14 families moved into the new social housing building in Ljubovija with the support of the European Union

Today in Ljubovija, 14 families have moved into newly constructed building for social housing. The programme "European Union Support for Social Housing and Active Inclusion" (EU SHAI) provided fully furnished and equipped apartments for families belonging to the most vulnerable social groups.

The keys to the new apartments were handed over by the Mayor of Ljubovija Milan Jovanović, Program Manager at the EU Delegation in Serbia Gerhard Zalcer, Minister for Human and Minority Rights and Social Dialogue Tomislav Žigmanov, Assistant Minister for Labour, Employment, Veterans and Social Affairs Slavica Jelača, President of the National Council of the Roma National Minority Dalibor Nakić, and the manager of the "EU Support for Social Housing and Active Inclusion" programme and UNOPS Serbia Multi-Country Office representative Dragana Milošević.

The event was opened by the Mayor of Ljubovija with words of gratitude to the partners who made the project possible.

"I want to thank the European Union and UNOPS, the EU SHAI programme, for their cooperation and financial support. I am glad that in the conversation with the participants in today's event, I heard a lot of praise addressed to the municipality of Ljubovija, and especially to my colleagues who dedicatedly worked to implement this project.''

As an illustration of how important cooperation with the EU, UNOPS and relevant ministries is, the Mayor pointed out that the value of the two projects implemented in Ljubovija through the EU SHAI programme is close to one million euros, which is approximately a fifth of the total annual budget of the municipality.

"The beneficiaries of the project not only get a roof over their heads but throughout the project they are involved in social inclusion activities, which will help them engage in the environment in which they live and develop their businesses. The beneficiaries went through various trainings, were involved in the work of public companies, and received equipment and materials for doing independent work. We gave them tools so they can work and earn for themselves,'' Jovanović pointed out.

Minister Žigmanov congratulated the municipality of Ljubovija on the successful implementation of the social housing and active inclusion project. "In this way, the policy of the Republic of Serbia has been confirmed, that we are a socially sensitive country when it comes to fairness and creating conditions for an equal life for all citizens. Equality in housing conditions is one of the measures in the complete integration of citizens who belong to vulnerable groups.'' The minister thanked the European Union and pointed out that the citizens of Serbia experience the European Union as their partner.

Gerhard Salzer, representative of the Delegation of the European Union in Serbia, pointed out that the EU allocated 27 million euros for the "EU Support for Social Housing and Active Inclusion" programme, and that it was designed to improve the implementation of social policies in Serbia. Salzer shared his satisfaction at witnessing the moving of 14 families into new, fully furnished and equipped apartments, because, according to him, this is the support of the European Union in action. "I would especially like to thank the team that dedicatedly implements the project because the synergy between the Municipality of Ljubovija and its partner organizations enables the achievement of important results for vulnerable groups in Ljubovija," Salzer concluded.

The municipality of Ljubovija is specific in that it implements two projects that are part of the programme "EU Support for Social Housing and Active Inclusion". One of them is precisely the project within which the apartments that the beneficiaries are moving into today were constructed. The second project belongs to a group of small-scale infrastructure projects, which are focused on the improvement of communal and social infrastructure in substandard settlements. The total donation of the European Union for these two projects in Ljubovija is 846,000 euros.

Slavica Jelača, Assistant Minister for Labour, Employment, Veterans and Social Affairs, thanked the donor and UNOPS for their support in the implementation of the EU SHAI programme. "I wish the beneficiaries a nice life in their new homes and with the strengthened experiences and knowledge they gained during this project. The municipality of Ljubovija is an excellent example in implementing such projects, which other municipalities should follow,'' Jelača said.

The President of the National Council of the Roma National Minority, Dalibor Nakić, emphasised that every citizen has the right to live in conditions worthy of a civilized person of the 21st century. "The responsibility of a state is reflected in its attitude towards the most vulnerable categories of the population, so I am glad that members of the Roma national minority will also find a home in this building. The key to the successful integration of Roma is at the local level, and that's why I would like to thank the Municipality of Ljubovija, the European Union and UNOPS for enabling this project to be implemented,'' Nakić pointed out.

According to Dragana Milošević, representative of UNOPS, which implements the "EU Support for Social Housing and Active Inclusion" programme, UNOPS is fully committed to its mission - to help people build a better life and countries to achieve peace and sustainable development.

''Today's event, moving into new homes, is an opportunity for the lives of our beneficiaries to take a new direction in a dignified way. In addition to these 14 families who are moving in today, nine more families in Ljubovija were given the opportunity to have their private property reconstructed and to get new living conditions. All families were actively involved in social inclusion measures, which means improving knowledge and skills, enabling families to earn and live much better'' - Milosevic concluded.

Ilinka Marković, a beneficiary of the programme, addressed the audience and said that she is very happy with the apartment she got. She thanked the Municipality of Ljubovija, the European Union and the Centre for Social Welfare for their support and help to get a roof over her head.

The European Union has allocated 27 million euros for the "EU Support for Social Housing and Active Inclusion" programme, which, in addition to Ljubovija, is implemented in 18 other cities and municipalities in Serbia. Within this Program, 381 families receive a roof over their heads and support in active inclusion.