Homelessness and Housing Exclusion in Serbia

Homelessness and Housing
Exclusion in Serbia
Mina Petrović, University of Belgrade
mipetrov@sbb.rs
Milena Timotijević, Housing Center, Belgrade
mtimotijevic@housingcenter.org.rs

European Research Conference
Access to Housing for Homeless People in Europe
York, 21st September 2012

HAUSING DEVELOPMENT CENTER FOR
SOCIALLY VULNERABLE GROUPS
 Housing Development Center for Socially Vulnerable Groups is a non-profit, non-
governmental organization founded in 2004. in Belgrade, Serbia aiming to improve
the living conditions of socially vulnerable groups and support their social integration
and independence, through different activities (construction of housing units, support
in social integration, research, public advocacy, education and other).

 HC pioneered Social housing in protective environment model – in accordance
with Housing first policy.

 In 2011/2012 Housing Center undertook the research on homelessness in Serbia, in
partnership with the DISC, NGO from UK and with funds from European Union.


Conceptual frame: homelessness as the
most serious example of social exclusion
Multidimensional phenomenon: deprivation of (adequate/secure) housing (ETHOS –
FEANTA 2010); exclusion from the (labor) market, from the civil status (the state
redistribution - problems of access and / or stigmatization in access to social
services); from the community or reciprocal relationships (including family and other
social networks) (Hutchinson 2002: 172, Mandic, 2004).
Dynamic interaction of individual characteristics and structural changes – culture
of poverty challenges
 Individual- lacking of key capitals: economic, human, cultural, social, symbolic
(Firdion 2005)
 Structural - transitional changes: economic restructuring, searching for the new
concept of social and housing policy, etc.

Different routes of entry and exit in different population groups

Constructivist approach – visibility of the problem, way of perceived
responsibilities and strategic approaches


Context of Serbian society
 Homelessness as hidden phenomenon – without official definition,
mainly reduced to those living rough or in spaces inhabited out of
necessity, increasing visibility in public spaces but not in public and
policy discourses

 High risk of homelessness stemming from:
1. widespread unemployment and poverty
2. large number of refugees
3. undeveloped social housing policy
4. restructuring of social care system
5. decreasing capabilities of family to act as social safety net


Undeveloped social housing policy

1. insufficient capacities -dramatically reduced social
housing stock after housing privatization (around 2%)

2. undeveloped safety net measures (lacking housing
allowance system and regulation of private rental
sector)

3. extensive problem of inadequate housing
equipment and infrastructure among the poor
households

4. extensive illegal construction (almost 20% of the
housing stock) – informal social housing policy

Restructuring of social care system
1. inadequate capacities & resources: irregular and small
amounts of social assistance, inadequate covering of targeted
population, insufficient number of beds in shelters.

2. insufficient flexibility and diversity in approaches: neglected
role of the third sector, services reduced to emergency
accommodation, little efforts directed on empowerment and
sustainability of exiting homelessness, lack of support services for
people leaving institutions.

3. lack of coordination between relevant stakeholders on both
service and policy level.

4. data collecting basic and not standardized - data analysis
rudimentary .


Research aim and methodology
 To study the characteristics of population in shelters for adult and
elderly persons in three largest cities in Serbia: Belgrade (136), Novi
Sad (32) and Nis (5).

 Explorative research – descriptive analysis attempting to
reconstruct key characteristics/events that lead to homelessness, as
well as expected routes out of homelessness

 Combination of questionnaires, interviews and focus groups with
persons accommodated in the shelters

 Research conducted in winter 2011/2012 (from December to
February)


Profile of average shelter beneficiary
 Man , 51-65 years old, low education, never married

 Has no income (salary or pension)

 Worked his whole life, now unemployed longer than 5 years and not looking for
a job

 Hasn’t used social care services prior to shelter (soup kitchen, social
assistance)

 Weak and exhausted social network

 Suffers from health problems (most usually mental health problems)

 Feels helpless, expects help from the state – regularly votes


Events that led to homelessness


The way of coming into shelter


The way of coming into shelter

In the condition that preceded entering the shelter, respondents
lacked (sufficient) institutional support – 31% receive social
assistance, 25,7% pension, others are unemployed (mostly not
registered with NEA)

The facts that every third of the beneficiaries was transferred from the
hospital, while 12% had nobody to take care of them, raise the
question on efficiency and adequacy of the existing
health/social care system.


