INDICATORS FOR SOCIAL INCLUSION IN HOUSING - SHUTO ORIZARI by HFHM analytic

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INDICATORS FOR SOCIAL INCLUSION IN HOUSING

CASE STUDY MUNICIPALITY OF SHUTO ORIZARI

DECEMBER, 2012

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Table of Contents 1

Summary ................................................................................

Introduction ...........................................................................

General conditions .................................................................

3.1

Comparative data for general and the Roma population in Macedonia ........................

General data on housing conditions of the Roma in Macedonia .............................................

General data on mechanisms and policies for social inclusion of the Roma in the society..................

General data for mechanisms and policies for social inclusion of the Roma population in the area of housing ....................................................

Housing condition in the municipality of Shuto Orizari ............

4.1

Settlement and community description ..........................

4.2

Description of the land ..................................................

4.3

Infrastructure â&#x20AC;&#x201C; facility and condition..............................

4.4

Characteristics of the homes ..........................................

Municipality mechanisms for decreasing the social exclusion in housing ................................................

3.2 3.3 3.4

5.1

Mechanisms for decreasing the social exclusion in the areas of the Decade which influence housing .......

5.1.1 Competences on central level ........................................

5.1.2 Competences on local level ............................................

5.2

Mechanisms for social inclusion in housing ....................

5.2.1 Competences on central level ........................................

5.2.2 Competences on local level ............................................

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Dominant problem regarding housing in the municipality of Shuto Orizari .........................................

6.1

Problem analysis/Case study ..........................................

Practical experience ................................................................

7.1

Project Promoting Housing Rights for the Roma .............

7.2

Housing Fund for Roma and marginalized ......................

7.3

Project on Legalization of Housing .................................

7.4

Infrastructure projects of the Ministry for Transportation and Communications ........................

Projects for social apartments of the Government of Republic of Macedonia ................

Conclusions and recommendations .........................................

References .............................................................................

10 Annex 1: Detailed review of mechanisms for social inclusion of the Roma in housing .............................

11. Annex 2: Composition of Advisory Council and work groups on the project ..............................................

11.1 Advisory Council on the project â&#x20AC;&#x153;Indicators for social inclusion in housingâ&#x20AC;? ....................

11.2 Working group for the Case Study for the Municipality of Shuto Orizari .............................

11.3 Working group for the Case study for the Municipality of Bitola .........................................

7.5

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Summary

This case study is an integral part of the project of Habitat for Humanity Macedonia: Development of Indicators for Social Inclusion in Housing which as addition of the project Promoting Housing Rights for the Roma in Republic of Macedonia, aims to provide data, expertise and tools through broadly set platform of stakeholders in addressing the issue of social inclusion of the Roma in Republic of Macedonia, in direction towards strengthening the process of social inclusion in the area of housing, which should represent a matrix for further improvements in education, health care, employment and gender equality. In this project the municipalities of Shuto Orizari and Bitola are chosen as pilot municipalities for selection and evaluation of indicators for social inclusion in housing. The general conclusion for the housing of the Roma in the municipality of Shuto Orizari is that there is overpopulation and the substandard conditions continue to persist for most of the community. The infrastructure in recent years is undergoing renewal and reconstruction, although in insufficient volume. Many of the houses have not been legalized yet and do not have proper address and house number. Requests for legalization have been submitted, and the procedures are underway, but the population needs legal and financial aid for completion of the process and obtaining legal, safe and decent place to live. The municipality of Shuto Orizari is still left with large investment needs for improvement of the housing of its citizens. To date, apart from the measures undertaken within the national strategies and plans, many projects in the community are implemented to improve the housing conditions; part of them are directed towards improving housing conditions, and part towards legalization of the existing dwellings. Regarding the future efforts for the social inclusion of the population in this municipality, we propose several measures, including urbanization; implementation of the Local Action Plan of the municipality; involvement 5

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and education of the population; provision of funds for infrastructure and environmental protection; and provision of free legal assistance to inform the Roma regarding the legalization of illegally constructed buildings, in order to exercise the right to legal, safe and decent home in the community in which they live, work and contribute.

Introduction

This case study is an integral part of the project Development of Indicators for Social Inclusion in Housing which as addition of the project Promoting Housing Rights for the Roma in Republic of Macedonia, aims to provide data, expertise and tools through broadly set platform of stakeholders in addressing the issue of social inclusion of the Roma in Republic of Macedonia, in direction towards strengthening the process of social inclusion in the area of housing, which should represent a matrix for further improvements in education, health care, employment and gender equality. The project, implemented by Habitat for Humanity Macedonia, is part of the mission and vision of the organization, and is developed in collaboration with relevant institutions at central and local level. The municipalities of Shuto Orizari and Bitola are pilot municipalities for which case studies are prepared, but the experiences for preparation of these studies have been used for preparation of Index of Social Inclusion in Housing, which is a tool for assessment, self-evaluation, and comparison of the current conditions and conducted activities, and which, as a useful tool for monitoring and evaluation, should become an integral part of the Strategy for Poverty Reduction and Social Inclusion. This project is in line with the main objectives of the Decade of Roma Inclusion, intended to reduce the difference in living standards and living conditions between the Roma and non-Roma population.

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General conditions

3.1. Comparative data for general and the Roma population in Macedonia According to the 2002 Census, there are 53,879 Roma (i.e. 2.66% from the total number of population) living in the Republic of Macedonia. According to the population projections of the State Statistical Office for 2011, the total population is 2,059,794, i.e. 54,871 Roma (according to the percent of representation of the Roma population in the total population from the 2002 Census).

Table 1:

Comparative demographic statistics of the Roma population with the total population in Macedonia

Popula on - 2002 Census* - Projec on 2011* (31.12.2011) Rate of fer lity (children/woman) Infant mortality (per 1000) Average life expectancy (years) 2010

Na onal parameters Total popula on in Macedonia 2,022,547 2,059,794

Roma popula on Roma popula on in Macedonia 53,879 54,791**

1.46

9.7

12.8

74.54

* Source: State Statistical Office 2012. 2002 Census and Population Projections on 30.06.2011 and 31.12.2011 according to sex and age, by municipalities and statistical regions (available at: http://www.stat.gov.mk). ** Projection on basis of percent of representation of the Roma population in the total population from 2002 Census (2.66%).

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In the same direction, the socio-economic parameters for this ethnic group are continually worse than of the general population.

Table 2:

Specific socio-economic indicators and their disparities regarding the Roma population (2008)1 Indicator

Average monthly income per household (in MKD) S80/S20 (ra o between the total income of the richest and the poorest 20% of popula on) Percentage of popula on that is poor (calculated by income) Percentage of popula on that is poor (calculated by expenditures) Unemployment rate (self-reported) Percentage of children enrolled in primary school* Percentage of children comple ng primary school* Percentage of children enrolled in secondary school*a

Macedonia (na onal average) 9,840

Roma popula on

28%

64%

19%

44%

31% 95%

73% 63.1%

82.6%

44.6%

63%

17.4%

4,920

Adapted from UNDP and SEE (2008) and * State Statistical Office (2007)

The available data suggest that in Macedonia substantially larger part of the Roma population lives below the poverty line compared to the general population; below poverty line according to income, live 14% of the total population, whereas in the Roma population this percentage is 52%; below the poverty line according to the expenditures, live 10% of the total population, and 33% of the Roma population in the state.

1 Databases of UNDP (2008), South East European University (2008) and the State Statistical Office (2007)

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Table 3:

Review of registered unemployed Roma population according to level of education (condition on 31.08.2011) Level of educa on LSW

SSW

HSW SVE

Total

12,821

291

705

Women

5,698

154

HVE

PhD

Total

599

14,464

262

6,187

(LSW - low skilled worker, SSW - semi-skilled worker, SW – skilled worker, HSW - highly skilled worker, SVE - secondary vocational education, HVE – higher vocational training, UE – university education, MA – Master level of education, PhD – Doctoral level of education) *Source: State Statistical Office 2011.

The home is a basic human need. The home is essential for healthy family, and for normal growth and development of children in the family. The health statistics for 2011 depicts twice as higher fertility rates among the Roma population compared to the general population (3 vs. 1.46 children / woman). More children in the family indicate even more evident need for a comfortable and decent home for healthy generations. The absence of a home that meets the basic requirements for living or home with very poor living conditions has a huge impact, including health status of its residents; infant mortality among the Roma population is nearly one-third higher than the national average (12.8 vs. 9.7 infants per 1,000 live births). At the same time, the average life expectancy of the Roma population is about 10 years shorter than the average life expectancy in the country (74 years vs. 64 years).

