Beyond the ruins: HESED works for resolving the crisis with the homeless from Zaharna fabrika neighbourhood
On April 15, around 200 Roma lost their only homes when the illegal structures they had lived in for decades in the capital’s Zaharna fabrika neighbourhood were demolished on the orders of the Ilinden district mayor Emil Branchevski. A series of protests by the people who remained on the streets followed. The Strasbourg court ordered Bulgaria to find them shelter.
The European Court of Human Rights has already twice ordered alternative accommodation for the remaining homeless. The court’s order was issued before the houses were demolished and prohibited the authorities from resorting to such measures if they had not provided housing. Nevertheless, the excavators demolished them.
The European Court of Human Rights then ordered the state to offer the victims adequate alternative accommodation until further notice, which was to happen by May 5.
Health and Social Development Foundation actively works in supporting families since April 22. Social workers and community partners are working in the field. We assisted in the accommodation of two families in the St. Sophia Temporary Accommodation Center and provided food packages for those in need. The homeless people were examined and prescribed medications by our medical team working on the SOLACE-CEE project, Dr. Nikolay Ivanov and nurse Elena Georgieva.
On April 24, we participated in a meeting with Ms. Nadezhda Bacheva, Deputy Mayor of Sofia Municipality, Minka Yovcheva, Director of the Social Services for Children and Adults Directorate, and representatives of the Concordia Foundation, to discuss how to respond to this crisis situation. We distributed our tasks and returned to the field.
On April 29, at the initiative of the Sofia Municipality, a broad meeting was held with representatives of ministries, the Parliament, non-governmental organizations and representatives of the people who were left without a roof over their heads. At the meeting, deputies from different parties committed to finding a solution for long-term accommodation. Representatives of the Ministry of Justice handed the mayor of the Ilinden district a second decision of the ECHR for urgent interim measures.
The meetings of the crisis headquarters at the Sofia Municipality continue in May in search of a solution.
This publication is part of the SOLACE-CEE project, funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed in this publication are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or European Commission. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
