After the acquisition of the problematic hostel Neptun, Jablonec n. N. will focus on other properties

Jablonec nad Nisou - After purchasing the problematic Neptun hostel, Jablonec nad Nisou aims to focus on other similar properties. The goal is to prevent social and security problems. Jana Hamplová (Mayors for the Liberec Region), the deputy mayor responsible for social affairs at the city hall, stated this to ČTK. The city council approved the purchase of the largest hostel in the city for over 46 million crowns at the end of April.

In the nine-story building of the former Neptun hotel, up to 200 people lived in 43 small apartments, often large families with children. The city guards intervened there practically every day, and nearby residents complained about the mess and noise. The large-capacity hostel is located in the middle of a housing estate, close to two elementary schools and five kindergartens, which also manifested in reduced interest from parents who were afraid to send their children to school there. However, the hostel is now empty, and the city is preparing for its renovation into an apartment building.

"The fact that we purchased Neptun is just the beginning of another ongoing social effort, but also monitoring to prevent the emergence of such significant social problems and large hostels. We will see how successful we are, but we certainly want to focus a lot on this," said Hamplová. According to her, similar hostels are a significant burden not only for social services but also for kindergartens and elementary schools, and they have a negative impact on safety in their surroundings.

With 46,200 inhabitants, Jablonec is the second largest city in the Liberec Region. In the Czech Republic, it belongs to cities that show a significantly higher proportion of residents in material deprivation than is usual in the rest of the country. According to the report on exclusion from housing, it is an example of a city where hostels play a significant role in the poverty business. After the purchase of Neptun, there are six commercial hostels in the city, but analyses suggest that several other properties in the city likely serve as hostels, housing several hundred people.

Next week, the Jablonec city council will again address Neptun, which should complete the administrative takeover of the building. The city has purchased the company that owns the former hotel building and is now set to approve its transformation and dissolution. The goal is to take possession of the building by the city so that Jablonec can apply for grants for its renovation. The city hall wants to create 34 rental apartments of various sizes for approximately 96 tenants in the former hotel, estimating the costs at 100 million crowns.