3.2. General data on housing conditions of the Roma in Macedonia The issue of social inclusion of the Roma in Macedonia is addressed and elaborated in several documents, beginning with the signing of the

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Decade of Roma Inclusion 2005-2015, and thereof making commitments for inclusion of this marginalized population in all spheres of the society.2 However, after the elapse of the first half of the Decade, the priority area of housing, because of a range objective, but also subjective circumstances, lags in the realization of the set goals. There are still a large number of Roma families living in inadequate conditions in terms of standards of urban living without access to basic living conditions, such as adequate shelter, adequate access to drinking water and sanitation, and other necessary infrastructure (road, electricity, healthcare, etc.). The lack of data and precise indicators to measure the implementation of the activities further affects this process, and as a result, it is difficult to influence the dynamics and scope of meeting the objectives of the Decade in this priority area. The available information in the most part is still generated through individual localized researches of NGOs or from the records of the units of local self-government. These data, although limited in scope, offer basis for concluding that the living conditions of the Roma community have not been significantly improved, but also that it is necessary to develop matrixes for monitoring the activities and specific indicators for evaluation of the achieved results. From the available information, most of the Roma in Macedonia live in urban or settlements that gravitate to urban areas (95%), dominantly concentrated in poorer or suburban areas, mostly in very poor conditions, often below the level of accepted standards of appropriate housing. In terms of population by area, the largest number of Roma households (48%) is located in the Skopje development region, followed by the Pelagonia and Eastern development region (14% in each), Kumanovo development region (10%) and the Polog development region (9%). According to the data from the 2002 Census, the majority of the Roma with officially registered residence (about 45%) live in only 10 municipalities: Bitola, Vinica, Gostivar, Debar, Kumanovo, Kichevo, Kochani, Prilep, Tetovo and Shtip. In terms of the regional distribution of the population, it is important to emphasize that almost the same number lives on the territory of the city of Skopje (43.06%), out of which half in Shuto Orizari, 2

The detailed review is provided in the References section, at the end of this document

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while the remaining 12% of the Roma population live in other municipalities.3 According to the 2002 Census, about 5% of the Roma live in municipality of Bitola. According to some estimates, about 70% of the Roma population has no ownership documents for their dwelling. In terms of residence, only 2% live in apartment blocks, 15% in new houses which are in good condition, and 46% in older houses that are in relatively good condition, 36% in ruined houses or substandard dwellings and 2% in unfinished dwellings. About 45% of the surveyed families believe that hunger is a real threat.4 The Roma families often live in poorly constructed substandard homes, without an adequate supply of safe drinking water and sanitation. The data from the Institute for Public Health of the Republic of Macedonia, generated for 7 Roma communities on the territory of the city of Skopje (excluding the largest one in Shuto Orizari) show that 63% of the Roma population in these communities live in buildings of solid construction, 7.25% of the families live in improvised houses made of non-construction material (cardboard, nylon, aluminum parts, plastic, etc.) and 29.5% live in ruined and prefabricated buildings. The homes of the Roma families are small, adjusted to providing only the basic living necessities, with more than 50% of the population having a living space of less than 5 square meters per family member. About 40% of the families live in collective houses or in homes shared with another family. Only 16% of the Roma homes in these 7 Roma communities have toilet and bathroom inside the house; 77% of families have a sanitary facility (or latrines) in the yard, and 58% use tap water outside the home. But still, almost 10% of the Roma population does not have any drinking water and daily hygiene supply, and it is estimated that about 50% of these families do not have a solution for draining wastewater from their homes.5 3

Habitat for Humanity Macedonia (2011). Poor Population Housing – Focus on the Roma Population in Republic of Macedonia (in Macedonian) [Домувањето на сиромашното население – фокус на Ромите во Република Македонија] 4 The listed data originate from the data which were reference basis for writing of the Report in Millennium Development Goals, Government of the Republic of Macedonia, June 2005 5

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3.3. General data on mechanisms and policies for social inclusion of the Roma in the society With accession to the Decade of Roma Inclusion, the issue of social inclusion of the Roma community has become very current on the policy agenda, and the civil society sector, expert community, central and local governments took active part in addressing this issue. In a short period of time, several significant and sustained documents were adopted with strategic goals and objectives that guarantee improvement of the living standard and status of the Roma population in the social life. Most of these documents, as can be seen in Figure 1 below, have a time frame that coincides with the time frames of the Decade, and hence, it is very important that these documents are analyzed in terms of their complementarities, both in terms of activities and in terms of expected outcomes.

Figure 1:

Time frame of documents adopted by the Government of RM related to the Decade of Roma Inclusion 2005-2015*

*Note: Due to clarity of presentation, Figure 1 does not display the Local Action Plans. The detailed list of all documents with their official titles can be found in the References section at the end of this document.

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All documents related to the Decade list as a primary objective â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the social inclusion of the Roma, through interventions in 4 main priority areas (housing, education, employment and health) and 3 cross-cutting issues: discrimination, gender equality and poverty.6 The complexity of the issue of social inclusion implies the need for such number and scope of documents, but also of institutions and bodies responsible for implementation, monitoring and evaluation, i.e. audit of the same. There are also other documents which address the social exclusion, but which are not directly targeting the Roma population; in other words, the poverty and social marginalization are not necessarily in correlation with the ethnicity â&#x20AC;&#x201C; in this case â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Roma ethnicity. Hence, regarding the Roma community, it can be concluded that there are direct and indirect mechanisms for social inclusion, i.e. general policies and policies with affirmative action towards this population. The diversity of mechanisms and policies for social inclusion and their connectedness require a different focus and it is subject to other analyses, which comprehensively deal with social inclusion. In this case study, the focus is directed on housing, and hence, below is a review on specific mechanisms and policies for social inclusion in or related to the area of housing.

3.4. General data for mechanisms and policies for social inclusion of the Roma population in the area of housing As in other priority areas of the Decade, Macedonia has adopted strategic documents in the priority area housing, which in many aspects and with interdisciplinary approach, address this issue in terms of reducing the social exclusion of the Roma population. In this segment, also, there are policies and mechanisms that directly and indirectly refer to the Roma community, but, given the socio-economic indicators in recent years, most of the policies are directed to the general population. Figure 2 is a review of the time frame of the strategic documents in relation to the social inclusion in the area of housing. 6

The documents are available on the website of the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy of the Republic of Macedonia: http://mtsp.gov.mk/?ItemID= 6FC822BBA79A61429117F41 943673 AE4

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Figure 2:

Time frame of documents adopted by the Government of RM in terms of social inclusion in the area of housing*

*Note: Due to clarity of presentation, the document titles are not given in full. The full titles can be found in the References section at the end of this document.

The foreseen activities to address the established objectives are mainly focused on: - Improvement of legislation regarding the social exclusion in housing; - Measures and activities to urbanize the Roma settlements; - Measures and activities to improve the living quality by facilitating access to assets and funds to address the housing issue of the Roma population; and - Education of the population for the above mentioned measures and activities, i.e. facilitating access to information for realization of housing rights. As a result of a consultative process of stakeholders, these documents provide numerous system level activities that address the issue of housing - such as improvement of access to drinking water or sanitation, construction of storm water drainage, etc. But among them, also, are listed mechanisms to improve the social inclusion of the Roma that are established to facilitate access to assets and activities at individual level, i.e. possibilities 14

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through which the citizens can individually solve their problems regarding housing, and these mechanisms are presented in Table 4 below.

Table 4:

Review of mechanisms for social inclusion of the Roma in the area of housing

Mechanism

Characteris cs

Target group

Social apartments Subsidized housing loan

Alloca on of social apartments Approval of subsidized loan to buy an apartment

Socially vulnerable persons

Legaliza on of illegally constructed buildings

Exemp on from fees for administra ve taxes and fees for obtaining documents required for the legaliza on of the illegally constructed buildings Gran ng loan with favorable terms for ďŹ nancing the legaliza on fees

Financial aid for legaliza on of illegally constructed buildings Legal aid for legaliza on of illegally constructed buildings

OďŹ&#x20AC;ering legal support and legal assistance

Achieved result (by June 2012) 68 apartments

Families with low income (up to 900 EUR) which have not alienated property in the last 6 months; Limi ng the amount of the loan and the price of the apartment (per m2)* Socially vulnerable persons

Total of 50 loans approved in May 2012

Socially vulnerable persons

Habitat: 114 approved loan requests for applicants from the Roma community NRC: total of 1,519 submi ed requests for legal advice and legal aid

Socially vulnerable persons

Total of 333,652 legaliza on requests

* The detailed description of mechanisms is provided in Annex 1 of this document.

