A delegation of Bulgarian experts, led by the National Network for the Children, participated in a bilateral seminar between Bulgaria and Spain on child poverty and housing policies in Madrid. The event was organised with the human rights organisation Eurochild and the Network for Children in Spain and was held in the context of the European Child Guarantee (ECG), the EU’s first policy framework and instrument focusing on tackling child poverty and social exclusion.
The training workshop in Madrid with members and stakeholders from Bulgaria and Spain was a valuable opportunity to discuss the current legal and financial frameworks and policies related to housing in both countries with representatives from ministries, municipalities and civil society organisations. The discussions identified gaps, key challenges and recommendations on housing policies for vulnerable groups in both countries.
Bulgaria, together with other EU countries, has submitted its Action Plan for the implementation of the Guarantee. Part of this plan is the care of children raised by single parents and children of Roma families or migrants living in poor conditions and poverty. The plan also highlights the lack of specific housing policy measures to support vulnerable children and their families in securing adequate housing. From the very beginning of the adoption of the EGD, the National Network for Children has actively contributed with expert work and advocacy, as the Guarantee is an instrument for comprehensive reform in policies for children and in comprehensive integrated support to families.
Experts from government institutions and representatives of the NGO sector from Bulgaria, Spain and the Czech Republic were with us to exchange best practices. Among the representatives from the Bulgarian side were Ognyan Drumev and Silvana Marincheva from the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy, Daniel Yordanov and Gergana Tsanova from the Ministry of Regional Development, Mincho Benov from Habitat for Humanity – Bulgaria, Georgi Georgiev from the National Network of Health Mediators, Elena Kabakchieva from the Health and Social Development Foundation, Mila Gizdova from the National Association of Municipalities in the Republic of Bulgaria, Svetoslava Mitkova and Tanya Markova – experts from European Projects and Programmes, Georgi Bogdanov – deputy director of the National Association of Municipalities in Bulgaria, and NNC’s team – Georgi Bogdanov, Executive Director, Georgi Elenkov, Director of Policies for Children and Bella Damyanova, Coordinator of Policies for Children.
NNC’s Executive Director Georgi Bogdanov opened the meeting in Madrid, together with Eurochild Secretary General, Sabine Saliba. In the panel “Social Housing in the National Action Plans under the Guarantee” Georgi Elenkov, Director of Policies for Children at NNC presented the challenges we face in Bulgaria. Here are some highlights from the data we presented.
In Bulgaria, child poverty declined by 8.3% from 2014 to 2021, but remains one of the highest in the EU – 26.1% or more than one in four children lives in poverty. The proportion of people at risk of poverty or social exclusion in Bulgaria is among the highest in the EU. In 2022, 4 out of 5 children whose parents had primary or no education lived in poverty. For vulnerable groups, access to housing is characterised by a high proportion of poorly maintained buildings, with structural problems and low energy efficiency, and poor living conditions. Young families and those on low incomes have difficulty accessing rented or owned housing. Young people leaving residential services are a social group in need of support and accommodation (i.e. in supervised housing) in the process of socialisation and building skills for independent living. For ethnic Roma, more than half of current living expenses (55%) are for rent, heating, utilities, repairs, etc. For ethnic Bulgarians and ethnic Turks this indicator is about 20%. Almost 60% of Roma cannot afford to heat their homes. There is a dire need for social housing in Bulgaria and a national housing policy to eradicate housing poverty, but there are no state institutions responsible for these issues.
NNC has been advocating for years for the adoption of a National Housing Strategy and the introduction of a new housing model offering durable solutions to optimise the building stock and increase social housing. The provision of comprehensive social services, including a system of differentiated measures to improve the economic and social status of families in vulnerable situations, including housing measures, raising employment and educational qualifications, job placement, etc., is key.
Georgi Elenkov highlighted in our presentation in Madrid other measures that NNC advocates for – legalization of illegal housing when possible and provided that they do not pose a danger, do not have structural problems and do not violate property boundaries; opportunities for families with children to purchase housing with a state subsidy for construction or purchase of housing for young families with children; family-oriented approach – for adequate child care, providing employment for parents, etc.
NNC has made a number of proposals to improve the ECG Action Plan and is part of the Expert Group of the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy charged with developing the 2-year Operational Plan (2023-2024) for the ECG. One of the main problems in implementing the objectives of the Guarantee for Children is the lack of an integrated inter-agency system with data on the number of children from vulnerable groups, which allows for the identification of their specific service and support needs. For example, there is no data available on children’s well-being, children’s access to nutrition, the number of children being educated individually, the number of children with special educational needs, access to transport to and from school when a child wants to attend school in another nearby location, etc. Specifically for ghettoised communities, NNC advocates for early childhood development and early childhood intervention measures in ghettoised communities. We also want a specific guarantee to close the last 4 medical-social homes for children as soon as possible and provide integrated medical-social services for the children from these homes; additional educational and psycho-social support for the children placed in socio-pedagogical and educational boarding schools; strengthening inter-institutional cooperation; strengthening the role of local authorities in the process of planning and implementing the Guarantee measures; developing effective public services; providing them with sufficient human and financial resources, and more.
The first day of the seminar also addressed the topics of the current legal and financial framework and policies in Bulgaria and Spain”; EU instruments in housing; gaps and recommendations for national housing policies; available EU funding to support changes in housing policy; social housing in the National Action Plans in Spain and Bulgaria. In the different panels, experts from the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy spoke about vulnerable groups of children in Bulgaria, the key role of municipalities and local policies for poverty prevention and reduction at different levels.
The statutory regulation of housing and highlights concerning the national housing policy were presented, in which the Ministry of Regional Development is involved and how these policies are implemented at the local level through the key role of municipalities. The importance of the “National Strategy for Poverty Reduction and Promotion of Social Inclusion – 2030” and the new “National Strategy for Equality, Inclusion and Participation of Roma” was noted. Emphasis was also placed on the law on social services, which provides shelter in cases of persons and families are on the street, persons in crisis, children witnesses and victims of domestic violence and trafficking, pregnant women and mothers at risk. The experts from the Ministry also presented the platform “Municipal Home” – obshtinskidom.bg, which aims to create a mechanism for accessible and transparent interaction and exchange of information between municipal administrations involved in housing policies and representatives of civil society.
On the second day of the experience exchange meetings our delegation visited Fundacion secretariado gitano – an organization that develops in Spain a full range of activities that contribute to the full civic participation of Roma, improving their living conditions, promoting equal treatment and preventing all forms of discrimination, as well as the recognition of the cultural identity of the Roma community. At the Foundation, we talked about the Roma community in Spain and good examples of programmes for their integration. Personal experiences were shared from beneficiaries of services – people from the Roma community who have received support for social integration, including assistance with housing, filling out paperwork, finding a job.
Impressed was the model by which they work with the great goal of integrating people from the Roma community into society as a counterpoint to segregation and its negative effects. All this is accompanied by a lot of outreach, direct health and educational support for children and families.
The day was spent discussing which good practices can be integrated into policies in our country, and how each expert can contribute their expertise and position, building a network of exchange in which the final beneficiary receives a quality service that guarantees them a life of dignity.
We would like to thank our hosts in Spain and the colleagues who joined the Bulgarian delegation.
