users’ needs, for example counselling services to disabled persons. Providers also facilitate the user’s return to the labour market through additional services such as cooperation with job clubs.
Combining supported housing services with employment services in Prague
One example was the project of “Activation of work potential” supported by the budget of the City of Prague, the state budget and the European Social Fund helped to extend the work skills and habits of a number of clients. The projects carried out included for example: work in a workshop, ancillary work in kitchen, construction work, cleaning of public spaces and buildings. The project was targeted to the needs of the unemployed living in asylum houses users and hostels.
2.2.1. Target groups
Supported housing services are provided to all citizens of the Czech Republic and EU member states who are in a precarious situation. The target groups of supported housing are strictly defined by the Social Services Act and the providers have no influence over them. The target group of people in adverse situations and threatened by social exclusion are described in the Medium Term Plan of the Social Services Development in the following way: • People with mental or physical handicap • People returning from prison or who have been criminally prosecuted • People whose lifestyle and habits cause conflicts with the society (the homeless, prostitutes) • Young people under 26, leaving the institutional care institutions or foster care • Long-term unemployed • Home abuse victims, crime victims in general • People in precarious situations • People living in socially excluded localities • Ethnic minorities
The experience of supported housing providers in the City of Prague territory suggests that the groups most threatened by social exclusion are people with a mental or physical handicap, people with difficulties in establishing themselves in the society, the long-term unemployed, people
15 with broken marriages or people returning from prison. The young people leaving the institutions for children (“children’s homes” or educational facilities) are a highly threatened group as well. Supported housing facilities also focus on specific target groups and their needs. For example there are asylum houses for minorities, families with children, single mothers or men. The housing providers can then focus on their needs and provide them with additional social services.
2.2.2. Availability and needs assessment
In the City of Prague, for example, there are 29 asylum houses, 42 homes for elderly people, 6 “half-way” homes for young people, 26 homes for disabled persons and 5 shelters.20 They are operated by semi-budgetary organizations established by Prague City Hall or by Prague City Districts Halls, or they are operated by NGOs.
Asylum house in Prague - Petrovice The asylum house provides accommodation to single mothers with children and pregnant women who have found themselves in a social and housing need. Social and work counselling is provided to the clients during their stay in the asylum house, as well as a programme focusing on pregnancy (preventive care, detailed information about the course of pregnancy, options for the mothers after delivery) and an education programme for the children. Housing services are provided for a period of 1 day to 6 months, in extraordinary cases up to 9 months. The asylum house operates 9 fully equipped apartments and is operated and funded by Prague City District 10.
The capacity of supported housing is not sufficient in the City of Prague and in the Czech Republic, facilities for shelters and asylum houses in particular are insufficient. • The number of homeless exceeds the capacity of shelters in the area of the City of Prague and it is necessary to increase the number of mobile facilities in the winter time. The insufficient capacity of housing for the homeless is caused by the impossibility to establish reliable statistics on the number of homeless people in the area of Prague due to the law on personal data protection21 - the City of Prague therefore cannot effectively plan the capacity. • The capacity of asylum houses is insufficient for some target groups, for men with children and single persons without children in the City of Prague. • There is also an insufficient capacity of supported housing services for the target group of persons with disabilities. The insufficient capacity of supported housing services is due to the lack of means and the disagreement of citizens with a new facility construction in their neighbourhood.
20 Source: The registre of social services providers, http://socialnipece.praha.eu/ 21 The law on personal data protection prohibits the collection and preserving of personal data (including ID card number, date of birth, name in combination with the adress which easily enables identification of a person).
16 2.3. Planning for social and supported housing
Regions and municipalities are jointly responsible for assessing social needs in their territory, collecting and analysing indicators of capacity, funding, and quality on an annual basis. They use various tools to cover these purposes:
• Strategic planning is a tool used by regions and municipalities to identify core development areas and define priorities from the point of view of time and funding for a given territory, usually for time span between 4 to 10 years. The regional strategic plans for the City of Prague 2010 deals mostly with the areas of economics, social affairs, the environment and improving the services of public administration. The strategic plans of the municipalities are based on the regional plans.
• Urban Planning is a regulatory tool of public administration to regulate the technical parameters of buildings, parameters for development land, regulation of the use of public buildings.
For example, an analysis for the policy areas of social and healthcare area carried out in the context of a strategic plan might show the need for the construction of a new shelter house. The city will then select a suitable location and the technical parameters of the building on the basis of the urban plan. The urban plan also contains suitable locations for social housing construction.
