People in need have obtained 375 apartments through Housing First projects so far

Prague - People in need have acquired 375 apartments in 18 cities thanks to Housing First projects. Organizations in a total of 16 cities have utilized European funds to secure housing with the support of social workers. This was reported today by the Platform for Social Housing.

The Housing First program focuses on homeless individuals. Through it, they gain regular housing and assistance according to their needs. In the Czech Republic, this approach was tested in 2017 in Brno. After a year, 96 percent of these households maintained their rental agreements. Results showed that children returned to families, the health of parents and children improved, adults found jobs, and public funds were saved.

"Housing First is a functional approach and is quickly becoming mainstream in the Czech Republic. Cities facing high levels of housing need in the poorest regions and large non-profit organizations are becoming involved," stated the director of the Platform for Social Housing, Vít Lesák.

Without EU subsidies, Brno, Liberec, Otrokovice, and Prague utilized the Housing First approach. A total of 11 organizations worked on projects in these cities. To date, they have occupied 219 apartments this way. The program has received support from the Ministry of Labor using European funds in a total of 16 cities. Interested parties were able to apply for funding in 2018. Currently, 13 projects are continuing, such as in Ústí nad Labem, Karviná, Havířov, and Orlová, Jeseník, Most, Ostrava, Plzeň, and Brno. So far, people in need have acquired 156 apartments out of the planned 215. According to the platform, most projects are approximately halfway through.

In Prague, organizations such as Naděje, the Salvation Army, and People in Peril assist individuals utilizing the Housing First approach, according to the platform. So far, 129 apartments have been secured for homeless individuals, families from temporary accommodations, single mothers, and seniors.

"We support our clients in creating their own home, and we are with them on their journey to recovery. We focus on reducing loneliness and supporting their wishes - this can be anything from new teeth to finding a job. Overall, 98 percent of households managed to maintain their housing after a year," stated Jan Desenský, director of the Salvation Army’s Center for Social Services Karla Larssona. The organization’s team is currently helping 33 households with housing. This year, they plan to test new methods and involve a mental health professional, a therapist, an occupational therapist, and a psychiatric nurse.

A social housing system does not exist in the Czech Republic. The government of Andrej Babiš (ANO) promised a law on social housing in its program statement, but only a few weeks after gaining confidence, it abandoned it. It was replaced by a program for construction with subsidies and loans. In 2019, it allocated one billion crowns for municipalities. The year before last, from May to the end of December, according to a report on the implementation of the housing concept, a total of 18 applications for 173.8 million crowns were submitted, of which three applications were withdrawn by the municipalities.