Housing as cause of homelessness
 Housing situation before coming to the shelter


Dimensions of housing exclusion
Legal domain – a significant exclusion of the beneficiaries from
the status of the owner or a joint owner (only 21% in the society
of homeowners)

Respondent, not married; used to live with his brother in their parents’
flat (in social property), which his brother bought off through housing
privatization, after which he gave a three-month deadline to
respondent to move out. After that he lived on the street for 7 to 8
years. He talks about that calmly: «He bought it off. We could have
done it together, but I told him to take it as I am alone and he has
got a family. Which is normal… I have got two brothers and a sister.
But that is not their problem but my own. He bought the flat and I
moved out … and that’s the end of the story. I have no reason to
love him more or to hate him more».

Substandard and illegal housing - no indication of significant impact,
although, among those who named housing as a reason for coming
to the shelter, those who were previously living rough or in a
substandard flat are concentrated.

Respondent used to work in a construction company, which he was, as
he puts it, “thrown out” of, he managed to obtain his pension, but he
did not get a flat from the company. He spent 20 years living in a
single room, in an unclear legal status, he built a bathroom, i.e., that
he found ways to upgrade the housing standard through an illegal
construction. He was evicted from these premises, after which he
lived on the street for more than a year.


Unaffordable renting at the private market (prevailing solution for
those who do not own the flat) as the major problem – over
represented tenure status (22% among all respondents, 26%
among those who stated housing as the main cause, and 43%
among those who stated poverty as the main cause)

If you live in private accommodation, and if you do not pay between the
first and the fifth of the month, they will not keep you. He has a right
to evict you in winter. Earlier on he could not throw you out, but now
... to throw you out even with a child. "," They don’t give a damn.
Believe me I have lost the ability to talk and I don’t talk about
anything anymore. I'm afraid so much, I do not know where I will go,
don’t know what to do, that’s it ... “


Inaccessible rental flats in public / social sector – equal share as in
general population - inadequately targeted and insufficiently
covered.

Respondents expressed high level of uncertainty over the payment of
utility bills in social housing, and have no information about the
conditions under which social housing is granted," Let's say
these flats are given for 5 years, what will happen after 5 years. We
are not informed about that ... If you did not regularly pay, and
should apply again, you will certainly be refused." The lack of
money is generally perceived as the biggest problem related
even to social housing.


Expected routes out of homelessness


The most needed support


Sheltering without empowering

 Respondents complain about the lack of information
and support from social workers in applying for
social housing .
«The center for social work informed me, last time they
deceived me, they told me that the deadline was in May
and it was in March…. They tell you what you need,
and you are on your own....»;


Sheltering without empowering
 Respondents are dissatisfied with the support in finding jobs:

«There are so many staff members here, so that at least one of
them could concentrate on the employment ».

«They mainly say that we should find a way, they distance
themselves and say it's not their job»; «… Find me a job, I won’t
chose. If I had worked for three months I would have earned
150.000 RSD and would have solved my problem and told them
„Thank you and good bye”. Why don’t they call the City authorities
and ask if they have any work for us »


Concluding remarks
Respondents’ high risk to housing exclusion comes from:
1. poor coverage with social services in spite of financial poverty due to high
unemployment or low pensions
2. unaffordable and completely unregulated private rental sector
3. poor access to social housing.

Consequently, there are low expectations from state support in housing and no
encouragement in claiming right to the housing.

Housing exclusion as inadequate or insecure housing is less significant factor than
expected due to rather high institutional tolerance towards illegal construction.

Homelessness and housing exclusion as multidimensional phenomena (accompanied
with other dimensions of social exclusion) are additionaly aggravated by
insufficiently developed risk prevention and institutionall support.


Homelessness and Housing Exclusion in Serbia

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