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Czech town still against drop-in center for at-risk youth

22 October 2012
2 minute read

It seems the South Bohemian town of Písek will not be building a drop-in center for youth at risk of social exclusion at the Portyč housing estate after all. Mayor Ondřej Veselý (Czech Social Democrats – ČSSD) removed a motion to vote on the measure from the program of today’s meeting of the town council after a two-hour discussion. Most of the housing estate residents have long been against setting up a drop-in center for children.

Residents as well as councilors spoke during the discussion. “We do not stand by this center, we don’t want it,” said 34-year-old Erika Kuruová to a round of applause. Mayor Veselý finally suggested a vote be taken to end the discussion. “It seems to me that we are going in circles and not addressing anything new about this issue,” he said. The councilors voted to end the discussion and after a five-minute break and consultation with the mayor, removed the motion from the agenda.

The town hall had previously conducted a poll on the community center through its website. According to that poll, 68 % of respondents said they saw problems at the housing estate in the coexistence between the majority society and the Romani community.

Mayor Veselý reminded those assembled that Písek can request a 100 % subsidy to build the center from EU grants. The costs of its construction are estimated at CZK 20 million.

The proposed center was intended to serve as a drop-in community facility. As many as six people would have been employed there, depending on the number of clients served, which were projected as a potential maximum of 50. Both youth from socially excluded families, which in Písek are predominantly Romani people, as well as the unemployed were supposed to have been able to seek help at the center.

Roughly 16 % of Písek’s population of 30 000 live at the Portyč housing estate. The town hall says around 90 socially excluded families, roughly 400 – 500 people, live there. The aim of the community center project was to get the at-risk group of youth aged 15 -26 off the streets and to offer them various options for what to do with their free time.

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