Background
These 13 socially disadvantaged families resided in unhealthy and illegal housing in the Industrial Area in the city. The inhabited buildings were in bad conditions and extremely unhealthy and thus they presented a potential threat to the life of the people.

Practice
Ten new houses were built in Pazardjik and the financial cost of 310 000 levs was paid by the municipal budget. Currently 53 Roma people are living in them. They pay a rent of 0.30 levs per sq. m. to the Municipality as set by the Municipal Ordinance, adopted by a City Council Act. The newly built homes are one-family houses and offer two bedrooms, a small kitchen and sanitary premises. They are also supplied with sheds for wood and coal storage.

Results

The families, who reside in the houses, are socially disadvantaged. As they don’t have the financial means to build their own houses, the Municipality took that responsibility and provided the premises to secure healthy living conditions to 13 families in need. This proves to be a successful approach to overcoming Roma housing problems. The Municipal leadership envisioned the change of living conditions in the Roma residential area ‘Iztok’ to be implemented from the periphery to the center of the residential area in order to stop the illegal construction activities and to legalize some of the already existing buildings.

Elina Georgieva,
PR of the Municipality of Pazardjik
[email protected]
www.pazardjik.bg