Czech Govt Agency for Social Inclusion director says normal housing is the best gift for children in residential hotels

News server Deník.cz has published an interview with the director of the Czech Government Agency for Social Inclusion, Martin Šimáček. In it he discusses the sad prospects of children in excluded localities, indebtedness and other reasons for the current crises in many families, and Christmas.

"I'm talking about children living in the residential hotels in some of the worst excluded localities. I estimate that 20 000 children are living in those extreme conditions. For them the best gift would probably be if they were able to move into normal housing," Šímáček said.

During the interview the question of social housing arose, as did the situation of many families who are in the vicious cycle of unemployment, desperate housing situations and debts from which few can escape. "There is an extremely impoverished segment of people living in the socially excluded localities and in the poorest conditions living in the residential hotels, which could be around 150 000 people. They need help as fast as possible, because those are the conditions for homelessness," said Šimáček, who went on to describe in detail the humiliating living conditions in many residential hotels throughout the Czech Republic.

Šimáček also touches on examples of good practice, speaking, for example, of the small towns of Cheb, Kadaň, Krnov and Obrnice. On the other hand, he speaks very critically of the situation in Duchcov.

In his opinion, the previous leadership of the town contributed to exacerbating the situation and legitimized anti-Romani demonstrations there. Things have gone so far as to result in a Communist-Nazi local government as a result of the recent elections, Šimáček warns.