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Housing condition in the municipality of Shuto Orizari

4.1. Settlement and community description The municipality of Shuto Orizari is located in the northern part of the city of Skopje, on the transition between municipalities of Chair and Chucher Sandevo. The municipality of Shuto Orizari was established in 1996 under the 1996 Law on Territorial Organization7 as a municipality on the territory of the city of Skopje, and it is the only municipality in the Republic of Macedonia (and according to some sources - in the world) with predominant Roma population. With the new territorial organization that was implemented in 2004, the municipality remained with unchanged boundaries.8 The earliest information about the establishment of the settlement Shuto Orizari date back to the period after the devastating earthquake of Skopje in 1963, which is described as a commencement of the migration to and aggregation of Roma population in the peripheral parts of the city of Skopje. The settlement gradually developed both spatially and demographically, which created a demand for establishment of many institutions, thus acquiring characteristics of an urban area within the capital city. The establishment of the local self-government Shuto Orizari in 1996 represents institutional completion of this process, by obtaining the status of an independent municipality.9 According to the 2002 Census, municipality of Shuto Orizari had 22,017 inhabitants. The municipality spreads over an area of 7.48 km2 and has a density of population of 2,943 inhabitants/km2.

7 Law on Territorial Organization of the Republic of Macedonia and determination of areas of the units of local self-governments (Official Gazette of R. Macedonia No. 49/96 from 14.09.1996) 8 Law on Territorial Organization of the Local Self-Government in the Republic of Macedonia (Official Gazette of R. Macedonia No. 55/04 from 16.08.2004) 9

Habitat for Humanity Macedonia (2011). Basic Study on Housing: Local Problem Analysis of the Roma Population in Municipality of Shuto Orizari. (in Macedonian) [Основна студија за домување: Анализа на локалните проблеми на Ромите во општина Шуто Оризари].

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Table 5:

Structure of population according to ethnicity (source: 2002 Census) Total Macedonia

City of Skopje

Shuto Orizari

Total

2,022,547

506,926

22,017

Macedonians

1,297,981

64.18

338,358

66.75

1,438

6.53

509,083

25.17

103,891

20.49

6,675

30.32

Turks

77,959

3.85

8,595

1.70

0.25

Roma

53,879

2.66

23,475

4.63

13,342

60.60

Vlachs

9,695

0.48

2,557

0.50

0.00

Serbs

35,939

1.78

14,298

2.82

0.30

Bosniaks

17,018

0.84

7,585

1.50

177

0.80

Other

20,993

1.04

8,167

1.61

262

1.19

Albanians

Table 6:

Gender structure of population in Macedonia and in the municipality of Shuto Orizari (source: 2002 Census) Total

Male

Female

2,022,547

1,015,377

1,007,170

50.20

49.80

53,879

27,105

26,774

Total number of popula on (2002)

22,017

11,076

10,941

Roma popula on (2002)

13,342

6,712

6,630

Republic of Macedonia Total number of popula on (2002) % Roma popula on (2002)

Municipality of Shuto Orizari

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Table 7:

Literacy of population over age of 10 years at national level and in the municipality of Shuto Orizari (source: 2002 Census) Total

Total (RM)

Female

Literate

Illiterate

Literate

Illiterate

Literate

Illiterate

1,693,044

63,562

863,289

14,993

829,755

48,569

%* Shuto Orizari

Male

3.62% 15,890

%**

1,809

1.71% 8,496

10.22%

5.53%

361

7,394

4.08%

1,448 16.38%

* Percent of the total number of population in RM over the age of 10 years (2002 Census) ** Percent of the total number of population in Shuto Orizari over the age of 10 years (2002 Census)

Table 8:

Derived data for the Roma population from the Population projections in 2011 of the State Statistical Office Total

Male

Female

Total popula on (2011)

2,059,794

1,031,926

1,027,868

Roma popula on (2011)

54,791

27,563

27,228

Shuto Orizari (total, 2011)

22,389

11,263

11,126

Shuto Orizari (Roma, 2011)

13,568

6,826

6,742

* The derived data are on the basis of interpolation of the data from the 2002 Census and other important parameters are not taken into consideration, such as the different population growth rate, fertility rate etc. The data are derived for indicative purposes only.

According to the population projections of the State Statistical Office, in 2011, the Republic of Macedonia had 2,059,794 inhabitants;10 bearing in mind the differences between certain demographic indicators (such as fertility rate, natural growth etc.) of different ethnic communities, a projection of the Roma population, and thereof the population in Shuto Orizari, cannot be accurately made. The table below, however, provides 10

State Statistical Office 2012. 2002 Census and Population Projections on 30.06.2011 and 31.11.2011 according to sex and age, by municipalities and statistical regions (in Macedonian) [Процени на населението на 30.06.2011 и 31.12.2011 според полот и возраста, по општини и статистички региони], available at: http://www.stat.gov.mk/Publikacii/2.4.12.08.pdf

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derivated data for the population projections of the Roma population, based on 2002 Census and is intended to serve for indicative purposes within this document. More recent reports state that the total population in the municipality is as twice as higher than the data from the Census conducted one decade ago.11 In the municipality classification made for the purposes of the fiscal decentralization by the Ministry of Finance, this municipality is categorized as municipality with population between 30,000 and 60,000 inhabitants.12 At the same time, the field visits during the period July-August 201213 by the Roma Information Center (RIC) Shuto Orizari show that the municipality still has â&#x20AC;&#x153;pocketsâ&#x20AC;? where large number of nonregistered persons lives (i.e. population without any personal indetification documents) in a multi-generational families, thus confirming the fact that in the municipality has a much larger population than the one registered during 2002 Census. In addition to the above, the Action Plan for Roma Housing of the municipality of Shuto Orizari, states that the municipality is a home of approximately 35,000 inhabitants.14 As most of the municipalities in Macedonia, municipality of Shuto Orizari has transferred into the second phase of the fiscal decentralization, meaning more competences for the local self-government as well as more development opportunities on one, but also more commitments and responsibilities towards the citizens, on the other side. In line with all the above, a rough projection of the population density in the municipality of Shuto Orizari can be made and compared to population density recorded with the 2002 Census. The table above shows overpopulation in the municipality of Shuto Orizari, several times bigger compared to the city of Skopje - 3 and almost 6 times in 2002 and 2011 respectively â&#x20AC;&#x201C; as the most urbanized area in the country, and whose constituent part is the municipality of Shuto Orizari.

11 UNICEF (2012). Community Nursing Assessment with Equity Analysis in Republic of Macedonia 12

Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Macedonia, official website: www.finance.gov.mk

Interview, RIC Shuto Orizari, November, 2012

Action Plan for Roma Housing of the municipality of Shuto Orizari 2012-2017, June 2012

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Table 9:

Population density in the municipality of Shuto Orizari (comparative data with Macedonia and the city of Skopje) No. of popula on

Popula on Density inhabitants/km2

Popula on (2002 Census)

2,022,547

78.9

Popula on (Projec on 2011)

2,059,794

80.1

Popula on (2002 Census)

515,419

902

Popula on (Projec on 2011)

524,911

919

Popula on (2002 Census)

22,017

2,943

Popula on (Projec ons)

40,000

5,348

Republic of Macedonia (area: 25,713 km2)

City of Skopje (area: 571.46 km2)

Municipality of Shuto Orizari (area: 7.48 km2)

* Source: State Statistical Office

4.2. Description of the land Although according to the territorial organization of the local self-government, this municipality is classified as urban, there is still a lack on the part of the basic requirements and quality standards of urban living; in Shuto Orizari a larger number of dwellings are without proper address and street number; the traffic infrastructure (access roads, sidewalks, lighting, etc.) are obsolete, and in many places have not even been constructed. One of the reasons is the inexistence of a detailed urban plan for largest part of the territory of the municipality. According to the General Urban Plan (GUP) for the city of Skopje, the largest part of the territory of municipality of Shuto Orizari is planned for residential buildings, and only a minor part for industry and smaller commercial activities. Such conditions inevitably impose the conclusion that the environment is not appropriate for healthy living and development of healthy lifestyles; there are no pedestrian and recreational trails, sportsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; and children playgrounds and other recreational facilities. 20

