In Přerov, a new shelter will be established, it will be a container construction

Prerov - An emergency shelter will be established in Prerov on Kojetínská street, providing temporary accommodation for men and women in need. The two-story container building will have a capacity of 30 beds and will offer not only accommodation but also social assistance and pastoral support. The construction costs are 32.5 million crowns, and the building is expected to be completed in April. According to Alena Pizúrová, director of the Charity Prerov, this service is lacking in the city, as the Prerov charity only operates a low-threshold center visited by over 150 people, while the Salvation Army operates a shelter for mothers with children here.

Construction workers began work today on the city-owned land. "The emergency shelter will be built from 32 containers assembled on a foundation slab, making it a disassemblable structure. The capacity will be 20 places for men, eight for women, and there will also be one universal room that can accommodate, for example, a wheelchair user or a married couple. The total capacity will thus be 30 people," Pizúrová told reporters today.

The charity secured funding for the construction through grants. The equipment for the emergency shelter will be procured by Charity Prerov from the proceeds of this year's Three Kings Collection. "This is a social service - people will not just be accommodated here, but social service workers will work with them. The goal is for this person to find a job, and ideally, to reintegrate into society and secure stable housing," the director added.

The container emergency shelter will be built on city land in a marginalized area where mostly Roma inhabitants reside. "I am not afraid of coexistence; the charity guarantees it. The city provided the land. If people who want to move forward within our social housing can integrate here, it makes sense. This facility could help these people change their fortunes and integrate into society," added the Deputy Mayor Vladimír Lichnovský (ANO).

Such a service has been lacking in the city; the Prerov charity operates a low-threshold daytime center. The Salvation Army operates a shelter for mothers with children in the city. "There were many hostels and boarding houses in Prerov, many of which are now closed. Accommodating our clients from the low-threshold daytime center is not easy; we mostly turn to Olomouc, Otrokovice, or Lipník nad Bečvou, where these facilities exist," the director of the Prerov charity added. According to her, priority accommodation in the new emergency shelter will be given to people from Prerov.