A new approach: community planning of social services/supported housing
In addition, for supported housing as part of social services, the Midterm Strategic Plans for Social Service Development is fundamental tools for social services planning in the territory that set priorities for periods between 1 and 3 years22. These are developed and approved with the methodology of community planning since the Social Services Act was introduced in 2007 and foresees that the regions or municipalities involve both providers and users of social services in the elaboration of strategic planning. The main reason for this approach is to plan only those social services that are needed and relevant in the territory. This process of “community planning” started in 2007 and a number of regions of the Czech Republic have just accepted just their first or second community plan. Regions usually approve their community plan for a 3 year period. The City of Prague began with community planning in 2008 and has so far operated with annual action plans and is currently preparing its first community plan valid for a period of 3 years (2011 – 2013). 9 of 22 Prague city districts (municipalities with extended
22 The City of Prague approves its Strategic plan annually but it contains priorities that exceed the period of one year and those are fulfilled long-term.
17 competence23) have their community plan and 7 districts are preparing approval procedure. The rest of the districts haven’t decided to participate in community planning yet. The methodology of the development of the community plan is defined by the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs. The community plan approval process has been based on a new bottom-up process that takes into account users’ needs and the subsidiary principle is very high. Regions use outputs from municipalities or cities in their territory for their community plans. Regions provide outputs to the national level represented by the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs that approves the national plan. The process of community planning is long term and time consuming. The region or municipality establishes working groups for each relevant area (planning, funding, strategy, monitoring) composed of civil servants, social service providers and citizens. Citizens and social services providers are invited for cooperation via public call. They create working groups and committees that have the right to comment on community plans prepared by the regional or local authority. The committee has the right to approve or deny the comments.
Case study: Community Plan approval process in the City of Prague The City of Prague, which has been developing a Medium term plan of social service development, uses the following procedure: The Department of Social Services and Health Care of Prague City Hall is charged with the preparation of a proposed plan. Afterwards, the providers and users are called upon to make comments and observations on the plan. Afterwards, there is a public meeting and the committee has the authority to incorporate the comments of providers and the public. The amended version of the Medium term plan of social service development is then presented to the Council and Local Authority of the City of Prague for approval.
The approach of community planning has brought improvement in interrelations between regional/municipal authority and social service providers, among social service providers themselves, and has increased the awareness of users about social services provided in the territory. The process has also brought about better coordination of the social services provided and improvement in mapping of all kinds of social services in a territory. Community planning has also brought about the monitoring of the social services capacity in a territory. Community planning ascertains which social services are more needed and which are less needed. The approach has simplified the method for the funding of social services providers.
23 Municipalities with extended competence – a law changed the administrative division and abolished regional districts in 2003. Municipalities with extended competence are a connecting link between the state administration and municipalities. Municipalities with extended competence have gained some delegated competences and provide them to municipalities in the neighbourhood. They have also gained some competence in social services. They are allowed to provide social benefits or care to seniors or the handicapped. There are 205 municipalities with extended competence in the Czech Republic. In the case of the City of Prague, there are 22 city districts considered municipalities with extended competence.
18 Case study: What Community planning has improved in Ostrava The city of Ostrava has accepted the community planning of social services and accepted its 2nd community plan for the period of 2008–2010 in 2007 (the first plan referred to one year only). A three-part work group (social service providers, social service users and Municipality) consisting of 11 work groups is taking part in the preparation of the plan. The current experience shows that the community planning in Ostrava has brought about some positive effects: e.g. the offer and quality of social services improved, the partnership of the city administration and the non-profit organizations and other social service providers developed further, the Manual for Reporting the Indicators in the Social Services and the Related Activities in the City of Ostrava has been created, an electronic system of projects review has been introduced and the Indicators Evidence has been incorporated.
19 3. Quality and monitoring
The purpose of the following chapter Quality and Monitoring is to present quality standards which must be met in social housing and supported housing, and to describe how compliance with these standards is ensured. It also describes how users or clients are involved in service design and quality monitoring.
3.1. Quality standards and inspections on the housing market
There are quality standards related to social services provision in general as well as specific quality standards related to supported housing in the Czech Republic. There has been a greater focus on social services quality provided to users over last few years. The adoption of the Social Services Act has resulted in an increase in quality monitoring. As social housing is not provided as a social service in the Czech Republic, the Social Services Act and quality monitoring does not have any influence over social housing.
