The European Parliament, the European Commission and the Council of Europe Development Bank launch pilot project to support affordable housing for Roma in the Slovak Republic

Spišská Nová Ves and Rudňany, Slovak Republic– European Parliament, European Commission, and Council of Europe Development Bank representatives met with local authorities, Roma communities, and private sector organisations to launch an innovative pilot project aimed at supporting affordable housing solutions for Roma.

Known as the “Housing and Empowerment for Roma” (HERO) pilot project, the initiative is funded by the European Parliament, managed by the European Commission (EC) and implemented by the Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB) together with local partners in the Slovak Republic, Bulgaria, and Romania. The project aims to test an innovative social investment model addressing the socio-economic exclusion of disadvantaged people, such as marginalised Roma.

HERO will support cross-sectoral collaborations bringing together public authorities, financial institutions and social organisations, which would lead to improved local governance and socio-economic empowerment of Roma. The project will support Roma to access micro-loans and financial literacy training, construction skills and employment coaching and mentoring. These are in turn expected to result in better housing, employment and improved living conditions. Social innovation approaches will catalyse employment solutions and promote community-led development. More details on the project and the event are provided in the overleaf.

From Brussels, Paolo Gentiloni, European Commissioner for Economy, said: “I am proud that the European Commission is implementing this EU pilot in support of disadvantaged Roma communities as part of its broader social impact investment initiatives. I hope this will serve as a blueprint for further national and European programmes supporting inclusion and resilience, like the InvestEU Programme. I am pleased that we are collaborating with the European Parliament and the Council of Europe Development Bank in this important endeavour.”

In Slovakia, the HERO local partners are Slovenská Sporiteľňa a.s. (SLSP) in collaboration with Projekt DOM.ov. The project will focus on the following municipalities: Dobšiná (Rožňava district), Jelšava (Revúca district), Kamenná Poruba (Vranov nad Topľou district), Podhorany (Kežmarok district), andRudňany (Spišská Nová Ves district). The amount available for HERO in Slovakia is EUR 1,020,000.

During the launch event, Peter Pollák, Member of the European Parliament argued that “Improving the living conditions of the Roma is the key to their successful integration into society. The ambition of the HERO pilot project is to enable vulnerable groups to finance their own housing through a loan to be repaid. It is a self-help construction project, which is also intended to help build their skills and be employed in the labour market.“

Tomáš Zdechovský, Member of European Parliament added: „With this project, we want to radically change the situation of the poorest inhabitants of Slovakia. Decent housing associated with work and education is the basis of change. If the programme proves successful, we will extend it to the whole of Europe.“

Vladimir Šucha, Head of European Commission Representation in Slovakia, said: “HERO is about an innovative way to support access to housing for vulnerable Roma communities. It is also about learning and building the evidence of what works as targeted development interventions. We also hope to help change broader narratives about poverty and empowerment. This is encoded in the pilot’s name: HERO is about helping some of Europe’s most vulnerable citizens to become the agents and “heroes” of their own lives.”

Rainer Lovato, Deputy Director, Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB) emphasised that “HERO reflects CEB’s strong commitment to foster social inclusion and improve the quality of life for Roma in Europe. The Bank is looking forward to working with all project partners and local communities in Slovakia and turn the project into a success.”