Local Engagement for Roma Inclusion (LERI) Project. Community Summary. Brno, Czech Republic. European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights

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1 Locl Enggement for Rom Inclusion (LERI) Project Community Summry Brno, Czech Republic Europen Union Agency for Fundmentl Rights

2 Locl Enggement for Rom Inclusion (LERI) Community Summry - Brno, Czech Republic This community summry forms prt of FRA s Locl Enggement for Rom Inclusion (LERI) project. LERI is qulittive ction reserch project under FRA s multi-nnul Rom Progrmme. It ws developed in response to the Europen Commission s Communiction on n EU Frmework for Ntionl Rom Integrtion Strtegies up to LERI brings together locl uthorities nd residents, in prticulr Rom, to investigte how they cn best be involved in Rom integrtion ctions, nd identify which spects of these ctions work, which do not, nd why. The im of the project is to fcilitte the enggement of ll locl stkeholders, including Rom, in joint efforts to enble Rom inclusion. The experience gined nd the lessons lerned during the process will help improve the design, implementtion nd monitoring of Rom integrtion policies nd ctions t the locl level. LERI is the first FRA project to test prticiptory ction reserch methodology. By identifying the key fctors tht led to the success or filure of locl integrtion ctivities, the project is helping to improve the plnning of effective integrtion progrmmes for the future. At the sme time, fcilitting enggement t locl level empowers ll those involved, building their cpcity to prticipte s equl prtners with locl dministrtions nd civil society, nd enbling shred understnding of which mesures need to be tken nd how their implementtion cn be monitored. The project is being crried out in 22 loclities cross 11 EU Member Sttes (Bulgri, the Czech Republic, Frnce, Greece, Hungry, Itly, Romni, Slovki, Spin nd the United Kingdom). LOCALITIES Pvlikeni, Bulgri Str Zgor, Bulgri Brno, Czech Republic Sokolov, Czech Republic Helsinki, Finlnd Jyväskylä, Finlnd Lezennes, Frnce Strsbourg, Frnce Aghi Vrvr, Greece Megr, Greece Besence, Hungry Mátrverebély, Hungry Mntov, Itly Bologn, Itly Aiud, Romni Cluj-Npoc, Romni Hrbušice, Slovki Rkytník, Slovki Cordob, Spin Mdrid, Spin Glsgow, Scotlnd, UK Medwy, Englnd, UK 2

3 Locl Enggement for Rom Inclusion (LERI) Community Summry - Brno, Czech Republic Brno, Czech Republic Overview of the country context The shre of Rom in the Czech popultion is usully estimted t bout 2% (200,000). 1 The sitution of the Rom people in the Czech Republic is difficult. They fce higher levels of unemployment thn the rest of the popultion, nd hve often difficulties with housing. 2 These difficulties re both the result of ethnic discrimintion nd the low level of eduction of mny Rom. 3 The Rom popultion mkes up significnt prt of the socilly excluded popultion. According to the FRA Rom Pilot Survey 2011, bout 80% of Rom in the Czech Republic live in households below ntionl poverty lines. The low level of eduction of the Rom is considered to be key fctor (in ddition to other fctors) of their lbour mrket disdvntge, which is pprent in their low prticiption rte (round one third of Rom hve pid employment) nd high 1 Gbl, I. nd Víšek, P. (2010), Východisk strtegie boje proti sociálnímu vyloučení: Východisk pro formulci implementci politiky zčleňování obyvtel vyloučených loklit do české společnosti její sociální ekonomické struktury, p. 4, ystupy/gac_strtegie_soc_vylouceni.pdf 2 FRA (Europen Union Agency for Fundmentl Rights) (2014), Rom Survey Dt in focus. Poverty nd employment: the sitution of Rom in 11 EU Member Sttes, Luxembourg, Publictions Office, rty-nd-employment-sitution-rom-11-eumember-sttes. 3 Ombudsmn (2014), Souhrnná zpráv o činnosti veřejného ochránce práv 2013, Kncelář veřejného ochránce práv, p. 90, y_pro_poslneckou_snemovnu/souhrnnzprv_2013_pdf_a.pdf; Sirovátk, T. (2011), Promoting Socil Inclusion of Rom - A Study of Ntionl Policies - Czech Republic, Europen Commission DG Employment, Socil Affirs nd Inclusion, p. 2. unemployment rtes 4. Specificlly, 74% of the Rom hve primry eduction t most, while in the overll popultion it is 20% 5. Their eductionl structure hs improved within the pst two genertions in the sense tht the shre of those with no eduction dropped significntly; however, only to the extent of primry eduction 6. One of the problems is the persistent segregtion of Rom children into specil schools nd recently into prcticl schools 7. The Rom popultion is more concentrted in cities nd in the regions ffected by higher unemployment nd structurl chnge (formerly centres of hevy industry). The Europen Union nd the Czech government hve lunched vrious inititives to improve the sitution of the Rom. As of 2015, the Czech Republic hs Rom Integrtion Strtegy 2020, which ws preceded by the Ntionl Concept for Rom Integrtion In prcticl terms to the support 4 FRA (Europen Union Agency for Fundmentl Rights) (2014), Rom Survey Dt in focus. Poverty nd employment: the sitution of Rom in 11 EU Member Sttes, Luxembourg, Publictions office, verty-nd-employment-sitution-rom-11- eu-member-sttes 5 Sirovátk, T. (2011), Promoting Socil Inclusion of Rom - A Study of Ntionl Policies - Czech Republic, Europen Commission DG Employment, Socil Affirs nd Inclusion, p Ntionl Census (2001), Czech Sttisticl Office, 7 Amnesty Interntionl nd ERRC (2012), Five More Yers of Injustice: Segregted Eduction for Rom in the Czech Republic, 8 Vlád České republiky (2015), Strtegie romské integrce do roku 2020, nd Government of the Czech Republic (2009), Rom integrtion concept for , both m-integrtion/czech-republic/ntionlstrtegy/ntionl_cs.htm 3

