00:01In Brno, the Czech Republic's second-largest city,
00:05people who once lived on the streets are now receiving housing and personalized mentoring.
00:25Finding affordable housing is becoming increasingly difficult
00:29for vulnerable groups across Europe.
00:31In the Czech Republic, a social housing initiative is giving residents a fresh start,
00:35turning the promise of a home into reality.
00:49Miroslav, 59, spent more than a decade living on the streets.
00:53Unemployment, poverty, family separation and health issues
00:57only intensified his daily struggle.
01:00But after meeting social workers,
01:02he finally received something he had been yearning for,
01:05a roof over his head.
01:07I have to pay for expenses.
01:09I have to pay for expenses,
01:11and I would not have to pay for electricity and such things.
01:15But it is a lot easier than to be afraid,
01:20that you will go into the building and that building will not be there.
01:24I have my head.
01:26I have my head.
01:27It's a beautiful life.
01:29Yeah.
01:30Miroslav is one of 20 households supported by the Housing First project,
01:35which gives people direct access to social housing in a city where demand far exceed supply.
01:41The requirements are straightforward.
01:43Pay the rents, be a good neighbor and work with social services,
01:47who guide residents as they adjust to their new lives.
01:50The same is true for Stanislav, 65.
02:05After years spent in shelters,
02:07he now shares an apartment with a friend.
02:09The Housing First project ran from January 2023 to September 2025
02:23and cost about 790,000 euros,
02:26of which 606,000 was funded by the European Social Fund Plus.
02:31According to the project's coordinator,
02:34the initiative had a clear, positive impact on residents.
02:38After the duration of the project,
02:40we see results from clients who are mainly in the area of stabilization of their life situation,
02:48the possibility of solving the health situation or other areas.
02:54Some clients have the opportunity for a stable living room,
02:59for example, to look at housing or to renew relationships with their family.
03:04Between 2021 and 2027, the ESF Plus is investing around 1,9 billion euros
03:12in projects that address housing and security across the EU.
03:16For this Brussels-based expert, that support is vital.
03:20It allows us to finance actions that would not be without the EFSE Plus.
03:24For example, Housing First,
03:26we need to support the social workers
03:31to work the best possible with their target population.
03:36We need to do training on energy efficiency.
03:40So, the EFSE Plus, it's the little plus, or the big plus,
03:46that allows us to have a project that is the most complete possible.
03:50While housing is mainly the responsibility of member states,
03:54EU initiatives such as the European Platform for Combating Homelessness,
03:58the Anti-Poverty Strategy and the European Affordable Housing Plan
04:02are helping develop solutions that tackle homelessness and social exclusion.
04:08We expect that the European Union to come to help the EU to face this crisis,
04:14especially with financial tools that allow them to accompany the terrain projects
04:20that will help the actors to offer solutions to European citizens.
04:27Back in Brno, Miroslav says he's now focused on helping others
04:32still waiting for social housing.
04:34Just, I think I have to go back.
04:38I have to go back.
04:41That's all.
04:47Social housing plays a central role in tackling homelessness and housing instability,
04:51because having a home gives people a better chance to deal
04:54with the other challenges in life.
04:57To be continued...
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