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 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 The housing conditions 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 proper housing conditions, 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

Programme for Municipal Roma Mediators ACIDI – High Commission for Immigration and Intercultural Dialogue (public institute belonging to the Presidency of the Council of Ministers) The Programme it’s addressed to all Portuguese municipalities, in partnership with local civil society organizations, with significant Roma population, interested in building bridges towards a constructive dialogue by hosting mediators in municipalities. The Roma mediators should: - facilitate communication between Roma communities, local authorities and civil society organizations; - promote consensus and mediate conflicts; - promote intercultural dialogue as a strategic methodology of work and intervention; - promote and facilitate Roma communities’ access to local services and organizations. Objectives Organization Target

Housing and mediation Potentialities 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 and shantytowns)

How the municipalities address the housing problems?

Housing precariousness Problems focused on individualsProblems 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

Management of public housing Problems focused on individualsProblems focused at the 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

To support the roma population in the demands and bureaucratic requirements to access housing or other needs concerning household (rehabilitation, housing transference, rent reductions). The mediators facilitate the local responses to housing demands [PROMOTION OF PROXIMITY AND ACCESS] To promote a ‘good use’ of common spaces, to encourage ‘good behaviors’ concerning neighboring and rental payments, to help municipalities to control the increase of shantytowns. These kind of actions are not free from problems. [CONTROL] Attendance on rehousing processes and to support the planning and management of rehousing and social quarters. [COUNSELLING] To mediate conflicts between neighboors (roma and non roma or just between roma families) [REGULATION OF CONFLICTS] Mediation Practices and Housing

Roles of the Intercultural Mediator Diagnosis and Planning Facilitator Social Bond Promoter Agent of Change Empowerment Constructor

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

Potentialities on Being a Roma Mediator Facilitates proximity and trustful relations with roma people Increases knowledge on cultural specifities, decodes and adapts interventions Produces a positive image between the non Roma Facilitates the relations between roma people and local services

Difficulties Few margin to negotiate: municipalities have scarce resources to 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

POSITIV IMPACTS Improvement of the involvment of the Roma families in the management and conservation of buildings, common areas and public spaces Increase the regularization of the rental debts amongst Roma inhabitants in public housing Increase of the Roma families with housing supports regarding requalification Increase of Roma families which initiate housing legalization processes or regularization of their housing situation

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) ‏