Social housing reconstruction camp in Nagykanizsa
Many inhabitants in the Ligetváros district of Nagykanizsa (South West Hungary) live in municipality owned apartments and are low income households. At times, the financial situation of these households decreases to such an extent that they cannot afford their rent. Therefore, these families could easily end up in a debt spiral. Their chances of breaking this cycle are limited. The project 'social work camp' supports these people by involving them in a construction/renovation project of the municipally-owned buildings. In return for their involvement, the municipality lowers the debts of the tenants.
Description
The aim of the 'social camp project' is to help people who are willing to be active and take part in working for their own good. In other words, the project does not replace the role of Social Welfare Institutions in debt consolidation. The project intends to create possibilities for those who have a manageable amount of debts. In addition, one of ‘social camp’s’ ambitions is to encourage participants to handle their finances in a more responsible manner. In order to reach this, the organisation of the 'social camp project' offers training opportunities and experiences of former participants. These will be described on the project website.
Furthermore, the project aims to serve as an example/model for other initiatives. For this, the organisation of the 'social camp project' has documented the phases and events of the project, so that other municipalities that are coping with similar difficulties can learn from these experiences.
Approach
The 'social camp project' supports families who are
seriously behind with rent payments and live in old and dilapidated
apartments. Tenants and volunteers work together in a working camp.
The volunteers convinced municipal leaders to make an estimation of
the renovation costs of the buildings in question. The outcomes of
this estimation determines the amount of money that will be
remitted and thus lower the debts of those participating in the
project , in proportion with the time they have spent working at
the social building camp. Also, the project stimulates locals to
work together as a group of common interest.
Results
- 38 local tenants have been involved;
- At the moment the project is in the process of renovating 8 buildings;
- Participants could lower their debts up to 1 700 000 Huf; about one quarter of the total amount of debts in the area.;
- The programme has resulted in a huge media appearance in Hungary.
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Resources used
Before the project started, a research had been conducted which indicated the situation of many households and/or families in Nagykanizsa. Important characteristics such as the amount of people per household, the amount of debts per family, their attitudes towards the Social Camp programme and the municipality , and their ability to work were analyzed. This information was crucial in order to start the project. Volunteers collected this information by visiting these households and ask questions about their home and financial situation. In other words, personal interaction is very important in order to gather all the necessary information.
The project is partially financed by Habitat for Humanity and the local Council reduces the debts. The advanced college of Social Theories Budapest provided volunteers
Beneficiaries
Inhabitants of social housing areas in Nagykanizsa have the opportunity to reduce their debts towards the local council by participating in the Social Camp program
Organisation
Advanced College of Social Theories
Project start date
01/9/2009
Project end date
01/03/2011
Contact person
Veronika Kovac
Phone: +36 30 601 7694
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