Daniel Bakeš presented HomeLab, and Romodrom’s pilot, on EURoma Network’s European Seminar, titled “Using ESI Funds to prodive adequate housing solutions for Roma families” on 20-21 November 2018 in Madrid, Spain.
Bakeš presented Romodrom’s effort in moving low income, marginalized families from substandard and extremely unfavourable housing conditions to decent quality, affordable rental homes in the framework of the Czech HomeLab pilot. He described the logic of integrated service provision to vulnerable clients, connecting housing services with individualized support in securing gainful employment, and providing intensive social work to help the sustainable social integration of the excluded families.
The two-day seminar was combined with a Network Management Committee meeting. It gathered EURoma Network partners, among which public authorities managing ESI Funds (Managing Athorities, Intermediary Bodies and other relevant actors), representatives of National Roma contact Points from ten EU countries, as well as other relevant bodies at European and national level.
Besides Bakeš, Jan Milota of the Czech Roma advocacy NGO I.Q. Roma servis also presented on a flagship Housing First project, benefitting both Roma and non-Roma families in Brno, in cooperation with the city municipality. Katalin Utasi, of the Pécs branch of Hungarian Maltese Charity Service (a counterpart of Veszprém HCSOM in HomeLab) addressed the challenges of a Roma integration project in Pécs, Hungary, describing the importance of soft components.