HOPE

„Promoting Non-discrimination in Social Housing and Post-employment for Roma (HOPE)”

Co-financed by: The European Union’s Rights Equality and Citizenship Programme (2014-2020)

Partner: HEKS/EPER Romania Foundation

Implementation period: September 2019- April 2021

Budget: the maximum grant amount is EUR 199,704, out of which the co-financing amount of the partnership represents 20%.

• Fighting post-employment discrimination of Roma and supporting their inclusion at the workplace
• Supporting local authorities in implementing existing anti-discrimination legislation and policies for Roma inclusion in the field of housing
• Facilitating efforts to better inform Roma of their rights and facilitating efforts in accessing social housing
• Promoting anti-discrimination legislation and policies for Roma inclusion in the field of housing and Roma post-employment inclusion practices

The project is addressed to different categories of target groups, among which: 40 HR and middle management representatives from 8 companies who will benefit from training and support in the inclusion of Roma at the workplace, Roma and non-Roma employees; 30 local public authorities (LPAs) who will benefit from consultance in the implementation of the existing anti-discrimination legislation and policies for the inclusion of Roma in the field of social housing; 30 local experts for Roma who will benefit from training in the field of housing / social housing; 30 persons from 15 NGOs that will be trained in monitoring, reporting and preventing forced evictions; other interested local public authorities (LPAs), NGOs, companies, activists, bodies with roles in the inclusion of Roma and professionals in the fields of employment and social housing.

Obligation not to discriminate through housing policies

Guide for local public authorities to develop non-discriminatory allocation criteria and to carry out their duties with regard to social housing

The guide complements the information provided in existing guides / manuals on discrimination, the right to housing or various manifestations of the violation of the right to housing or proposals on the need for a fair and anti-racist housing policy.

The guide provides a collection of statistical and legal information on housing and major housing problems in Romania, including discrimination, but also mentioning other major causes of these problems. Legislative regulations on housing and social housing are presented in Romania, the public service on social housing, i.e. on the tasks of public authorities to finance and manage a social housing fund that guarantees access to adequate housing for people who can not afford housing from the market. Chapter V presents some generic recommendations on the criteria for allocating social housing at the local level to prevent and eliminate discrimination in this system.

Author | Enikő Vincze. Professor at the Faculty of European Studies, Babeș-Bolyai University, Romania. She is a researcher and activist for the right to housing, she approached the processes of racialization and spatialization of social exclusion, socio-territorial marginalization and ghettoization.

GUIDE – Obligation not to discriminate through housing policies

Why and how to access social housing?

Guide for elaborating a social housing application file for civil society representatives, experts with responsibilities in Roma inclusion, persons interested in accessing social housing

The guide is also an appeal to civil society representatives and experts, with responsibilities in Roma inclusion to support people interested in applying for social housing. The support must be both for informing people about their rights and the technical procedures for applying for social housing, but also for strengthening the capacity of those wronged in this process to get justice in court, or, in other words, to appeal and to win cases in court. The last chapter of this Guide provides some guidelines in this regard.

This guide helps us understand why housing in general and access to social housing in particular is a right of ours and why it is good to ask for it. In Chapter II we discuss what social housing is and what the state must do to provide this public service to citizens. Furthermore, Chapter III goes through the steps we need to take in accessing social housing, but also provides information about the rental agreement – all this, of course, by referring to the legislation in Romania.

Author | Enikő Vincze. Professor at the Faculty of European Studies, Babeș-Bolyai University, Romania. She is a researcher and activist for the right to housing, she approached the processes of racialization and spatialization of social exclusion, socio-territorial marginalization and ghettoization.

GUIDE – Why and how to access social housing

Why is it illegal and illegitimate to leave evacuated people without housing alternatives?

