Social Dwellings for Roma Communities
The Social Dwellings for Roma Communities Pilot Programme is carried out by the Ministry of Regional Development, Public Administration and European Funds through the National Housing Agency, in accordance with the Government Decision no. 1237/2008. The programme objective was first set out by the Government of Romania in 2001 and it was reiterated by the Government Decision no. 18/2015 on the approval of the 2015 – 2020 Romanian Government Strategy for the inclusion of Romanian citizens belonging to the Roma minority group.
The strategy is very important not only because it represents the Romanian Government’s approach to Roma issues, but also because it stands for a political commitment to a change in social policies, with very clearly-defined objectives:
- prevention of institutional and social discrimination
- preservation of Roma ethnic identity
- provision of equal opportunities for decent living conditions and encouragement for the Roma to become part of the economic, social, cultural, political and educational life of our society.
The social dwellings for Roma communities are built through the National Housing Agency and they are funded from the state budget.
Under this programme viable housing construction projects shall be implemented in the eight development regions of Romania with a view to completing a maximum number of 300 housing units for Romanian citizens belonging to the Roma ethnic group. In this way, Roma people’s access to decent housing and public services (water supply, electricity, sewerage and heating systems) shall be improved.
The social dwellings for Roma communities, which are currently under construction, are presented in the table below:
Locality (in Romanian ‘localitate’) – any city (in Romanian “municipiu”), town, commune or village.
Funds amounting to 22,947,000 lei have been allocated for 2016, in accordance with the provisions of the State Budget Law no. 339/2015.