EU-funded Housing First initiative in Brno offers a path out of homelessness

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EU-funded Housing First initiative in Brno offers a path out of homelessness  A Housing First EU initiative in Brno is helping people move off the streets and rebuild their lives through secure housing and social support.  In partnership with the European Commission  READ MORE : http://www.euronews.com/2025/12/10/eu-funded-housing-first-initiative-in-brno-offers-a-path-out-of-homelessness  Subscribe to our channel. Euronews is available on Dailymotion in 12 languages

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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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