3.1.1. Quality standards related to Social housing
In line with the fact that social housing is not officially defined by Czech legislation and is not registered as a social service, there are no defined quality standards for social housing in the Czech Republic. However, with the 2006 Act on the deregulation of rents, the terms of “reduced quality apartment” and “standard quality apartment” have been defined; • A reduced quality apartment is an apartment without central heating or with a shared bathroom. Reduced quality apartments are usually located in the older buildings or low-cost apartments. The rent is lower than in a municipal apartment with regulated rent. • Standard quality apartments are usually apartments formerly classified as Category 1 apartments24. The quality of these apartments is established by their operator and is declared in the validly concluded Contract of Lease of the social housing. The quality of the apartment is always reflected in the rent paid for the use of the apartment. • There are quality standards related to social housing construction in the Czech Republic. The main criteria are related to the technical standards of buildings and their equipment.
3.1.2. Quality standards related to Supported Housing
The 2007 Social Services Act has also triggered a new emphasis on quality monitoring of social services. The Act defines a series of standards on the level of quality of social services which also govern supported housing.
24 In the sense of the Notice of Ministry of Finance of the Czech Republic No. 176/1993 Coll., on the rent for an apartment and payment for the services related to the use of the apartment, and its Section 4; this Notice has been repealed by the finding of the Constitutional Court of the Czech Republic, published in the collection as No. 231/2000.
20 The precisely defined standards allow for the measurement and evaluation of the quality of the services provided and take into the needs and satisfaction of the users. The outcomes are an important input to the community planning processes for social services in the next period. The Quality Standards apply to all social services and are therefore formulated in a general way. From a functional point of view, they can be divided into: • Standards for Procedures that determine the methodology of social service provision (methodology, for example, includes work with the user). • Standards for Personnel relate to the education and skills of the staff operating and delivering the services • Operational standards define technical conditions for the provision of the social services. The standards, for example, determine the size of a facility, the maximum number of users, the adequate number of employees, and social services provided as paid or free.
In general, the quality of supported housing is mostly influenced by the facility. It is given predominantly by the construction and technical predisposition of the building where the service is provided as well as by the environment and building’s condition. In contrast with social housing, the quality of this type of housing is usually more similar to the “reduced quality apartments”. The quality of supported housing is reflected in the amount paid by the user (e. g. a higher number of clients in one room may reduce the price of housing).
3.2. Quality monitoring
The monitoring of standards is done with the cooperation of different actors: • Regions monitor the capacity and use of the supported housing as well as the occupancy and the number of applications for social housing. • At the local level, municipalities, providers and users of the social services evaluate user satisfaction. The measurement is usually performed through the “feedback method”. Practically speaking, special questionnaires are developed by the municipalities or providers. The questionnaires are targeted at the users and/or providers of the services. In the case of supported housing, the satisfaction (versus dissatisfaction) of the clients is monitored, as well as the meeting of the Quality Standards and housing conditions (e. g. the number of beds per room). In the case of social housing, the number of social apartments in a given location and the satisfaction (or dissatisfaction) of the clients is monitored. • Municipalities with community planning also use collected data for amendments of future community plans (e.g. data on capacity, necessity of services, quality and user satisfaction). • The quality of the services provided is checked and monitored by the provider itself, who carries it out with in cooperation with external supervisors or the managing employees. The quality can be checked by an external inspection of social services provided. The inspection is performed by inspection teams in cooperation with independent specialists. The quality of the social services is measured by the quality standards during these inspections.
21 Example: the Prague City District 10 The city district of Prague 10 performs an analysis of the needs and satisfaction of the social services users periodically. Monitoring working groups focusing on specific target groups of users were established at the beginning of the projects. A questionnaire with the purpose of ascertaining the experiences with the services, needs and problems of the social services users was developed during the meetings of the individual work groups. It was then distributed through the providers of the social services or through a targeted approach to, for example, handicapped people (it was sent to them as a letter). The questionnaire was distributed to all citizens of the City District. A total of 5,111 persons returned it. The main outcome of the survey was a high satisfaction of users with services. This material has become one of the background materials for the development of the Community plan of social services in the Prague City District 10.