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4.3. Infrastructure – facility and condition According to the reports of the Roma Information Center (RIC) from Shuto Orizari, the detailed urban plan of municipality of Shuto Orizari has not been adopted yet. Regarding the infrastructure, the municipality of Shuto Orizari on its territory has: - Two primary schools (Primary School “26 Juli” and Primary School “Braka Ramiz i Hamid”) with 4,172 pupils in all grades (from first to eighth), 2,023 of which female students (data from the beginning of 2011/2012 school year);15 - One vocational (so called evening) school for adults attended by 79 persons, 33 of which women (data from the beginning of the 2011/2012 school year);16 - Public healthcare institution Polyclinic Shuto Orizari, which is an integral part of the public health institution Health Center – Skopje and several private health institutions for general medicine and dentistry; and - In the area of social protection, on the territory of the municipality there is a Center for Social Works (CSW), one preschool educational institution (kindergarten “Snezana”) and one retirement home. On its territory, the municipality has no secondary schools, other institutions of higher education and higher-level healthcare facilities or cultural institutions, but the General Urban Plan for the city of Skopje, envisages construction of a boarding house for students in the period after 2020.17

State Statistical Office 2012, Primary and secondary schools at the beginning of the school year2011/2012, available at: http://www.stat.gov.mk/Publikacii/2.4.12.04.pdf

State Statistical Office, Primary and secondary schools at the beginning of the school year 2011/2012, available at: http://www.stat.gov.mk/Publikacii/2.4.12.04.pdf 17

General Urbanization Plan for the City of Skopje 2001-2020, available at: http://app.gov.mk/uploads/uplan03_detail.pdf

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Additionally, the absence of major industrial facilities in the municipality of Shuto Orizari contributes towards its categorization as economically underdeveloped municipality. The major economic activities are retail of textile and jewelry, as well as crafts, in particular blacksmith, carpentry, goldsmith, sewing, etc.18 According to the information from RIC Shuto Orizari and the Basic Study on Housing in Shuto Orizari in the recent years substantial infrastructure upgrades have been made: improvement of transportation infrastructure, construction of sewerage networks in parts of the settlements and new water tank, construction of sports facilities and reconstruction of one of the primary schools. The construction of the fecal collector is ongoing, and the preparatory activities for storm water collector are underway.19

4.4. Characteristics of the homes The housing as one of the basic urban functions is an important component of the overall socio-economic development, spatial and urban planning. One of the primary objectives of spatial and urban planning is to provide humane conditions for people’s life and work, which is accomplished through successful planning of settlements with utility, functional and environmental landscaping. The basic indicators of the housing standard are the average size of the dwelling, the average housing area per capita and the average number of residents per dwelling. The conditions in the home are also inadequate for life of adequate quality and for maintenance of physical and mental health of all household members. The homes are often made with construction materials of inadequate quality, poor or no sanitation, poor ventilation and inadequate space size (69% live in less than 10m2 per household member), in multi18

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generational families without possibility for providing even minimum level of privacy.20 In Shuto Orizari, more than 40% of the population lives in area less than 10m2.

Table 10:

Basic indicators for the housing standard in the municipality of Shuto Orizari (source: 2002 Census) Average area of apartment (m2)

Average housing area /resident (m2)

Average no of residents/ dwelling

Republic of Macedonia

71.14

24.55

3.58

Skopje development region

63.38

22.26

3.07

Municipality of Shuto Orizari

57.70

14.61

4.32

According to RIC Shuto Orizari, still a large number of families who live in illegal dwellings, due to lack of necessary documents for completing the process. According to some projections, about 70% of the Roma population do not have documents for ownership of their residence or live in illegally constructed buildings, i.e. without regulated legal status of their property.21 In the municipality, especially on the right handside of the main street in Shuto Orizari, there are facilities that are individual houses but are treated as collective housing, and for these the owners should especially initiate request for change of the status, which is difficult due to the current illegal status of the same. 22 According to the quality of construction, the housing conditions of residents in Shuto Orizari doес not differ much from the general housing situation in the Roma communities throughout the territory of the country. Although there is no exact data, in this municipality also there are

Annual Report of the European Center for Minority Issues (ECMI, 2006)

Ministry for Labor and Social Policy of RM, 2012. Report on the progress of the Decade 2011 (in Macedonian) [Извештај за напредокот на Декадата 2011 година], available at: www.mtsp.gov.mk 22 Ministry for Labor and Social Policy of RM, 2010. RIC Skopje Report for 2012, available at: www.mtsp.gov.mk

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still households accommodated in improvised houses made of non-construction material without the supply of clean drinking water and proper sanitation inside the home. The settlement does not have a central heating system, thus the electricity and firewood are the primary sources for heating.

Municipality mechanisms for decreasing the social exclusion in housing

5.1. Mechanisms for decreasing the social exclusion in the areas of the Decade which influence housing The progress in the socio-economic life of the Roma population, after the first half of the Decade of Roma Inclusion is still limited and far from the desired comprehensive social inclusion. The high unemployment rate (73% according to the unofficial projections)23 and the poverty (according to some sources as high as 72.2% of the Roma have monthly income sufficient to cover only food expenditures),24 lead to insecure housing and unstable living conditions, poor health and insufficient school attendance, which points to the fact that the poverty cycle is still active and that the social exclusion perpetuates; the Roma population remains to be the most vulnerable group in the society.25

Report of Open Society Institute, June 2010. “No data – no progress, gathering data in participants countries in the Decade of Roma Inclusion 2005 – 2015” (in Macedonian) [Нема податоци – нема напредок, прибирање на податоци во земјите учеснички во Декадата за вклучување на Ромите 2005-2015, p. 40]

24 Progress Institute (2012). Social Image of the Republic of Macedonia in 2012. Why we are the first in the world in misery and how to help the citizens? (in Macedonian) [Социјална слика на Република Македонија во 2012. Зошто сме на прво место во светот по мизерија и како да им се помогне граѓаните?] 25 Report on the condition of the Implementation of the Action Plan on Improving the Situation of Roma and Siniti within the OSCE area (in Macedonian) [Извештај за состојбата со Спроведувањето на Акциониот план за подобрување на состојбата на Ромите и Синтите во областа на дејствување на ОБСЕ], available at: http://www.mtsp.gov.mk

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5.1.1.Competences on central level The prepared and adopted strategic documents (National Action Plans (NAPs) for the Decade priority areas: housing, education, employment and health, as well as the specific Acion plan to improve the social situation of the Roma women, etc.), incorporate a large number of activities that are interdependent forming the big picture towards the complete social integration of the Roma population in the social and economic life. The Roma issue and the commitment for affirmative action towards its resolution are an integral part of the National Strategy for Poverty Reduction and Social Inclusion in the Republic of Macedonia 2010-2020, in which the Roma have been identified as a vulnerable group in more priority areas (health, education, employment).26 Macedonia had both the responsibility and the honor to chair the Decade from 1st July 2011 to 30th June 2012, during which period many analyzes and summaries were made on the completed activities and achieved results in terms of the goals, and broadly, of the general purpose for full social inclusion of the Roma, presented through good results achieved in education, adequate housing and health, decent employment, as well as in obtaining personal identification documents and enjoyment of equal rights and life without discrimination.27

5.1.2.Competences on local level With the 2004 territorial organization and fiscal decentralization, like the other units of local self-government, the municipality of Bitola had also acquired the same competences from the central government. According to the legislation regulating this field,28 each municipality has the follow26

National Strategy for Poverty Reduction and Social Exclusion in RM 2010-2020, available at: http://mtsp.gov.mk/WBStorage/Files/SocialExclusion%20Starategy%20MK%20final%20wor d.doc

27 Republic of Macedonia, Program for the Presidency of the Decade of Roma Inclusion 20052015 28

Law on Local Self-Government. Official Gazette of RM no. 5/2002

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ing competences that are in immediate or indirect relation to the improvement of the social inclusion in the area of housing: - Urban (urban and rural) planning, issuing approval for construction of buildings of local significance established by law, spatial planning and planning of construction plot areas; - Protection of environment and nature – measures for protection and prevention of the water, air and land pollution, nature protection, protection from noise and non-ionizing radiation; - Local economic development – planning of local economic development; establishment of developmental and structural priorities; management of local economic policy; support of the development of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and entrepreneurship on local level and in that context, participation in the establishment and development of local network of institutions and agencies and promotion of partnership; - Public utilities – drinking water supply; industrial water supply; drainage and wastewater treatment; street lighting; drainage and treatment of storm water; maintaining public cleanliness and hygiene; collection, transport and treatment of communal solid and industrial waste; arrangement and organization of local public passenger transport; natural gas and heating energy supply; maintenance of cemeteries, crematoriums and provision of funeral services; construction, maintenance, reconstruction and protection of local roads, streets and other infrastructure facilities; regulating traffic; construction and maintenance of street traffic signalization; construction and maintenance of public parking space; removal of improperly parked vehicles; removal of damaged vehicles from public areas; construction and maintenance of markets; chimney sweeping; maintenance and use of parks, greeneries, national parks and recreational areas; regulation, maintenance and management of river basins in urbanized areas; determination of the names of the streets, squares, bridges and other infrastructure facilities; - Culture – institutional and financial support of cultural institutions and projects; nurturing folklore, customs, old crafts and similar cul26

