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Housing and Roma Mediation

Housing and Roma Mediation. The role of intercultural mediation in promoting better living conditions for Roma The case of Portuguese Roma Municipal Mediators Murska-Sobota 20th September. Alexandra Castro. Contextualizing Portuguese Roma Population.

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Housing and Roma Mediation

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  1. Housingand Roma Mediation The role of intercultural mediation in promoting better living conditions for Roma The case of Portuguese Roma Municipal Mediators Murska-Sobota 20th September Alexandra Castro

  2. Contextualizing Portuguese Roma Population • The majority of Roma living in Portugal is Portuguese • Despite the lack of official data about the Portuguese Roma population, its number is estimated to be in a range of about 40,000 and 100,000 • Thehousingconditions are heterogeneous: • 25% of Roma live in shantytowns or in tents without an authorization of permanence, mostly in Rural aged areas and industrial urban territories • 75% of Roma lives in properhousingconditions, mostly in rural areas with demographic concentration and in urban consolidated areas. In these territories there has been a great public investment in social housing

  3. Programme for Municipal Roma Mediators Organization Target Objectives

  4. Housing and mediationPotentialities regarding citizenship and participation The concentration of a great diversity of individuals from distinct cultures and social backgrounds make cities innovative places, but also spaces of tension and cultural conflicts. The ability to manage this tensions is one of the main challenge of modern societies and local governments. Housing is one of the most relevant fieldwork of the Municipal Mediators, alongside with Social Intervention and Education. Last year, 21% out of the total mediators activities were developed in housing contexts; the great majority of municipalities intervened in this specific and heterogeneous field. (public housing, private housing andshantytowns)

  5. How the municipalities address the housing problems?

  6. Housing precariousness Problemsfocusedonindividuals Problems focused at the local context • Intergenerational reproduction of poverty and growing needs in terms of housing support • Some families do not accept the solutions proposed for rehousing • Difficulty in finding housing solutions adapted to the profile of the householders • Lack of supply of social housing to meet the needs • Difficulty of access to open market housing - the weight of stereotypes • Pressure from local residents to a possible relocation in the vicinity of their residence

  7. Management ofpublichousing Problemsfocusedonindividuals Problems focused atthe local context • Difficulty in accepting rules, aggressive behaviors, vandalism in public spaces, conflicts • Sense of self-protection and impunity due to the strong cohesion of Roma families • High visibility of the neighborhoods in public spaces, contributing to a negative image of it • Lack of diagnosis regarding the identification of the most adequate intervention • Inadequate management of the rehousing processes and negative impacts on the use of housing spaces • The mutual ignorance between Roma and non-Roma contributes negatively to the local intervention

  8. Mediation PracticesandHousing

  9. Roles ofthe Intercultural Mediator

  10. Keys of success The need of a political consensus for intervention directed to the Roma To recognize the existence of structural problems which cannot be solved only by the project The diversity of areas of intervention of the mediator allows a systemic and a multidimensional approach of the social exclusion To be acquainted with the basic principles of mediation by all the intervenients To be aware of the need to establish relationships based on trust between all actors Existence of inter-institutional cooperation Valuing the cultural diversity as something positive, and building spaces of relationship (institutional, technical and social) between individuals and diversified groups.

  11. PotentialitiesonBeing a Roma Mediator

  12. Difficulties Fewmargin to negotiate: municipalitieshavescarceresourcesto answer housing needs and a very bureaucratic management Attributing a monitoring role to mediators puts them in a difficult position To consider the mediator as a panacea to solve structural problems Nonexistence of an intercultural political point of view

  13. POSITIVIMPACTS

  14. The intercultural mediator assumes an important role as a changing agent, but he/she can not be seen as a substitute for the intercultural dialogue or a panacea to solve the structural problems

  15. Obrigada!(thank you)‏

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