KLIKAKTIV’S STATEMENT ON WORLD HOMELESS DAY 10.10.2023.

Klikaktiv, together with several other civil society organizations, marks this international day hoping that the position of the homeless in Serbia will become better in the foreseeable future. As the experience so far has shown, we are aware that this has never been a topic of interest for the political parties - after all many homeless persons cannot vote as they often do not possess an ID card, so why would someone interested in power only pay attention to their rights and amelioration of their position? Simply, it has never been, bluntly speaking, a “hot” topic for gaining political advantage and votes.

But we also realize that the government of Serbia and its relevant institutions with resources they have at their disposal, are able to end homelessness in the country with decimal expenses in the country’s budget. There are unoccupied residential estates not being used, both those owned by the state and those owned by municipalities. These spaces could be used for “housing first” programs, as a home is one of preconditions for reintegration of homeless persons into society. We call upon authorities of the municipality of Belgrade to address the issue of homelessness and work towards more affordable social housing, as well as to open more daily and night drop in centers for the homeless which would be operational throughout the year, not only during colder months.

When it comes to our work with people on the move and refugees, it is generally overlooked that refugees comprise a significant portion of the homeless population in the world, both those in “primary” homelessness (refugees in informal settlements or on the road - people who are constantly without a roof over their head), as well as those in “secondary” homelessness (those currently accommodated in refugee camps).

According to UNHCR’s data there were 35.3 million refugees in the world, and 108.4 million of forcibly displaced persons, who can often be homeless too. In the same period, 100 000 refugees passed through Serbia. All of them struggle through homelessness daily, with fleeting hope for a better future.

With these shockingly high numbers, we call upon the government of Serbia to scale up accommodation capacities for refugees (in terms of their capacity and resources), to shorten the waiting time for asylum procedure response which would allow refugees to recover, integrate into society and build a normal lives for themselves, after prolonged time of displacement and homelessness.

Being homeless is not a personal choice. Homelessness is a systemic problem and it concerns all of us!

We will see you tonight on the streets of Belgrade for an event through which we will mark World Homeless Day. More details in the photo below and in the FB event (in Serbian).