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Are there positive initiatives with an impact on housing of migrant and minority groups?

Code:
RED74
Key Area:
Housing & Segregation
Strand(s):
Equality
25/01/2013 - 10:12
Short Answer

Yes. There are several positive initiatives with an impact on housing of migrant and minority groups.

Qualitative Info

One of the most important housing-related measures is the nationwide programme Soziale Stadt (Social City). Within the programme, projects are supported in about 603 neighbourhoods in almost 375 municipalities all over Germany (2010) [4]. The thematic fields of action ‘Local Economy’,‘Education in the Neighbourhood’ and ‘Integration of Migrants’ have turned out to be of core importance for the programme. Yet, financial cuts threaten the further progress and improvement and thus the sustainability of the programme.

Furthermore, there are a series of housing and neighbourhood-related integration strategies on the local and regional level.
The Department for Economic and Urban Development in Nuremberg established so called “Guidelines of the City of Nuremberg and the Nuremberg Housing Companies for Rentals and Sales of Housing Space” (Leitlinien der Stadt Nürnberg und der Nürnberger Wohnungswirtschaft bei Vermietung und Verkauf von Wohnraum) to fight discrimination in the housing market. The guidelines should support the city, real estate companies, estate agents and landlords to consider migrants who want to rent or buy a flat without prejudice and free of discrimination [2].
Since 1982, the non-profit association “Planerladen” (Association for the Promotion of Democratic Town Planning and Area-Based Community Work) have been working with the focus on the improvement of living and housing conditions of all inhabitants in the city Dortmund. Therefore, the Planerladen established area-based initiatives and projects [1].
Another project, called Lively Neighbourhood (Lebendige Nachbarschaft), was initiated by the local NGO association Citizens’ House Trier Nord (Bürgerhaus Trier-Nord). The project aims to promote positive neighbourhood structures and relationships between residents with and without a migration background. A crucial point of the initiative is the importance of the residents´ commitment to and for the neighbourhood. Through low-threshold activities, it is aimed to develop sustainable relationships between the residents and to decrease prejudices against persons with migration background. The project is funded by the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) [3].

Another project aimed at improving the housing situation of Roma is the “Apartment complex on the corner of Harzer/Treptower Street” (Wohnkomplex Harzer- Ecke Treptower Straße) in Berlin-Neukölln which started in 2012. It offers Roma an opportunity to obtain adequate housing together with other services like child care or German language courses in order to facilitate their future integration into German society [6].


 

Source:

  1. Planerladen e.V., Siegel "Herkunftsunabhängige Gleichbehandlung bei Vermietung" von Wohnraum, http://www.integrationsprojekt.net/siegel_gleichbehandlung.html, Accessed on 04.01.2012.
  2. Stadt Nuremberg, Stadt Nürnberg setzt Akzente in Sachen Menschenrechte: Leitlinien für das Wohnungswesen vorgelegt, Press release 994, 02.10.2009, http://www.nuernberg.de/presse/mitteilungen/presse_24854.html, Accessed on 04.01.2012.
  3. Bürgerhaus Trier‐Nord, Lively Neighbourhood, http://www.buergerhaus-trier-nord.de/sozial-kulturarbeit/lebendige-nachbarschaft/, Accessed on 04.01.2012.
  4. Deutsches Institut für Urbanistik/Bundestransferstelle Soziale Stadt (2006), Dritter Fachpolitischer Dialog zur Sozialen Stadt: Praxiserfahrungen und Perspektiven - Auswertungsbericht, http://edoc.difu.de/edoc.php?id=VTPRJ1LU, Accessed on 30.01.2012.
  5. Franke, Thomas (2011), Auswirkungen der Mittelkürzungen im Programm Soziale Stadt, http://library.fes.de/pdf-files/wiso/08707.pdf, Accessed on 30.01.2012.
  6. Wohnkomplex Harzer- Ecke Treptower Straße: http://opus.kobv.de/zlb/volltexte/2012/12895/pdf/domus_2012_011.pdf, Accessed on 23.01.2013.
Initiatives nationwide programme Soziale Stadt (Social City), several strategies and initiatives on the local and regional level
Groups affected/interested Migrants, Roma & Travelers, Ethnic minorities, Religious minorities, Linguistic minorities, National minorities
Type (R/D)
Key socio-economic / Institutional Areas Housing, Anti-discrimination, Integration - social cohesion
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