Housing and mobilization program m es in Hungary

1. Housing and mobilization programmes in Hungary János Csóka Anti-segregation expert Konszenzus Foundation

2. The very first steps • After 1949 the state the reduction of the social inequalities and stopping defined the insurance of the inhabitability as his own task • 1965 – the first government programme to abolish gypsy settles – the main goal wasn’t the integration, new Roma settlements werecreated near to old settlements

3. „Housing and Social Integration Programme”. • In 2005 the Government introduced the “Housing and Social Integration Programme”. • This programme, as a priority was meant to abolish residential segregation. • Its main goal was to improve the social integration of the Romani people, by implementing activities that were not only improving the housing conditions of these people, but addressed educational disadvantages as well. Housing interventions aimed desegregation of households.

4. Achievements: • all together 3.95 billion forints (about 14,7 million Euro) have been spent on eliminating or beginning to phase out segregated areas in 54 cities, towns and villages in Hungary

5. Equal Opportunity Funding Policy (EOFP) • The main objective of EOFP is to improve access to resources by Roma communities, and to reduce educational and residential segregation using national and EU funds. • All governmental initiatives should focus on educational and housing segregation (preconditions of access to resources) • Proposals of cities for EU funds should have anti-segregation plan • Expert-network support (approval of anti-segregation plan)

6. Achievements: • anti-segregation plans have been completed inabout 170 cities, towns and settlements • most of the Hungarian cities, towns and settlements own an Equal Opportunity Plan completed by independent educational and anti-segregation experts

7. Other NGO initiations • Habitat for Humanity since 1996completedprojectsforlow-incomehouseholds, 150 new homeswerebuilt and refurbishedfor400 families on 10 settlements . • The Hungarian Maltese Charity Service has an experimental program whichwereinitiated on 4settlements includingvillages and citiesaswellwith OSI in cooperation, these programs establishservices inthethe segregated part of the settlement and itssurroundings, which meansthe accesstoservicesisimproved,butresidence mobilisation does not happen.

8. Suggestions for Housing programmes • Only complex (housing, social, employment, educational) programs can generate a chance for real changes • It is necessary to make the local governments included and interested in the changes. Without municipalities the programme donot work – they can hinder the whole process of integration especially housing programmes with desegregation elements.

9. SuggestionsforHousingprogrammes • It is necessary to make the Romani leadersand the population enabled to articulate and represent their interests • Mentor (who represents the goverments will, and mediate between the government and locality, and who supervizes the programme)

10. Suggestions: • The policies of equal opportunities can cause conflictsat local level,howeverit is still the only efficient way for the settlements to face their own problems, which enables them to deal with these problems on local levels. • In order to stop the widening of social gap on locallevel, not only we have to identify small regions, but it is also essential for the various government bodies to harmonies their actions. • Most importantly though we have to make sure that the resources are allocated in consideration of the real interest of equal opportunities.