3.3. User involvement and tenant/user rights
3.3.1. Social housing
User involvement in terms of service design or implementation is very limited with regards to social housing. The rights of social housing tenants are given in the rental contracts. Tenants have the possibility to issue complaints and objections to the housing provider (municipality or landlord), for example, if the quality of the apartment does not correspond to their valid contract. The entitlements stem from the validly concluded contract of lease, and if the contract is violated both parties can appeal to the court with the purpose of protecting their rights. The rights of the tenants of social housing are protected by organizations associating the interests and rights of the tenants (they are different according to the form of social housing – whether they are municipal rental apartments or housing for social purposes). The tenants can submit comments to the provider regarding the quality and lobby, for example, for a decrease in rent, or the renovation or maintenance of the building. The majority of tenants use this option and establish associations which protects their rights. Applicants for social housing can influence the location and size of the apartment they are applying for. Users are offered apartments of adequate size depending on their children or ability to pay the rent.
3.3.2. Supported housing
For supported housing, user involvement is much more developed than in social housing, in that the user can choose the provider. In principle, this possibility depends on the capacity of the facility and the conditions the applicant must meet. Applications for supported housing services are assessed on the basis of a point system25. In the case of a supported housing facility featuring a
25 The methodological evaluation point system of the City of Prague, used mainly for senior and handicapped persons, evaluates client´s loneliness, housing condition, health, dependency on social care services.
22 sanctuary house, conditions of its use are stipulated by the Social Services Act (All EU member state citizens or people in precarious situation), as well as the internal directives of a specific facility (the facility specifies the target group – men, women, mothers with children or families). The rights of the supported housing user are given in a signed contract between provider and user. The quality standards for Social Services establish the right of supported housing users to issue complaints and objections on the quality of housing provided; either directly with the given service provider or through the regional authority responsible for the official register of service providers. Through community planning, users are also involved in service design for supported housing on the regional and municipal level. They have the right to comment on strategic plans of social services proposed by the regions and/or the municipalities.
23 4. Recommendations
In the context of the European Active Inclusion strategy, the EU has laid down a number of collective principles as a starting point for access to services of good quality. The EUROCITIES-NLAO is testing these quality principles for their relevance for local active inclusion policies. The following chapter provides an analysis of the methods of meeting these quality principles in social housing and supported housing in the City of Prague and in the Czech Republic and some recommendations for improvements. These recommendations come from opinions and discussion of specialists and social service providers (especially of the supported housing) expressed at the LAO Prague national housing seminar held on November 12, 2009 (for a list of organisations represented see page 30).
4.1. Territorial availability, physical accessibility, affordability
Availability of housing The possibility of acquiring one’s own housing has grown in the Czech Republic since the beginning of the 1990’s due to the availability of funding through mortgage loans. The possibility of acquiring housing on the open apartment market is least accessible for the homeless people, the long-term unemployed and indebted people. These groups, the most disadvantaged in their access to housing, cannot even get social housing since they are not able to pay rent. These target groups are the most dependent on supported housing. The capacity of affordable housing is inadequate and the law does not stipulate the obligation of the municipalities to set a part of their housing stock aside for social purposes.
Access to housing The Czech legislation has not defined the term of social housing clearly yet, thus causing the providers of affordable housing to set up the conditions of access to social housing by themselves. The lacking definition also results in an unclear definition of responsibility at all levels of governance. The process of the privatization of apartments has been continuing in the Czech Republic, making it possible for the users to purchase affordable housing on the one hand, while reducing the volume of housing stock of the municipalities which could be provided to the needy and excluded people on the other. In many cases, apartments in the less attractive locations are left in the municipal housing stock, further increasing the social isolation of the users. The access to social housing significantly reduces the mobility of the work force. The rule of residence in fact prevents people from moving to the cities with the purpose of getting social housing. In many cases people can apply for a rental apartment with “privileged” rent only in the place of their original permanent residence, thus further complicating relocating to work opportunities. The social housing market is therefore not flexible enough to cover the needs of the people excluded from the labour market. Access to the supported housing in the Czech Republic has been stipulated by the Social Services Act. The users are nevertheless limited by a low level of awareness about the services provided.
24 Recommendation
• The accessibility of social housing could be improved by setting up a quota designating a part of the housing stock for social purposes. • The municipalities ought to improve access to information about social services, for example by introducing a socio-information system.
4.2. Solidarity, equal opportunities for service users and employees, and due account for diversity of users
The lack of affordable social housing, and the lack of clarity in its definition, allow the providers to set up the access criteria independently. The municipalities therefore often select such groups that are not immediately threatened by social exclusion but rather offer affordable housing to those target groups where trouble-free operation of these facilities can be expected (such as physically handicapped and seniors). Social housing in municipal apartments is provided on the assumption that the user is able to pay the rent on a regular basis (even the regulated rent which is significantly lower than the open market rent). This condition limits the lower or irregular income persons in their access to municipal housing (e. g. people with supported employment income). In the case of supported housing, solidarity and equal access to services are guaranteed by the Social Services Act and by the application of the methodical “points” system evaluating the level of social handicap of the applicants objectively and setting up a clear waiting list of entitlement.
