Pilsen will increase the capacity of services for the homeless. In Wenzigova Street, where the Pilsen City Charity operates a dormitory, the city will start building a Service Center for the Homeless for CZK 120 million next year. The European subsidy from the IROP for integrated territorial investments will cover almost CZK 78 million. The acceptance of the subsidy was approved today by the deputies. The center will increase the capacity of the dormitory, low-threshold day center and other services, Mayor Martin Baxa (ODS) announced.
According to surveys, more than 400 homeless people live in Pilsen, and almost 300 have participated in a large homelessness study commissioned by the city this year. “Both facilities will be barrier-free, so it will be possible to provide services to homeless people with reduced mobility, which is currently not possible,” said Baxa. .
The city should pre-finance the project from its budget. It should be built in the years 2022 to 2023. In one of the new buildings will be the facilities of the city charity, which will expand the operation of the existing Home of St. Francis. In the second new building, the Salvation Army will operate a community-type shelter called Patronus. The charity building envisages the complete operation of dormitory services and a low-threshold day center. The capacity of the center will be 30 seats for women and 30 seats for men, which represents an extension of the service by 20 seats. The dormitory will have 56 beds, ten more than before.
In the original building of the Home of St. František, space should be freed up for the background of field programs and a backup space of 30 places will be created for the provision of accommodation in the winter. The new 26-bed Asylum House will provide temporary accommodation for homeless people and, through individual social work, help them integrate into society, including their return to the labor market, and promote independence from social services. In this house, clients will have separate rooms, including bathroom, dining room, laundry, dryer, kitchen, workshop and residential courtyard.
Pilsen counts on financial support for the operation of the center from the state budget, the budget of Pilsen and the Pilsen region. The city and the region have concluded a memorandum of cooperation, according to which the costs that will not be possible to cover the subsidy for the provision of social services from the state budget, after deducting the revenues of the facility, will be covered by the city and region. From 2023, five million crowns will be prepared annually for the city’s expected operating share.
Source: CTK