4 Locl Enggement for Rom Inclusion (LERI) to municiplities in developing strtegies t locl level hs been provided by the Agency for Socil Inclusion9. A vriety of projects hve been lunched to support the inclusion of Rom, funded minly through the Structurl Funds of the Europen Union. However, in most projects nd inititives until now Rom were not enbled to prticipte s ctive gents of chnge. The im of the LERI project in Brno nd Sokolov is therefore to strengthen the prticiption of Rom in the process of socil inclusion. Community Summry - Brno, Czech Republic Nevertheless, Brno hs been ctively developing integrtion mesures, nd it cn be stted tht its ctivity level stnds out in the region. Over the pst few decdes, Brno s economic development hs been fuelled by its textile nd mechnicl engineering industries. Tody, reserch nd development projects, nd sectors with high dded-vlue, such s biotechnology nd biomedicine, re plying n incresingly importnt role in the city s economy. According to the Agency for Socil Inclusion (ASI) there re round 15,000 to 17,000 Rom residents in the city of Brno, who re lso considered to be the lest integrted nd the most socilly excluded ethnic minority.12 Mny Rom in Brno do spek Romni, but ll of them spek Czech, nd Czech is lso the lnguge of written communiction for them. While Rom exclusion hs multidimensionl chrcter, the most serious problem for Rom in Brno is experienced in the re of housing.13 Brno, Brtislvská Street Loclity bckground informtion Brno is the Czech Republic s secondlrgest city locted in South Morvi Region nd hs popultion of round 380,000. The Rom popultion in the region is reltively low, nd mostly concentrted in the city of Brno.10 In terms of unemployment nd housing, the city does not devite from differ from the rest of the country, however, it is lso worth mentioning tht the district of Brno-centre hs the highest proportion of long-term unemployed in the region.11 9 Czech Republic/Agentur pro sociální zčleňování, 10 Mgistrát měst Brn. (n.d.), Etnické menšiny cizinci, 11 SPF Group (2012), Development Strtegy of the South Morvin Region 2020, peid=61 Brno, Socil houses The mjority of excluded Rom live in rundown buildings locted close to the centre. In recent yers, this re hs undergone process of gentrifiction, nd tennts considered problemtic cn often fce evictions or re moved out of the city centre to other prts. 12 Mgistrát měst Brn. (n.d.), Etnické menšiny cizinci, 13 IQ Rom servis, telephone interview with project mnger, My 21,

5 Locl Enggement for Rom Inclusion (LERI) Community Summry - Brno, Czech Republic Mny hve been driven to temporry hostels which hve proliferted during the lst five yers. The indebtedness of inhbitnts of municipl flts is lso serious problem reinforced by severe discrimintion in the housing mrket. Currently the city hs no comprehensive socil housing policy, but the new locl government promises to ddress the problem. Slvtion Army, the Municiplity of Brno-Centre, nd the Property mngement firm of Brno-Centre. Objectives nd themtic focus of the LERI project The min expecttion is to bring the housing needs nd preferences of locl Rom to the locl policy debte nd incorporte them into the needs ssessment of the locl socil housing policy. The project will lso support the locl socil housing pilot projects by firm dtbse nd evlution tools for the plnned interventions. The objective of the Brno LERI project is to support Rom in ddressing their housing needs nd preferences within the context of recent locl government efforts to produce comprehensive socil housing policy. The project will lso seek to directly support pilots in the res of housing, especilly projects nd ctivities which im to end homelessness mong fmilies with children through the provision of housing nd supportive services. The ctivities will be bsed on the locl needs ssessment, nd support the visibility of prticulr sitution nd possible solutions of Rom within the socil housing policy. Expected outcomes Activities implemented nd people involved in the needs ssessment phse The LERI project will be bsed on combintion of working methods nd formts, such s interviews, meetings, trinings nd socil events. A min prt of the needs ssessment phse will be conducted within the strtegic plnning process of the locl prtnership which ws estblished by the Agency for Socil Inclusion. The key stkeholders cooperting in LERI re some of the min representtives in the civil s well s in the stte sector, including: the IQ Rom Service Assocition, the government Agency for Socil Inclusion, the Rom Advisor of the Municiplity, the Socil Cre Deprtment, the Deprtment of Property, Podne ruce, o. p. s., the Brno Brno, Svtoplukov Street 5