Apartments and active inclusion for six families from vulnerable social groups in Kula

With the help of the European Union, the Municipality of Kula provided housing solutions and measures of active inclusion for the first group of six families of the Active Inclusion Service Kula project

With the help of the European Union, the Municipality of Kula provided housing solutions and active inclusion measures for the first group of six families who are beneficiaries of the Active Inclusion Service Kula project.

The apartments are provided within the project Active Inclusive Service Kula (AktIS Kula), which is financed by the European Union and implemented by the Municipality of Kula in cooperation with the Center for Social Welfare and the Association for Mentally Challenged Persons ''Plava ptica''. The project is part of the "EU Support to Social Housing and Active Inclusion" programme. Six families belong to the first group which, in addition to the housing solution, will also receive support in active inclusion.

"The municipality of Kula is maximally committed to the care for our most vulnerable fellow citizens. With significant help from the European Union and co-financing from the Municipality itself, and in partnership with the Center for Social Welfare and the "Plava ptica", we are successfully implementing the Active Inclusion Service Kula project, which will provide a home for 16 families whose members belong to the most vulnerable groups: people with disabilities, women victims of domestic violence, young people without parental care,'' said the Mayor of the Municipality of Kula, Damjan Miljanić.

He emphasised that for the sustainability of the support, it is important that project beneficiaries, in addition to housing solutions, also receive support in accessing public services, training, career guidance and employment with mentoring, training and employment in a social enterprise established as part of the Active Inclusive Service Kula project. According to Mr. Miljanić, the Municipality is committed to the development and adoption of the Code of Good Governance in active inclusion.

Gerhard Salzer, programme manager at the EU Delegation in Serbia, pointed out that the EU Support to Social Housing and Active Inclusion programme is designed to improve the implementation of social policies in Serbia. He thanked the team that dedicatedly implements the Active Inclusive Service Kula project because the synergy that exists between the Municipality and its partner organization enables the achievement of important results for all project beneficiaries and vulnerable groups in Kula.

Jelena Radičev, the beneficiary of the Active Inclusive Service Kula project, expressed her gratitude for the support she received through the project.

"Thank you to the Municipality, the Center for Social Welfare and ''Plava ptica'' for recognising that we need support. My two minor children and I are victims of domestic violence. We got a tidy and furnished apartment in the center of Kula, and the children now have their own room. The apartment is bright, the sun is shining and the children are very happy, we started a new life. I would like to thank everyone who made it possible for us and who are always there to listen to us,'' said Radičev.

According to Dragana Milošević, representative of UNOPS and manager of the "EU Support to Social Housing and Active Inclusion" programme, which, apart from Kula, is implemented in a total of 19 cities and municipalities, the European Union has allocated 27 million euros for this programme, which will through the construction, purchase and reconstruction of apartments and houses, provide a home for 379 families. Accompanying active inclusion measures are crucial for the sustainability of the programme and they include support in education, increasing employability, employment and self-employment, and access to various social protection services.