Recommendation
• The provision of social housing should be based on local needs. Social housing should be continually connected with the supported housing services and should reflect the needs and specifics of the given city (e. g. the points system in the City of Prague). • The provision of supported housing services should respond to the development of local needs in the area of supply and demand of services in a more flexible way. They should improve the social information systems and make them understandable for all potential users.
4.3. Investment in human capital, working conditions, and adequate physical infrastructure
This principle monitors the level of investments into the improvement of the housing stock of social housing and the level of investment into the quality of supported housing, especially the programmes of quality development of the personnel working in these facilities. The type of education and necessary qualification of social services employees are stipulated by the Social Services Act. The Act thus stipulates the level of education and practical experience required. The programmes funded through the European Social Fund with the goal of increasing the
25 qualification of the supported housing facilities users have proven as very effective. The Czech Republic is becoming a destination country of immigrants. The staff of the supported housing facilities is not prepared for the multicultural environment (language barrier, multi-cultural differences). There are state budget subsidies available to the municipalities through the State Fund of Housing Development for the reconstruction of the housing stock and construction of new apartment houses. The grant conditions require the municipality to use such apartments for provision of social housing for a given period of time.
Recommendation
• The Social Services Act defines the preconditions for service (employment) in the area of social services but it does not require a compulsory on-going education or training of the staff. • The municipalities should establish better conditions for the providers in the professional development of their staff from the point of view of personal approach to the clients.
4.4. Comprehensive and coordinated services conceived and delivered in an integrated manner
Social services in the Czech Republic are not coordinated in a unified manner, but the Social Services Act has brought about a significant improvement. The basic coordination is done through the community planning process and the implementation of the strategic plans of the Regions. Nevertheless, not all municipalities and cities are involved in the community planning of social services yet. The providers of supported housing are interested in a systematic work with the client and his or her gradual social inclusion. Due to the insufficient number of social apartments, some applicants remain on the level of shelter housing for a long time, they change providers, and they do not achieve gradual independence and never become independent of supported housing. The lack of interconnection of the social housing provided and the social services also causes problems. The obligation of the users who have been provided social housing as part of their gradual social inclusion process to participate in consultations with the social workers to learn financial independence and financial management is missing. There is a lack of interconnection of social housing services with other social services. The users of social housing who were provided social housing as a last step in the “housing ladder” are not obligated to attend counselling meetings with social staff that would monitor their gradual independence trend.
Recommendation
• To increase the coordination of the social service providers. • Coordination of social housing provision with social counselling services.
26 4.5. Users’ involvement and personalised approaches to meet their individual needs
The users of the social services in the Czech Republic are included by means of the community planning of the social services. The users have the possibility of submitting comments to, for example, the Medium Term Plan of Social Services Development. The social housing user can select the location of the social apartment assigned, but this option depends on the capacity available, so it is rather theoretical due to limited capacities. More consideration is given to the need for the size of the apartment. The user of the supported housing has the option of selecting the provider and often the location as well; he or she is limited only by the capacity of the particular facility. The specific opinions and needs of the users are monitored on a regular basis through questionnaires and interviews.
Recommendation
• The municipalities ought to introduce community planning which will give the public and the providers the option to be involved in the planning of services and designate funding for the introduction of the system of community planning. • The municipalities ought to support the individual approach to users and their needs.
4.6. Monitoring and performance evaluation of social services
The impact of supported housing and social housing on the overall social situation has not yet been monitored and evaluated in a comprehensive way. A system expressing the financial value of social services is still missing in the Czech Republic, as is a comparison of prices in dependence on the capacity of the facility and the number of staff. The client’s socio-economic situation, as well as his or her independence on the social system is monitored and evaluated. In the case of supported housing, the situation of the clients is monitored by the social workers on a regular basis through questionnaires and interviews, but it is not compulsory to evaluate the outputs of the research.
Recommendation
• The municipalities and providers do not have the means to monitor the financial value of the social services (the Social Services Act does not define the price of services), so it is difficult to compare effectiveness. • The providers should extend the monitored evaluation of satisfaction and needs by monitoring the effect of the social services on the users. The output gained ought to be used for further planning of social services.
