Homelessness in the Czech Republic

KEY STATISTICS There is no national/regional homeless data-collection strategy. Several cities and
regions carry out surveys. There is no uniform methodology and data is not comparable. Key sources
of data include the following: The national register of social services provides information on the
number of places in services.

2017: 216 long-term homeless shelters and 75 short-term shelters in the Czech Republic.

In 2016, the homeless shelters were utilized by a total of 5,355 users, of which 1,777 were minors.
A total of 4,870 requests were declined. In the case of the short-term shelters, 1,086 requests
were declined. The 2011 population census included the first official national data on the number
of people using homeless services. According to the 2011 census, there are 11,496 homeless people
in the Czech Republic. This covers people using accommodation facilities for homeless people (i.e.
asylum shelters) and night shelters. It is important to note that experts consider that the real
number is much greater. As part of the preparatory work for the new “Concept of Preventing and
Tackling Homelessness Issues” (see below) an Expert Group gathered all available homeless
statistics and made a qualified estimation on the number and distribution of homeless people in the
Czech Republic. Their definition included the following categories: (Visible homeless, partially
visible homless, hidden homeless)

The Expert Group considered the number of homeless people to be at least three times higher than
the census figures (approx. 30,000 people – obvious homeless: ETHOS 1.1, 2.1, 8.2 and partially
(8.1) or hidden homeless: ETHOS 3.1, 4.1, 7.1). The estimated number of people who were homeless or
at risk of homelessness was 100,000.

 HOUSING PROBLEMS

Ministry of Labour and Social Services (MoLSA, 2016) – Evaluation of survey addressing homelessness
estimate that there are almost 119,000 people at risk of housing loss in the territory of the Czech
Republic. - The number of people without homes has been estimated to be 68,500; of which 74.4% are
male and 23.6% female; 11.9% are under 18 and 10.3% are over 65. There is a total of 187,500 people
who have experienced housing exclusion in the Czech Republic.

CHANGE IN PROFILE OF HOMELESS PEOPLE

Development trends point to a significant increase in the number of people exposed to the loss of
their home (or more precisely high numbers of people in all categories of European Typology of
Homelessness and Housing Exclusion (ETHOS)) and the deepening of problems of such households. At
present, single mothers who are at risk of losing their housing, and who make up the majority
population in homeless shelters for single women and mothers with children are a major issue. An
analysis of the impacts of insufficient housing on school and other related problems of children in
the Czech Republic (MEDIAN, 2017) states that approximately 37% of Czech children live in
households that suffer from some housing problems (insufficient heating, humidity and leakage, lack
of space, noise, dirt and vandalism in the child’s surroundings). The quality of housing is
significantly related to children (7- 12 years old) experiencing severe problems in school, along
with health and communication problems.

POLICIES & STRATEGIES

National Strategy The “Concept of Preventing and Tackling Homelessness Issues in the Czech Republic
until 2020” was adopted by the government in August 2013. In order to develop the Concept, an
Expert Group was created, attached to the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (MoLSA) Commission
for Social Inclusion. NGOs working on homelessness, experts from relevant ministries and academics
are represented in the group. Since the Concept’s adoption, the Expert Group supervises and
monitors the implementation of particular measures. The whole system of proposed solutions in the
Concept is based on the definition of four trajectories describing routes into homelessness. These
trajectories are defined as:

1. Long-term (people who are born into and/or grow up in homelessness);

2. Short-term (people who find themselves temporarily in difficult situations such as debt,
unemployment, etc.);

3. Health (people who face specific challenges due to health factors);

4. Own choice (people who become homeless through their own choice).

The strategy is also based on economic analysis of the costs of homelessness and of various
solutions. A Consensus Conference on Homelessness was held in November 2014. Conclusions from the
Conference were published by the end of 2014 and are available on the conference’s website. The
conference was one of Concept’s priorities for 2014. In 2015, the Czech Parliament approved the
“Social Housing Concept of Czech Republic 2015-2025”. The goal of the Concept is a wider offer of
housing for people threatened by loss of housing or social exclusion and for people who spend a
high percentage of their income on housing. Furthermore, the concept aims to create a new social
housing system intended to target people who fulfil certain strict criteria, to avoid the waste of
public money. The basic principles should be to ensure and maintain long-term quality standards and
spatially non-segregated social rental housing through a set of tools of housing and social
policies. The system should be linked to the execution of social work, provision of housing
allowance and it should augment the social services system (specifically shelters), as per the Act
on Social Services.

https://www.feantsa.org/download/czech-republic-20171431767123284348800.pdf