Homelessness in the Czech Republic
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to discuss the current state of provision for homeless people in Prague.
Design/methodology/approach
This is primarily a narrative account, though supported by and referenced with contemporary Czech social policy scholarship. It first traces the roots of the current situation through the history of the Czech legal framework for citizenship; the effects of communist-era ideology, when homelessness was simply hidden; and the post-communist (new-era) economic and political climate. The range of existing services is then described and analysed with respect to the difficulties in the demands posed for people in this situation.
Findings
The paper outlines the current approach with outreach (“terrain”), engagement (“threshold”) and “accommodation” (support and rehab) services; and the challenges in transition from one to the next. Many systemic barriers remain for the re-integration of homeless people, stemming from attitudes within the community and amongst professionals, as much as a sheer lack of resources, or the psychological and emotional difficulties of the homeless themselves.
Originality/value
There are few papers published internationally on homelessness in the new EU states. The similarity in the structure of services to what are sometimes called “staircase models” may therefore be instructive.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank to Petr Mašát (in the Czech Republic) and John Connolly (in the UK) for their help with the translation of this paper.
Citation
Strnad, A. and Marek, J. (2014), "Homelessness in the Czech Republic", Housing, Care and Support, Vol. 17 No. 3, pp. 121-130. https://doi.org/10.1108/HCS-06-2014-0013
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2014, Emerald Group Publishing Limited