Prague builds an integrated housing emergency solution with EU funds

The measure should help decrease the number of homeless people

The City council of Prague approved on Monday the establishment of an integrated system of emergency housing solutions. It should ultimately reduce the number of residents who fall into a housing emergency situation, explained the local authority.

In order to make the integrated system happen, the city will build Contact Points for Housing in ten city districts. Each focal point will employ a navigator and a tenant support officer. Citizens who are at risk or are already in a housing emergency will find themselves in a single, shared housing emergency solution upon coming to the housing contact point.

When contacted by a client, the Navigator assesses his situation and needs and proposes solutions accordingly. These measures should ensure that the state of emergency is as short as possible and that citizens will not re-enter it.

Helping with housing from start to end

Persons in need of housing can have various reasons to seek help. Sometimes it is enough to provide counselling, at other times they also need legal assistance or mediation. It can also be the case that they are in need of immediate access to housing or asylum, hence they have to be provided temporary accommodation.

These are all services that the new system will provide, with the additional benefit of someone to work with the person in need. They will go through the steps with him and follow-up on the result explained from the Social Housing Platform, which helps the capital to build the system.

The work of the contact points for housing will be coordinated by the municipality, but the focus will be on the districts closest to their citizen. In addition, the municipality will also establish its own contact point for housing. This will serve citizens of city districts that have not yet established a contact point, explained Adam Zábranský, City Councilor responsible for housing and transparency, quoted by the municipal portal.

Borrowing successful examples

The Czech capital has been inspired for the integration solution by Scotland. The country has experience with introducing integrated systems of housing emergency at the city level since 2001. Thanks to this and the massive support of the construction of social housing in Scotland, the number of homeless people has decreased.

So far, Prague has received an EU grant of EUR 42 million under the Employment Operational Program. It is in the process of seeking additional financial subsidy.