What is innovative about this project?
- Project Planning & Management: Regulatory framework.
- Social: Combining different target groups to counteract segregated housing.
ÖrebroBostäder was the first public housing provider in Sweden to include as a condition in the procurement the obligation to hire jobless inhabitants as construction workers for a limited period. In addition, the planning of the intervention aimed at fostering social cohesion in the neighbourhood.
Local Partnership
- Company: not available
- Municipality: City of Bijeljina, City of Tuzla, Municipality of Jablanica, Municipality of Prozor-Rama, Municipality of Stari grad, Brčko District of BiH
- Housing provider: City of Bijeljina, City of Tuzla, Municipality of Jablanica, Municipality of Prozor-Rama, Municipality of Stari grad, Brčko District of BiH
- Other: Hilfswerk International, Foundation for Local Democracy (FLD), European Union, Ministry of Human Rights and Refugees of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Return Fund of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Federal Ministry of Displaced Persons and Refugees, Ministry for Refugees and Displaced Persons of the Republika Sprska, Herzegovina Neretna Kanton Directorate for exiles and refugees, Tuzla Kanton Ministry of Labour,Social Policy and Return
The Austrian NGO Hilfswerk International, with local offices in Bosnia, led project management and overall coordination. Funding was partially provided by a European Commission grant. The remaining funding needs were covered by the local authorities, who also offered land for construction with building permits, sewage facilities, electricity, water, and other infrastructure. The buildings are currently managed and maintained by the municipalities. The Bosnian organisation Foundation for Local Democracy assisted Hilfswerk by organising the working group session about the regulatory framework and the comparative study. The working group was composed of local and national authorities, including Ministries of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Republika Srpska in the field of human and refugee rights and municipalities.
Key Facts
- Year of construction: 2015
- Renovation period: construction only
- Area of intervention (m²): 20×13 m base floor and four floors (in the building of Tuzla)
- Number of dwellings (before/after): 16 (apartments) 907 m², each apartment is between 30 and 40m²
- Housing typology: multi-apartment buildings
- Housing tenure: public rental housing
- Number of residents: average 2.5 people per apartment (data from 2016)
- Shared facilities: in Tuzla, a communal area is used as a first aid office (a doctor, a nurse, and an ambulance) for the whole settlement. In Jablanica a common space is divided into two: one part is used for storage, and the other one as a meeting place for residents. In Prozor-Rama a centre for children with special needs was built. All buildings include storage space per family.
Financial information
- Funding sources: European Union (1.955.830 Konvertible Marks6), Ministry of Human Rights and Refugees of Bosnia and Herzegovina/Return Fund of Bosnia and Herzegovina (130.000 KM), Brčko District of BiH (100.000 KM), City of Bijeljina (120.000 KM), City of Tuzla (200.000 KM), Municipality of Jablanica (160.000 KM), Municipality of Prozor-Rama (150.000 KM), Municipality of Stari grad Sarajevo (50.000 KM), Federal Ministry of Displaced Persons and Refugees (300.000 KM), Republika Sprska Ministry for Refugees and Displaced Persons (50.000 KM), Herzegovina Neretna Kanton Directorate for exiles and refugees (30.000 KM), Tuzla Kanton Ministry of Labour. Social Policy and Return (30.000 KM), Hilfswerk Austria International (78.233 KM).
- Total cost of renovation (€): 3.354.063 KM (1,714,905 €) this number includes research costs, construction and running costs. Construction costs in Tuzla amounted to 630.000KM
- Subsidies received (€): The municipality can pay the full rent or part of it for families that cannot afford it
- Rent before and after renovation (€/month): 10-20€ that finances the maintenance of the building
- Energy bill (€/month): Unknown. Note: Energy costs can be partly or fully subsidised if families are unable to pay.
Context
Many people live in unsuitable accommodations in Bosnia and Herzegovina, among them more than 10.000 people have been displaced by the war 30 years ago. However, the country still lacks an adequate social housing scheme. Since 2010, different international donors have been willing to invest in the housing system, but the regulatory framework was ill-prepared to stipulate contracts nor the means to finance and maintain projects in the future.
Goals
- Improve the social welfare system and contribute to the social stability of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
- Develop an evidence based self-sustaining and suitable regulatory framework for social housing (underpinned in research of existing models in the country, the region and in Europe with a special emphasis on socially vulnerable categories).
- Build six social housing residences in six different municipalities across the country, to work as demonstration sites.
- Raise awareness about the benefits of the social housing model.
- Advocate the adoption of the Law on Social Housing in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
- Provide vulnerable people permanent housing solutions.
Interventions
- Implementation of recommendations from experts in the field of social protection, human rights, housing, and legislation in Bosnia and Herzegovina for a self-sustaining model of social housing in the country, together with a legal framework for social housing.
- Construction of six social housing buildings in different municipalities across Bosnia and Herzegovina, for a total of 62 apartments. The apartments were built to host vulnerable people that could not afford market prices. Each municipality used different criteria to select tenants: in Tuzla, landslide victims and people that lost their houses due to natural disasters were the beneficiaries. One of the dwellings was reserved to vulnerable people (disabilities, victims of domestic violence, and single parents). Young doctors and engineers were also beneficiaries under a national scheme to prevent brain drain and at the same time promote the social mix of the district.
- Provision of temporary accommodation for the tenants, while the buildings were under construction, was provided by local authorities.
Impact
- A decent, secure, and permanent roof for 62 vulnerable families was provided.
- The social mix resulted in peaceful coexistence.
- A wide range of local and national stakeholders were brought together, which resulted in a policy framework for social housing in Bosnia and Herzegovina. A change in government has delayed the adoption of the regulatory framework to the national level.
Advice to future “Lighthouse Districts”
- Collaborate with local and national authorities. This project ensured this, despite the hurdles of working within the Republika Sprska – one of the two entities of Bosnia and Herzegovina (the other being the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina).
- Favour expert support. The expert assessment of the local context was instrumental for the definition of the new regulatory framework, with an expected impact at the national level.