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tural values; organization of cultural events; stimulation of different specific forms of creation; - Sport and recreation â&#x20AC;&#x201C; development of mass sport and recreational activities; organization of sports events and manifestations; maintenance and construction of sport facilities; support of sport associations; - Social protection and protection of children - kindergartens and homes for elderly (ownership, funding, investment and maintenance); provision of social protection for persons with disabilities; orphans and parental care; children with educational and social problems; children with special needs; children of single-parent families; street children; persons at social risk; persons affected by drug and alcohol abuse; raising awareness of the population; housing people at social risk; realization of the right to education and education of preschool children. The implementation of these competences is in accordance with the National Program for Development of the Social Protection; - Education - establishment, financing and administration of primary and secondary schools, in cooperation with the central government, in accordance with the law, organizing transportation and food for pupils and their accommodation in dormitories; - Healthcare - management of the network of public health institutions and primary healthcare facilities that require representation of the local self-government in all boards of all publicly-owned health care institutions; health education; health promotion; preventive activities; occupational health and safety at workplace; environmental health monitoring; monitoring and surveillance for communicable diseases; assistance to patients with special needs (such as mental health, child abuse, etc) and other areas that shall be determined by the law; - Implementation of Preparedness guidelines and taking adequate measures for protection and rescue of citizens and goods from man-made and war-time, natural disasters and other accidents and the consequences thereof;

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- Firefighting activities performed by the local fire brigades; - Supervision on the affairs in its competence; and - Other issues stipulated by law. In addition to this, and in accordance with the Law on Housing,29 the units of the local self-government within their competences, and in line with the legal regulations and the National strategy on housing, monitor and plan the housing needs on their territory for which they adopt annual program and undertake measures and activities for its implementation.30 This annual program is adopted by the Council of the Municipality and the Council of the city of Skopje, and in particular should contain: 1. Scope, location and dynamics of building of owned and rental housing; 2. Measures to stimulate construction and renovation of apartments and more appropriate use of the current housing fund of the municipalities, the municipalities on the territory of the city of Skopje and the city of Skopje; 3. Housing measures (architectural and construction) to provide appropriate housing for persons with disabilities; 4. Provision of necessary assistance for use of the apartment; and 5. Method for provision of appropriate forms of aid through founding and operation of nonprofit housing organizations.31 The same law in detail establishes the measures and activities in competence of the local self-government in the area of housing, and the possible funding sources. To implement the annual program, the units of local self-government undertake measures and activities that are related to: - Provision of communal infrastructure necessary for adequate housing; - Provision of funding and assets for construction and rental of apartments on a non-profit basis, i.e. subsidized renting intended as 29

Law on Housing. Official Gazette of RM No. 99/09 and 57/10

Law on Housing. Official Gazette of RM No. 99/09 and 57/10, Article 100

Law on Housing. Official Gazette of RM No. 99/09 and 57/10, Article 102

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temporary housing for persons at social risk, with area not exceeding 45 m2 without possibility for buy-out; - Provision of different forms of owned or rental housing; - Provision of funds to stimulate construction of apartments by the citizens; and - Maintenance of Registry of collective housing and rented apartments.

To implement the program, as well as to provide owned or rented housing, the units of local self-government can provide funding from: - Sale of apartments under favorable conditions; - Public and private investments and the like; - Funds intended for regional development and development of rural areas; - Donations and other types of assistance; and - European Union funds and other foreign donor funds.32

5.2. Mechanisms for social inclusion in housing

5.2.1.Competences on central level The existing Action Plan on Housing envisages numerous activities aimed at improvement of housing conditions for this vulnerable group of citizens: from normative-legal (changing legislation and adopting public policies, establishing mechanisms for consultation of the Roma in the processes of decision making, enabling affirmative action, encouraging ULSG to address the Roma housing issue) to specific operational activities and measures (improving infrastructure, improvement of substandard housing, etc.). 32

Law on Housing. Official Gazette of RM No. 99/09 and 57/10, Article 100

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Table 11:

Achieved results of mechanisms for social inclusion in the municipality of Shuto Orizari35

Mechanism

Achieved result – na onal level (un l June 2012)

Social apartments

68 apartments

Subsidized housing loan Legaliza on of illegally constructed buildings

A total of 50 loans approved in May 2012 Totally submi ed 333,652 legaliza on requests

Legal aid for legaliza on of illegally constructed buildings Financial aid for legaliza on of illegally constructed buildings

NRC: totally received 1,519 requests for legal aid during legaliza on

Achieved result – Shuto Orizari (un l September 2012) None in Shuto Orizari –there are no collec ve housing buildings in the municipality No data Sector for UP of Shuto Orizari: about 5,000 submi ed legaliza on requests (procedure completed for over 500 requests)* NRC: 555 received requests for legal aid on the territory of Shuto Orizari Habitat: for 114 requests approved ﬁnancial aid to conduct legaliza on procedure

* According to the Sector for Urban Planning of the municipality of Shuto Orizari 4,943 submitted requests have been submitted (data: November 2012). According to the Sector officials, the number of submitted requests is changing, due to incorrectly submitted applications from citizens on the territory of the municipality of Shuto Orizari in another municipality or vice versa. Often it is the case with municipality of Butel, which is adjasent to the municipality of Shuto Orizari.

In housing, another important set of activities for improvement is the legalization of the illegally constructed facilities, which is envisaged to have positive effect in the Roma settlements in particular, bearing in mind the percentage of illegal constructions (about 70% of the dwellings in Roma settlements)33 and the economic situation within Roma communities. To achieve these results coordination of the activities is envisaged 35

Information from more websites on the web location of the Government of Republic of Macedonia: “Conference on improvement of housing conditions for the Roma – infrastructure the main priority” (in Macedonian) [Конференција за подобрување на условите за домување на Ромите - инфраструктурата главен приоритет], available at http://vlada.mk/node/3211; “The Minister Stavrevski presents the loan certificates within the project ‘Buy a house, buy a flat’”, available at: http://vlada.mk/node/3079 33

Ministry for Labor and Social Policy of the Republic of Macedonia, 2012. Report on the progress of the Decade 2011 (in Macedonian) [Извештај за напредокот на Декадата 2011 година], available at: www.mtsp.gov.mk

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between the Government of Macedonia and the ULSG, in this case the municipality of Bitola, which at the same time presents an opportunity for decentralization of the objectives and the activities of the Decade.34 As already defined in the introductory parts of this case study, in terms of social inclusion of the Roma in Macedonia policies and systems-level mechanisms are established that address the issue of housing, as well as mechanisms for individual addressing of housing problems and issues by citizens themselves. The table below shows data for the municipality of Bitola in terms of the results of policy implementation on central level.

5.2.2.Competences on local level In accordance with the identified needs of the community, in June 2012, the Council of the municipality of Shuto Orizari has adopted the Action Plan on Housing for the Roma on the territory of municipality of Shuto Orizari 2012-2017.36 The Action Plan on Housing envisages activities in three priority areas: 1)

Housing for socially vulnerable groups;

Health; and

Education.

The first priority area, to be implemented during 2012-2016, envisages activities which implementation requires funding of EUR 235,170 (or approximately 14.5 million MKD). The activities in this priority area can be divided into several groups: - Activities of assessment of the current situation in housing (such as mapping the territory for new constructions; analysis of the socioeconomic situation in the municipality; public hearings and consultations); - Activities related to the preparation of documents in housing (e.g. preparation of a project design for construction of a collective hous34

Meeting of the Council of the Municipality of Shuto Orizari, 18th June 2012

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ing for the socially vulnerable groups; preparation of a project design for water supply and sanitation infrastructure; creating conditions for construction of social housing in the municipality of Shuto Orizari); - Activities to address the housing problem of the population in the so-called critical category - more than half of the funds for this priority area are allocated for this activity, through which the municipality will be providing temporary accommodation for at least 20% of the families in the so-called critical category of housing, i.e. families living in very poor conditions; in this group of activities the municipality also allocated some space for cleaning and permanent remediation of at least one illegal dumping site on the territory of the municipality of Shuto Orizari; and - Activities to inform and educate the citizens (e.g. informing the citizens regarding the legal and technical procedures in the area of housing, through education of at least 10% of the population in the municipality). The expected progress in this priority area in the Action Plan is the adoption of a Detailed Urban Plan (DUP) for Shuto Orizari, provision of housing for at least 20% of socially vulnerable families, and education campaign to at least 10% of the population of legal and technical procedures for housing. In addition, the Action Plan states that the toital investments for the proposed projects under each activity require approx. 3 million EUR, but those are not accounted for in the proposed fiscal matrix of the Action Plan.

