Czech town official alleges housing rights activists "just wanted publicity"

Activists from the Housing for All (Bydlení pro všechny) initiative celebrated today as the last remaining tenants of a residential hotel in Ústí nad Labem prepared to move to better housing. The move ends a drama that has been unfolding since the fall, one that has the potential to repeat itself on a much larger scale in the future.

"We have paid everyone’s first month’s rent and we have taken up a collection in the amount of CZK 25 000 [EUR 975] for the rest of the deposits. Now the social welfare department is addressing the situation and we hope it will refund us the money," said Miroslav Brož of the Konexe civic association. Tenants of the residential hotel had previously negotiated receiving money for the new deposits from the authorities as an extraordinary benefit.

Legal advice was provided to the Housing for All initiative over the weekend by the Counseling Center for Citizenship/Civil and Human Rights (Poradna pro občanství/Občanská a lidská práva, o.s.). "Now, in collaboration with the town, we are settling the deposits for all the families. People should receive the funds within four days at the most," said Lenka Balogová of the center in Ústí nad Labem.

Activist Ivanka Mariposa Čonková has announced that the apartments that have been found for the families were not on the list published last week by the NGO People in Need (Člověk v tísni). Resident Iveta Jaslová has also confirmed that claim.

"People in Need never found us anything and cancelled their agreement with us. People from the Housing for All initiative came and helped us find apartments within four days, paid several deposits on our behalf, and are helping us negotiate with the town to get contributions toward furniture and the remaining deposits," Jaslová said at an improvised press conference in front of the residential hotel in the Krásné Březno neighborhood today.

"We came to stand up for people who didn’t want to give up. The Housing for All initiative thanks everyone who has contributed either through financial gifts or through their work," Čonková said at the press conference.

Miroslav Brož of the Konexe association says the main thanks go to the people in the residential hotel. "They were brave, primarily in rejecting the ghetto apartments offered to them that were so flawed in terms of hygiene. Now, thanks to their endurance and their willingness to stand their ground, they are living in normal apartments and paying normal rents outside the ghetto," Brož said.

During the press conference activists read a declaration from the Housing for All initiative that harshly criticizes the People in Need organization, the town of Ústí nad Labem, and the state. Approximately 40 activists and former occupants of the residential hotel held up several banners.

A correspondent for news server Romea.cz reported that "One of them reads Hands Off the Poor (Ruce pryč od chudých). Another one reads: The Town Ignores It All, the Owner Does What He Wants, the Social Workers Make Threats, the Media Misinforms, Caritas Helps Itself, the State Takes Care of No One. Does Anyone Have a Bad Conscience?" (Město ignoruje, majitel dělá co chce, sociálka vyhrožuje, média dezinformují, Charita pomáhá sobě, stát se nestará. Máte špatné svědom?)." The press conference ended in front of the residential hotel with fireworks and chants of "Housing for All" ("Bydlení pro všechny").

"I’m glad the families heeded my call to finally start taking action and that they found themselves apartments. They have had three months in which to do so. I do not understand why they let this situation become so extreme. Maybe it was just so some people could get publicity," Deputy Mayor Zuzana Kailová told news server iDNES.cz.