Cities and regions are beginning to establish foundation funds to help households bridge crisis situations, providing instant financial support. This financial aid is critical for individuals who fall through the cracks of the state’s social system, where help sometimes doesn’t come in time.
In Prague, there are currently around seven thousand households in housing distress and over a hundred thousand in danger. The number of applications to the fund is growing. For instance, a single mother and mother of two children, Libuše, was in a stressful period when she had to move and cover costs, including a deposit. As she can only work in the morning and has to take care of her disabled son, the funds were insufficient. The Prague Social Foundation Fund came to her rescue.
“We are making donations to prevent the loss of homes, and we can give up to 40 thousand,” explains Barbora Komberec Novosadová, the director of the Prague foundation fund. However, the help of the fund does not substitute the allowance from the Labour Office. The condition for receiving help is cooperation with a social worker.
Last year, over ten million korunas were distributed from the fund in Prague, and this year, even six million more is expected. According to Josefína Schneiderová, a housing advisor and social worker, a community should have a tool to bridge one-off crisis situations. “In the end, it’s cheaper for everyone,” she believes.