Dominant problem regarding housing in the municipality of Shuto Orizari

6.1. Problem analysis/Case study At the forefront of this section, it is inevitable to stress out once again that the lack of ethnicity- or region-specific data in all areas, and in the housing alike, represents one of the main obstacles to determine the magnitude on one, and appropriate measures for addressing the issues on the other side. 32

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Thus, such is also the case with respect to the housing problems in the municipality of Shuto Orizari. From the sole fact that even the current number of inhabitants is not known, it is difficult to expect realistic housing needs assessment in this community. However, the analysis of the housing problems conducted by Habitat for Humanity Macedonia, shows that in terms of the type of dwellings in the municipality of Shuto Orizari extreme opposites are present: from dilapidated housing of the lowest standard to homes built according to the state-of-art construction and architectural standards.37 According to the same source, the housing situation of the population is still far from favorable, taking into account the local problems which persist, such as: poor infrastructure, suburbanized parts of the municipality, lack of access to water and sanitation, poor quality of electricity (bad installation in homes), etc.

Practical experience

7.1. Project Promoting Housing Rights for the Roma This project, implemented by Habitat for Humanity Macedonia and financed by the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR), had main objective to contribute to the promotion of housing rights regarding the social inclusion aspect, as well as to serve as a stimulus for further improvement of their status in education, health, employment and gender equality. Additionally, the project aimed at supporting the improved implementation of housing rights and social inclusion of the Roma and other marginalized groups. This project38 is in accordance with the objectives of the National Action Plan for Housing, as it contributed towards integration of housing rights 38 Habitat for Humanity Macedonia, website: http://www.habitat.org.mk/eng/n_romahousing.html 37

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as a mechanism for social inclusion and poverty reduction among Roma, improvement of the capacities at local level for participation in the decision-making processes and for enabling the exercise of the housing rights for the Roma, as well as towards strengthening of the implementation of housing rights mechanisms at local level. Under this project, among others, four basic housing studies were prepared, one of which for the municipality of Shuto Orizari that was used as a basis for revision and upgrading the recommendations, i.e. for the preparation of this case study.

7.2. Housing Fund for Roma and marginalized This project is implemented through a partnership between Habitat for Humanity Macedonia and the Foundation for Economic Development Horizonti. The main objective of this partnership is to improve the living conditions of the Roma on the territory of the city of Skopje with particular emphasis on the municipality of Shuto Orizari, but also in other municipalities, including the municipality of Bitola, by provision of microloans for reconstruction and renovation of substandard homes. The Housing Fund for the Roma and marginalized is implemented through a credit line HOME that provides microloans of up 2,500 EUR with a repayment period between 18 and 30 months. In the initial period the loans can be used by families who were users or currently use another loan from Horizonti. Until now, the project has provided reconstruction and renovation loans to 435 Roma and marginalized families, of which 343 Roma and marginalized families have so far completed their reconstructions/renovations.39 According to the above, 73% of the reconstruction loans under the Housing Fund for Roma and marginalized have been used for homes in Shuto Orizari. When compared to the total population in the municipality, the achieved results show improvement in housing: 39

Habitat for Humanity Macedonia website: http://www.habitat.org.mk/eng/rhprogram.html

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Table 12:

Housing fund for Roma and marginalized, Municipality of Bitola (2007-2011) Shuto Orizari

Bitola*

Others **

Total

208

263

4.91

4.39

5.16

Total number of completed reconstruc ons Average number of persons per household Average housing area (m2) Average housing area per household member (m2) Average loan amount (in MKD)

113,016

93,293

94,327

100,212

Total loan investment (in MKD)

23,965,000

1,985,000

3,160,000

29,110,000

* Apart from the municipality of Shuto Orizari, the achievements in the municipality of Bitola are also shown separately for the comparative purposes between the two, which are chosen as pilotmunicipalities for the preparation of indicators for social inclusion in housing, which is the main objective of this project. ** The category â&#x20AC;&#x153;othersâ&#x20AC;? includes municipalities of Veles, Kochani, Prilep and Strumica.

Table 13:

Indicators for improvement of housing in the municipality of Shuto Orizari through the Housing fund for Roma and marginalized Descrip on

Number of reconstruc ons in Shuto Orizari (2007-2011) Total number of residences (2002 Census) Average number of members per household Total number of persons included in reconstruc ons Total investment of loans (in MKD) Investment per person (in MKD)

Value 208 5,263 4.91 1,022

Improvement index % of total number of dwellings 3.95 % % of total popula on 4.64 %

23,965,000 23,456

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7.3. Project on Legalization of Housing On 18 January 2012, Habitat for Humanity Macedonia, Foundation Open Society - Macedonia (FOOM) and National Roma Centrum (NRC) have signed a cooperation agreement to implement the project â&#x20AC;&#x153;Legalization of housing for the Romaâ&#x20AC;?. The main aim of the project, which will be implemented between 2012 and 2015, is to contribute towards increasing the number of legal homes in Macedonia. The specific project goal is legalization of homes, through financial and technical support to the legalization process in the municipalities of Kumanovo, Kochani, Prilep, Tetovo and Shtip and the City of Skopje, where the majority of Roma population is settled. The project is implemented with a two-phase approach. In the first phase, NRC has undertaken informative campaign in 12 municipalities (Chair, Karposh, Kisela Voda, Gazi Baba, Gjorche Petrov, Ilinden, Shuto Orizari, Kumanovo, Kochani, Prilep, Tetovo and Shtip), and in accordance with the Law for treatment of the illegally constructed facilities,40 had submitted requests for legalization of housing facilities of Roma in six municipalities (Shuto Orizari, Kumanovo, Tetovo, Shtip, Kochani, Prilep). IN the second phase, NRC has continued with the proceedings of the legalization cases, with its advocacy activities, towards the effective implementation of the housing right and full implementation of the Law for treatment of the illegally constructed facilities. Within the scope of this project, a Fund for legalization of the illegally constructed facilities has been established, with financial contributions from FOOM and Habitat Macedonia. This Fund has an aim to serve a total number of 1,376 Roma who live in illegal dwellings. The beneficiaries receive a non-interest loan directly from the Fund, in amount corresponding to the costs for preparation of the geodesy study, legalization fee and the administrative fees. Since the beginning of the project, Kumanovo, from a total of 1,519 submitted requests for legalization, 555 are filed for the territory of the municipality of Shuto Orizari. Until December 2012, from these 555 submitted requests, 131 families have filed a request to Habitat for Humanity 40

Official Gazette of the Republic of Macedonia no. 23/2011

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Macedonia for a legalization loan. Of these, 30 loan contracts have already been signed, and the remaining are still in the procedure of approval. From other target municipalities, Habitat for Humanity Macedonia has to date received 315 legalization loan requests, of which 138 have already been approved and loan contracts have been signed.

7.4. Infrastructure projects of the Ministry for Transportation and Communications As a result of the Memorandum for Cooperation, the 2011 State Budget,41 Section 130.01 - Ministry of Transportation and Communications, Program 1 - Administration, Subprogram 11 - Support for implementation of the Decade and the Strategy for the Roma, Paragraph 488 - Capital investments to ULSG, Subparagraph 488190-11 Other capital grants, allocated funds in the amount of 10,986,000 MKD (approx. 180,000 EUR) for the implementation of projects under the Decade and the Strategy for the Roma and the Action Plan for Housing thereof. These funds were allocated for seven infrastructure projects, none of which is on the territory of the municipality of Shuto Orizari.