Guide for the prevention of forced evictions for representatives of local public authorities, civil society and experts with responsibilities for Roma inclusion

In Chapter I of this Guide, various aspects of forced evictions are addressed from the point of view of international law. Then, in Chapter II, some examples of forced evictions are described, or that there is a risk of forced eviction, that the “care” for the inadequate living conditions becomes a reason for the transformation of evicted people into homeless people. The case studies presented show that this concern is, in fact, the façade for urban regeneration programs that clean up valuable areas of real estate from “undesirable elements”; or seeks to eliminate former tenants in order to exchange them for more “deserving” ones; or becomes an instrument for introducing new land in the commercial circuit and, willingly or unwillingly, acts as an intervention that promises solutions while creating more risks from the point of view of housing tenure.

Author | Enikő Vincze. Professor at the Faculty of European Studies, Babeș-Bolyai University, Romania. She is a researcher and activist for the right to housing, she approached the processes of racialization and spatialization of social exclusion, socio-territorial marginalization and ghettoization.

GUIDE – Why is it illegal and illegitimate to leave evacuated people without housing alternatives

language RO

• Identificarea nevoilor de training ale participanților
• Importanța locuirii în societatea umană
• Situația locuirii în România și în localități
• Reglementări legale privind locuința socială
• Discriminarea în domeniul locuirii
• Creșterea fondului locativ public
• Sinteză asupra celor discutate în grupurile mici de lucru

language RO

• Identificarea nevoilor de training ale participanților
• Importanța locuirii în societatea umană și dreptul la locuire
• Situația locuirii și nevoia de locuințe sociale
• Discriminarea în domeniul locuirii și reglementările legale privind locuințele sociale
• Evacuări forțate în România
• Creșterea fondului locativ public și de ce să solicităm locuințe sociale
• Sinteză asupra celor discutate în grupuri

How to apply for social housing

The two-part tutorial offers guidance on how to put together a compelling application for social housing and provides information about:

• relevant legislation that stipulates the right to housing,
• categories of people eligible to apply for social housing,
• eligibility criteria and the priority criteria for awarding social housing,
• what is the first step in order to apply for social housing,
• what are the necessary documents,
• who might be resource people at local level that can offer assistance in the application process,
• how to proceed in case applicants would like to challenge the evaluation process,
• the importance of applying for social housing and showing the need for creating housing opportunities for disadvantaged groups.

The target audience are people, Roma or other disadvantaged groups, interested in applying for social housing, but also professionals with responsibilities for Roma inclusion and activists, NGOs in the field of housing and/or Roma inclusion.

Monitoring report on housing policies and Roma inclusion post-employment

The problem of housing in Roma communities is a complex one, including overcrowded housing, informal settlements, forced evictions, residential segregation, poor housing conditions, which influence and affect access to education, health and employment services.

Discrimination by local public authorities is manifested both in the increased phenomenon of forced evictions in Romania in recent years and in criteria for accessing social housing that are often restrictive, unjust, prejudiced, and one of the topics of this report, and which can contribute to perpetuating social inequalities. Lack of property deeds, informal housing conditions, predispose these communities to various abuses, including the risk of forced eviction.

The Housing section of the report contains an assessment of the priority criteria of social housing applicants in the project localities, including positive examples in the criteria grids, and an overall assessment of the housing situation in the localities. It builds on the qualitative data collected through training workshops organized with experts from local public authorities and NGO representatives, offering complementary perspectives on the specifics of local difficulties regarding housing and Roma communities and the causes and effects of structural housing problems. Thus, in addition to the issue of criteria for allocating social housing, the report analyzes the issue of property deeds, informal housing, difficulties in formalizing informal housing, evictions or eviction risks, deterioration and poor rehabilitation of social housing, the relationship between salary and rent, as well as the issue of indifference or ill-will on the part of the authorities.

The report proposes a series of recommendations for a fairer and non-discriminatory formulation of criteria for access to social housing at local level, as well as for improving the legal and institutional framework on ensuring the fundamental right to adequate housing, and can be used as an advocacy tool by actors involved in Roma inclusion.
The report was developed within the HOPE project, funded by the Rights Equality and Citizenship program of the European Union 2014-2020, and the Resource Center for Roma Communities coordinated and developed the Housing section.

Read the full report:  HEKS – Monitoring report