27 5. Case study 5.1. An example of the “housing ladder”: an example in the City of Prague
Description of person A family of Roma origin of Mrs. A. with two small children was /group admitted to an asylum house. Both parents (a married couple) completed only primary school but never received unemployment benefits. The older son attended a day care centre, then a kindergarten, and he finished the 1st grade of primary school successfully while the family was staying at the asylum house. None of the parents had any problems asserting themselves in the labour market in jobs adequate to their education. Mr. A. has been working since he was 16, he did not complete secondary vocational training school; he worked for a taxi company. Mrs. A. was on maternity leave at that time with their daughter. The only problem of the family was their inability to solve the housing situation with either their own means or within the wider family. The couple tried to deal with their housing situation during their 9-year marriage, they moved 16 times but they could not solve it permanently, only through lease of apartments.
Brief description of The family was admitted to the asylum house for mothers and services children operated by the association “Společnou cestou” on the recommendation of the Roma adviser of the Prague City District where the family had their permanent residence.
Description of the The association “Společnou cestou” provides asylum housing and services used counselling services helping the target group of clients overcome their precarious situation.
Steps taken towards While staying in the asylum house, the family used the support of the achieving independence sanctuary house education assistant. Under her supervision, they studied with their son and were interested in his school results and relationships with his schoolmates. The couple kept looking for solutions to their housing situation actively during their stay. Their application was filed in the register of applicants for social apartments for socially needy citizens at the respective Prague City District and was submitted for approval to the Housing department of the Prague City Hall. The family was offered a Prague City Hall apartment they could move into.
Result The family of Mrs. A. received a social housing apartment in Prague for 2 years, according to the rules of the Prague City Hall. The lease may be extended if the situation of the family does not change. Mrs. A. started working after finishing her maternity leave, thus increasing the financial sources of the family significantly. The association “Společnou cestou” keeps in touch with the family, providing it with specialist social counselling to maintain the current trend of the independence of the family. The family works independently and maintains a stable form of housing.
28 6. Sources
The Social Services Act 108/2006 Col. The Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, available on: http://www.mpsv.cz/ The Ministry of Local Development, available on: http://mmr.cz/ The Legislative Collection of The Czech Republic: http://portal.gov.cz/ The Medium Term Plan of Social Services Development of the City of Prague The Action Plan on Homelessness (City of Prague) The Archive of social service providers: “The Centre of social services Prague”, semi-budgetary organization The portal Finance.cz, available on: http://www.finance.cz/ The portal of The Prague City Hall, available on: http://magistrat.praha-mesto.cz/ Lux, M.; Grabmüllerová, D.: Social Housing in the Czech Republic – Unresolved Question and Future Prospects. Paper given at the conference: Options and Perspectives of Social Rental Housing in the Central and East European Region, Budapest 0ct 6-7, 2008. The online magazin on Housing, available on: http://www.living.cz/ The case study of the association Společnou cestou, available on: http://www.spolcest.cz/
Participants at the national seminar were from the following institutions:
EUROCITIES-NLAO The Academy of Science of the Czech Republic, specialist in Housing Ministry for Local Development – housing department Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs – department of active inclusion Semi-budgetary organization “Prague Centre of social services” Semi-budgetary organization “Vlasska” NGO “Nadeje” NGO Czech Catholic Charity NGO Municipal Charity České Budějovice Ostrava City Hall – social department Brno City Hall – social department Pilsen City Hall – social department Prague City Hall – social department, housing department, planning department
29 The EUROCITIES – Network of Local Authority Observatories on Active Inclusion (EUROCITIES – NLAO) is a network of five European cities – Bologna, Prague, Rotterdam, Southampton and Stockholm - which have established local observatories within their administrations to carry out research on the implementation of active inclusion policies at the local level.
From March 2009 to August 2010, the observatories delivered a series of national and European reports on supporting Active Inclusion through social & supported housing-related services and employment & training services. The EUROCTIES-NLAO will continue with an enlarged network of 10 cities From September 2010 onwards.
The project is coordinated by EUROCITIES, the network of major cities in Europe, and co-funded by DG Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities under the PROGRESS programme.
All reports as well as news on other project outputs are available at www.eurocities-nlao.eu
This publication is supported under the European Community Programme for Employment and Social Solidarity (PROGRESS 2007-2013). The information contained in this publication does not reflect the opinion of the European Commission, and all responsibility for the content rests with the authors.