7.5. Project for social apartments of the Government of Republic of Macedonia Within the Project for social housing, one of the target groups is the Roma population, in accordance with the Strategy for the Roma on the Republic of Macedonia 2005-2015. On the basis of the advertisement published in 2009 for allocation of social housing apartments constructed under the Housing project for socially vulnerable groups - F/P 1674, financed in equal parts of 25,350,000 EUR each by a loan from the Council of Europe Development Bank and from the State Budget, in 2011 a total of 30 apartments were allocated for members of the Roma community, none of which on the territory of the municipality of Shuto Orizari, due to the fact that in Shuto Orizari, to date there are no social housing initiatives commenced. 41

Official Gazette of Republic of Macedonia No. 161/2010

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Conclusions and recommendations

The general conclusion on the housing of the Roma in municipality of Shuto Orizari is that in the settlement the inhabitants live in a wide diversity of dwellings - from dilapidated houses to state-of-art houses, but the substandard conditions continue to persist for most of the population. The infrastructure in recent years is experiencing renewal and reconstruction, although of insufficient scale. A large number of the houses have not yet been legalized and do not have proper address and house number. Requests for legalization are submitted, and the procedures are underway, however, the population needs legal and financial aid for completion of the procedures and obtaining legal, safe and decent place to live. In the municipality of Shuto Orizari there is a widespread overpopulation, and the existence of â&#x20AC;&#x153;pocketsâ&#x20AC;? of the population that does not have identity documents, further complicates the process of their recording, and the ability to legalize their dwellings. From the available sources and data, and through the consultation process with stakeholders for the preparation of this study, the following recommendations are proposed: * Urbanization and legalization: o Adoption of new and amendment of the existing detailed urban plans and preparation of other technical documentation on the part of the municipality of Shuto Orizari, in order to include all Roma settlements in the plans, i.e. to create conditions for ownership of residence; o Cooperation with NGOs for completion of the ongoing procedures for legalization of illegally constructed dwellings; o

Implementation of activities stipulated in the adopted Action Plan on Housing, i.e. pro-active fundraising, for the additional resources needed to complement the funds allocated by the municipality of Shuto Orizari;

o Preparation of a Housing program, in accordance with the Law on Housing, which shall envisage and include activities in accordance 38

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with the National Housing Strategy, and for which implementation funds can be required from the specific programs of the relevant ministry, i.e. Ministry for Transportation and Communications. In addition to that, it is recommended that the municipality prepares project documentation for housing projects that can be submitted for review and financing through the state-funded programs. This program should be complementary with the already adopted Action Plan on Housing which already establishes the need of funds for implementation of the larger investments; o In cooperation with the Government of Macedonia to jointly seek and provide funding for improvement of the whole infrastructure in the settlements, connection of all homes to water supply and sanitation networks and to the electricity system; o Preparation of a environment protection plan, i.e. solid waste management plan, for addressing the issue of illegal dumping sites in and around the settlement. In accordance with the Law on Environment and Physical Planning, it is recommended that the municipality prepares project documentation for projects that can be submitted to review and financing from the state-funded programs (Ministry for Environment and Physical Planning). * Proactive participation in implementation of policies for social inclusion of the Roma: o Organizing activity to collect data on number of population in the municipality of Shuto Orizari, as an initial step towards determination of the population on the territory of the municipality, and in particular to determine the number of persons without personal identification documents. In addition to the forthcoming Census, which is registering the citizens with personal identification documents, the municipality of Shuto Orizari should conduct activity to determine the population who has no legal opportunity to be included in the Census. o Provision of free legal advice and information to the Roma regarding legalization of illegally constructed dwellings in order to enable them the possibility to exercise the right of legal, safe and decent home in the community where they live, work and contribute. 39

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References

Decade for Roma Inclusion (2008). Decade Watch Report for the Republic of Macedonia 2008. (in Macedonian) [Извештај за имплементацијата на Декадата за Ромите во Република Македонија].

ECMI (2006). Annual Report of European Centre for Minority Issues for 2005.

General Urbanization Plan of the city of Skopje 2001-2020, available at: http://app.gov.mk/uploads/uplan03_detail.pdf

Government of the Republic of Macedonia (2005). Report of the Republic of Macedonia in Millennium Development Goals, Skopje: Government of the Republic of Macedonia.

Habitat for Humanity Macedonia (2011). Basic Study on Housing: Local Problem Analysis of the Roma Population in Municipality of Shuto Orizari (in Macedonian) [Основна студија за домување: Анализа на локалните проблеми на Ромите во општина Шуто Оризари]

Law on Financing the Units of Local Self-Government, Official Gazette of the Republic of Macedonia No. 61/04

Law on Housing, Official Gazette of the Republic of Macedonia No. 99/09 and 57/10

Law on Illegally Constructed Buildings, Official Gazette of the Republic of Macedonia No. 23/11 and 54/11

Law on Social Protection, Official Gazette of the Republic of Macedonia No. 20/06

Law on Subsidized Housing Loan, Official Gazette of the Republic of Macedonia No. 158/11

Law on Territorial Organization of the Local Self-Government in the Republic of Macedonia, Official Gazette of RM No. 55/04 from 16.08.2004

Law on Territorial Organization of the Republic of Macedonia and Determination of the Areas of the Units of Local Self-Government, Official Gazette of the Republic of Macedonia No. 49/96 from 14.09.1996

Ministry of Transport and Communications of the Republic of Macedonia (2007). Action Plan to implement the Housing Strategy of Republic of Macedonia (2007-2012)

Ministry of Transportation and Communications of the Republic of Macedonia (2007). Housing Strategy of Republic of Macedonia (2007-2012)

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Ministry of Labour and Social Policy of the Republic of Macedonia (2004). National Action Plan on Education, Decade of Roma Inclusion 2005-2015

Ministry of Labour and Social Policy of the Republic of Macedonia (2004). National Action Plan on Employment, Decade of Roma Inclusion 2005-2015

Ministry of Labour and Social Policy of the Republic of Macedonia (2004). National Action Plan on Health, Decade of Roma Inclusion 2005-2015

Ministry of Labour and Social Policy of the Republic of Macedonia (2004). National Action Plan on Housing, Decade of Roma Inclusion 2005-2015

Ministry of Labour and Social Policy of the Republic of Macedonia (2005). Strategy on the Roma in Republic of Macedonia 2005-2012

Ministry of Labour and Social Policy of the Republic of Macedonia (2006). Operational Plan on Education, Decade of Roma Inclusion 2005-2015

Ministry of Labour and Social Policy of the Republic of Macedonia (2006). Operational Plan on Employment, Decade of Roma Inclusion 2005-2015

Ministry of Labour and Social Policy of the Republic of Macedonia (2006). Operational Plan on Health, Decade of Roma Inclusion 2005-2015

Ministry of Labour and Social Policy of the Republic of Macedonia (2006). Operational Plan on Housing, Decade of Roma Inclusion 2005-2015

Ministry of Labour and Social Policy of the Republic of Macedonia (2009). Review of National Action Plans from the Decade of Roma Inclusion 2005-2015 and the Strategy on the Roma in Republic of Macedonia for period 2009-2011

Ministry of Labour and Social Policy of the Republic of Macedonia (2010). National Action Plan on Improving the Social Position of Female Roma in RM (2011-2013)

Ministry of Labour and Social Policy of the Republic of Macedonia (2010). RIC Report for 2010, available at: www.mtsp.gov.mk

Ministry of Labour and Social Policy of the Republic of Macedonia (2010). Work Program and Action Plan on Roma Information centers (RIC) for the period 20102012

MLSP of RM (2011). Annual Report on implementation of the National Action Plan on Improving the Social Condition of the Female Roma in Republic of Macedonia 2011-2013 (in Macedonian) [Годишен извештај за имплементација на Националниот акциски план за унапредување на општествената состојба на Ромките во Република Македонија 2011-2013 година]

Ministry of Labour and Social Policy of the Republic of Macedonia (2011). Report on the condition of the Implementation of the Action Plan on Improving the Situation of Roma and Siniti within the OSCE area (in Macedonian) [Извештај за состојбата со Спроведувањето на Акциониот план за подобрување на состојбата на Ромите и Синтите во областа на дејствување на ОБСЕ], available at: http://www.mtsp.gov.mk

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Ministry of Labour and Social Policy of the Republic of Macedonia (2012). Report on the progress of the Decade 2011, available at: www.mtsp.gov.mk

Ministry of Labour and Social Policy of the Republic of Macedonia (2012). Strategy on Intensifying Social Inclusion of the Roma in the Social Protection System in Republic of Macedonia for the period 2012-2014

National Roma Centrum (2012). Report on first phase from the project “Legalization of Housing for the Roma”, available at: http://static.nationalromacentrum.org/pdf/roma-housing/domuvanje-izvestajfaza1.pdf

OSCE (2010). Action Plan on Improvement the Situation of Roma and Siniti within the OSCE area

OSCE (2010). Report on the condition (regarding) the Implementation of the Action Plan on Improvement the Situation of Roma and Siniti within the OSCE area (in Macedonian) [Извештај за состојбата (во врска со) спроведувањето на Акциониот план за подобрување на состојбата на Ромите и Синтите во областа на дејствување на ОБСЕ]

Progress Institute (2012). Social Image of Republic of Macedonia in 2012. Why we are the first in the world in misery and how to help the citizens? (In Macedonian) [Социјална слика на Република Македонија во 2012. Зошто сме на прво место во светот по мизерија и како да им се помогне граг?аните?]

