Under HomeLab, PIN proposes to apply the Social Rental Enterprise model, operating in three microregions in Slovakia, combining first and foremost labour and housing activities, by providing additional social work. PIN is already running community centres in five microregions, and the pilot will operate in three of these:
· Microregion Malacky
· Microregion Spišská Nová Ves
· Microregion Prešov and Bardejov
In all three microregions, PIN is operating in excluded Roma localities (part of settlements), where the living conditions and basic indicators are similar: most people live in low-standard illegal houses (without access to public water inside the dwelling, sewage and other basic infrastructure), the unemployment rate is 70% or higher (with a predominance of long term unemployment), the acquired level of education is very low (in most cases only primary school or unfinished secondary education) and for most of the families the main source of income are state social benefits (ranging from 60 to 220 EUR per month). As a consequence, the potential of socially excluded Roma in all three micro regions, possibility to enter the open labour market as well as to acquire a legal and standard housing is low, and the chances of breaking the cycle of poverty and exclusion without external intervention are weak. Project HomeLab will intervene by three different approaches in each locality considering housing – access to private rental together with job counselling, self-help constructions and job counselling and assistance with legalisation of existing houses with job counselling.