Capital City: Sofia Year of entry to the EU: 2007 Total area: 111,000 km² Population: 7.6 million

Capital City: Sofia Year of entry to the EU: 2007 Total area: 111,000 km² Population: 7.6 million

Founded in 1878 1 National Headquarter 28 regional branches 268 municipal branches 2595 Offices 140 716 members 13 209 active volunteers 540 employees

First Aid Disaster Management Refugee & Migrant Service Mountain Rescue Water Rescue Youth Red Cross Social services International Cooperation Restoring Family Links

PARTNERS Bulgarian Red Cross - Sofia SamuSocial International Sofia Municipality - Directorate "Social Activities" Embassy of France in Bulgaria SUPPORT AND ASSISTANCE TO HOMELESS RESIDENTS OF THE THREE CENTRAL AREAS IN SOFIA Mobile team providing support and assistance to homeless Study the number and places of residence, condition and needs of the homeless

Definition At present in Bulgaria, there is still no official definition of people who are homeless and homelessness! Political Framework so far Due to a lack of comprehensive statistics concerning the homeless people in Bulgaria, there is no strategy on a national level for combating homelessness.

The rate of severe material deprivation remains almost five times the EU average, the highest in the EU (44.1% in 2012, EU average: 9.9%) In 2012 almost every second person (49.3%) was at risk of poverty and social exclusion - by far the highest rate in the EU (EU average 2012: 24. 8%). People older than 65 are at highest risk of poverty (30.9% in 2011), followed by children (52.3% in 2012). Women continue to be at a higher risk of poverty (23.6% in 2011) than men (20.8% in 2011). In-work at-risk-of-poverty rose from 7.5% in 2008 to 8.2% in 2011, however it remains the only poverty indicator below EU average (8.9%). The highest proportional increase occurred in the rate of people living in households with very low work intensity, which rose from 8.1% in 2008 to12.4% in 2012.

Youth unemployment more than doubled; from 11.9% in 2008 to 28.1% in 2012. The rather low unemployment rate of 5.8% in 2008 has also more than doubled in that time; reaching 12.3% in 2012. The highest proportional increase occurred in the longterm unemployment rate, which rose from 2.9% in 2008 to 6.8% in 2012 and particularly hit men (7.7% in 2011).

defined by FEANTSA 1. people who have gone bankrupt in business activities 2. homeless migrants who have sought employment abroad 3. elderly victims of fraud 4. young migrants Defined by Bulgarian social workers 1. Roma (youth mostly) 2. People with psychological problems, mental illnesses, drug addictions, alcoholism 3. Elderly (tricked, cheated) 4. People without social contacts and money 5. immigrants and nomads, some of whom are illegal

Loss of employment Financial fraud Loss of spouse Conflict with family Changing the city in which to live Illness Addictions

1. Aggression: shock, denial of the situation, (hyper) activity 2. Devaluation: understanding the failure, frustration, loss of confidence, isolation, guilt 3. Fixing: conflict resolution through the adoption of a state change of identity, addiction 4. Abandonment

Breaking the intrinsic codes of man in society Personality disorder Disappearance of classical concepts Body: changed threshold of pain tolerance (hypo / hyperthermia, severe dermatomes...), the body can become a bargaining chip (prostitution, begging...) Time: loss of sense of time passing, disturbed biological rhythms... The relationship with the Other: distrust, aggression, shame, loss of his own existence Impaired ability to project into the future, even very close Impaired ability to take initiative

Consume of psychoactive substances (tobacco, alcohol, benzodiazepines, opiates...) Trauma Infestations Respiratory pathologies Tuberculosis Hepatitis STDs HIV/ Aids Metabolic disorders Psychiatric pathologies Dental pathologies...

I. Ministry of Labor and Social Policy II. Agency for Social Assistance III. 146 offices with each one directorate for social activities that belong to the municipalities

13 Centres for Temporary Accommodation with a total capacity of 625 places (442 occupied), 53 Centres for Family Type of Accommodation with a total capacity of 677 places (621 occupied), 11 Transitional Homes with a capacity of 100 places (95 occupied), 4 Crisis Centres for persons with a total capacity of 45 places (30 occupied), 2 Shelters for Children with a total capacity of 70 places (51 occupied), 13 Centres for Street Children with a total capacity of 231 places (212 occupied), 15 Transitional Homes for Children with a total capacity of 126 places (115 occupied), 104 Centres for Family Type of Accommodation for Children with a total capacity of 1,201 places (1,046 occupied), 14 Crisis Centres for Children with a total capacity of 145 places (105 occupied), 10 Mother and baby Units with a total capacity of 75 places (34 occupied).

Centre for Temporary Accommodation (3 months maximum) In the crisis centres for homeless (operate only in winter months; Stay during the night only between 18:00 and 8:00) Emergency rooms 181 public canteens (not regular) Soup Kitchen (temporary) SamuSocial for Sofia

National Reform Programme of the Republic of Bulgaria (2012-2020): conducting of a survey on statistical database on homelessness and its dimensions strategy against homelessness National Strategy for Reducing Poverty and Promoting Social Inclusion adopted by the Council of Ministers at the beginning of 2013 providing access to housing and developing integrated cross-sectoral services for homeless people.

Institutional Discrimination due to complicated administrative structures Shelters only exist in big cities No official definition of a homeless person Capacities for response are shrinking while numbers of people is growing Almost no recoveries Tense political situation stalls implementation of policies The housing stock is also deteriorating, and residential areas are turning into ghettos as a result of mismanagement and poor maintenance

FEANTSA - European Federation of National Organisations working with the Homeless National report on homelessness in Bulgaria : 2007 Caritas Europa Shadow Report 2013 Country Summary for Bulgaria Sustainable ways of preventing homelessness (Copenhagen, 22 November 2013) Comments paper from Bulgaria by Asya Ilieva Ministry of Labour and Social Policy & Sonya Blazheva-Truykova Sofia Municipality Key event: Coordination of the fight against homelessness in Europe- European consensus conference on homelessness in Brussels on 9 and 10 December 2010 Joint memorandum on social inclusion of the republic of Bulgaria; 03 February 2005 Brussels HOMELESSNESS IN BULGARIA by Douhomir Minev - Prepared for FEANTSA September 2003 SamuSociale International Guide Book for Mobile Teams

Stana Ilieva Email: stana_iliev@web.de