Social flats of the Prague City Hall to be taken over by the Social Services Centre

The allocation of social flats owned by the Prague City Hall should now be the responsibility of the city's contributory organization, the Prague Social Services Centre (CSSP), said the new deputy mayor for social affairs and health care, Alexandra Udženija (ODS), in an interview. The organization, which deals with helping people in need, is more competent than the municipality's housing department in the matter, she said. The city will also announce a competition for the director of the CSSP, as the current director, Martin Šimáček, became head of the government's Agency for Social Inclusion in March.

Currently, the municipal department allocates the social flats, but according to the deputy minister, it does not have the capacity to continue to communicate and work with tenants, which has led to a number of complaints from residents of the houses in which the flats are located. In addition, under the previous administration of the municipality, CSSP launched its own rental agency through which it rents private flats to people in need and thus has the necessary experience.

"It will be more effective if CSSP does this, either from its own capacity or in cooperation with the non-profit sector," Udzhenija said. She added that she plans to discuss the change in the coming weeks so that it can be implemented as quickly as possible.

The city will also be looking for a new CSSP director to replace Šimáček, who has been at the helm since July 2020. The organisation is now temporarily headed by deputy director for economics Jana Holubová. Udzheniya praised Šimáček's tenure, saying he has moved the organization forward significantly. "Professionally and professionally, he was the man for the job," she said. She added that CSSP and other contributory organisations will be a major partner for her as a member of the city's leadership in the development of social services in the capital.

The CSSP takes care of the city's hostels and dormitories for the homeless, among other things. "There is a need to renovate some of the existing dormitories," the deputy minister said. She added that the Hermes ship, which serves as a dormitory for homeless people, among others, is also awaiting investment. The city will have a water and sewage system connected there for CZK 4.5 million. "It's been approved, I've got the funding for it and we can get started," Udženija said.

Source: CTK