State Statistical Office (2005). 2002 http://www.stat.gov.mk/Publikacii/knigaXIII.pdf

State Statistical Office (2012). Population Projections on 30.06.2011 and 31.12.2011 according to sex and age, by municipalities and statistical regions (in Macedonian) [Процени на населението на 30.06.2011 и 31.12.2011 според полот и возраста, по општини и статистички региони], available at: http://www.stat.gov.mk/Publikacii/2.4.12.08.pdf

State Statistical Office (2012). Primary and secondary schools at the beginning of the school year 2011/2012, available at: http://www.stat.gov.mk/Publikacii/2.4.12.04.pdf

UNICEF (2012). Community Nursing Assessment with Equity Analysis in Republic of Macedonia. Skopje: UNICEF

Census,

available

at:

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Web resources: -

Government of the Republic of Macedonia, official website: www.vlada.mk

Habitat for Humanity Macedonia, official website: http://www.habitat.org.mk

Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Macedonia, official website: www.finance.gov.mk

Ministry of Labor and Social Policy of the Republic of Macedonia, official website: www.mtsp.gov.mk

Ministry of Transportation and Communications of the Republic of Macedonia, official website: http://www.mtc.gov.mk

Municipality of Bitola, official website: http://www.bitola.gov.mk

South Eastern European University, official website: http://seeu.edu.mk

State Statistical Office, official website: http://www.stat.gov.mk

United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), http://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home.html

official

website:

Aim of the ac vity

Alloca on of social housing for lease

Subsidy loan for buying an apartment directly from investor/contractor or building own house

Mechanism

Social apartments

Subsidized housing loan

Condi ons:

Subsidizing Models: 1) Subsidy of the half of monthly annuity - The Government covers 50% of the monthly installment (principal and interest) in the ﬁrst 5 years of the repayment period - The interest rates are 4.99% for the ﬁrst 3 years and 5.5% for the 4th and 5th year 2) Subsidy of the half of the downpayment

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General characteris cs: - Subsidized loan amount: up to 50,000 EUR - Repayment period: 20-30 years

General condi ons: Categories of ci zens determined with the Decision for alloca on of social housing: - Parentless children; - Social and permanent ﬁnancial aid beneﬁciaries; - Persons with disabili es and person needing care from a third party and their families - Members of Roma community; - Single parents with minor children.

Characteris cs and condi ons

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Low income families The overall monthly income of the individual or the spouse should not exceed 900 EUR Other condi ons: - The applicant must not have personal possession of apartment or house or have only one apartment or house which is selling in order to buy bigger apartment or house; - The buying of an apartment is limited to buying directly from the investor or contractor; - The construc on of the house is

Socially vulnerable persons who: - Are ci zens of Macedonia; - Have permanent address on the territory of the municipality where the social apartment is built; - Do not have apartment in personal possession, in possession of the spouse or his/her own adult children.

Target group

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10 Annex 1: Detailed review of mechanisms for social inclusion of the Roma in housing

Aim of the ac vity

Exemp on admin. taxes and fees for necessary documents for legaliza on of illegally constructed facili es

Provision of loan to cover the costs of legaliza on

Provision of legal advice and legal aid during submission of request to determine the legal status of illegally constructed facility

Mechanism

Legaliza on of illegally constructed facili es

Financial assistance for legaliza on

Legal assistance for legaliza on

Socially vulnerable persons Special categories: - Roma popula on

Submission of request for legal assistance or submission of documenta on for the issue that requires legal assistance

Submission of applica on request for loan Purpose of the loan: For prepara on of geode c study and supplemental documenta on to the request to determine the legal status of illegally constructed facility

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Socially vulnerable persons Special categories: - Roma popula on

Submission of proper document to prove belonging to special categories (described under ‘target group’), during submission of request to determine the legal status of illegally constructed facility

-Cost ceiling for the apartment: 900 EUR/m2

limited to building new buildings for which all documents are provided (building permits, etc.) - The amount of the por on of the loan that is subsidized is limited to 50,000 EUR

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Socially vulnerable persons Special categories - Roma popula on - Social and permanent ﬁnancial aid beneﬁciaries

Characteris cs and condi ons

Target group

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11 Annex 2: Composition of Advisory Council and work groups on the project 11.1. Advisory Council on the project “Indicators for social inclusion in housing” Name and surname Marija Popovska Mabera Kamberi Elvis Meme Lence Bajkova Suzana Kamceska Danica Pavlovska Sevgul Abdula Erdzan Selimi Aleksandra Vukovik Soﬁja Spasovska Monika Petrushevska Servet Demiri Sara Shabani Remzi Medik Sanela Emin Neda Milevska Venda Adzieva

Organiza on/ins tu on Ministry of Labor and Social Policy Ministry of Labor and Social Policy Ministry of Labor and Social Policy Ministry of Transporta on and Communica ons Ministry of Transporta on and Communica ons Na onal Commi ee Habitat (Ministry of Environment and Physical Planning) Government of the Republic of Macedonia Cabinet of Minister without Por olio Government of Republic of Macedonia Cabinet of Minister without Por olio Secretariat for European Aﬀairs Ministry of Labor and Social Policy, Department of Social Inclusion Ministry of Local Self-Government Ministry of Local Self-Government ZELS Associa on “Bairska Svetlina” Associa on “Romsko Trkalo” CRPRC Studiorum Habitat for Humanity Macedonia

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11.2. Working group for the Case study for the Municipality of Shuto Orizari Name and surname Sanela Emin Sead Dalipi Enis Dalipi Erhan Fejzov Mirsada Selimi Asip Selimi Daniel Petrovski Deniz Osmani Enver Iljazov Branislav Petrovski Melisa Memesh Orhan Asan Demir Shain

Organiza on/ins tu on Associa on “Romsko Trkalo” Community representa ve Community representa ve RIC – Shuto Orizari Associa on “Romsko Trkalo” Associa on “Romsko Trkalo” Associa on “Romsko Trkalo” Associa on “Detska Nadez” Counselor in municipality of Shuto Orizari Associa on “Romano Ilo” Associa on “Detska Nadez” Associa on “Detska Nadez” RIC – Shuto Orizari

11.3. Working group for the Case study for the Municipality of Bitola Name and surname Remzi Medik Tatjana Tancheva Petkovska Violeta Nalevska Ajredinov Omer Selveta Medik Ademovska Selma Biljana Dimitrievska Samedin Kananovski

Organiza on/ins tu on Associa on “Bairska Svetlina” Municipality of Bitola Local Economic Development (LED) Municipality of Bitola Local Economic Development (LED) Associa on “Bairska Svetlina” Associa on “Bairska Svetlina” Roma Health Mediator (RHM) Associa on “Bairska Svetlina” Associa on “Bairska Svetlina”

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Publisher: Habitat Macedonia Nikola Parapunov bb, Makoteks 1 floor 1000 Skopje, Macedonia www.habitat.org.mk For the publisher: Zoran Kostov Executive Director Project: Indicators for Social Inclusion in Housing The Project is funded by the European Union through the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR) Author: Centre for Regional Policy Research and Cooperation 'Studiorum' Translation into English: Piccadilly's Graphic design: Zlatko Angelov Print: Arkus Design Skopje, December 2012 Circulation: 100 copies

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This publication has been produced with the assistance of the European Union. The contents of this publication are the sole responsibility of Habitat Macedonia and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the European Union.

CIP - Каталогизација во публикација Национална и универзитетска библиотека "Св. Климент Охридски", Скопје 365.4(=214.58:497.711)(047.31) CASE study for the municipality of Shuto Orizari. - Skopje : Habitat-Makedonija, 2013. - 48 стр. ; 21 см Фусноти кон текстот. - Публикацијата е во рамките на проектот: "Индикатори за социјална инклузија во домувањето. - Библиографија: стр. 41-44. - Содржи и: Annex 1-2 ISBN 978-608-65506-0-8 а) Роми во Македонија - Домување - Шуто Оризари - Истражувања COBISS.MK-ID 93035274

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