Bosilegrad, 24 March 2023

With the EU support a social protection facility will be established in Bosilegrad

With the support of the European Union, the works on the establishment of a social protection facility in the municipality of Bosilegrad has started in order to provide temporary accommodation for socially vulnerable persons facing homelessness, lack of job and adequate health care. The facility will be established by adapting the building of the former Veterinary Station with EU grants of 179,000 Euros. The funds have been extended through the EU PRO Plus programme, which is implemented in cooperation with the Ministry of European Integration, while the Government of Serbia also provided support for the implementation of the project.

The adaptation of the existing building implies the reconstruction of the ground floor and the construction of an additional floor, as well as mechanical installations and the procurement of the necessary equipment. With the partner organisation, the Centre for Social Work, the Rulebook on Temporary Accommodation for the Socially Vulnerable will be developed, which will be used for the selection of the beneficiaries.

"This facility will have nine accommodation units with a restaurant and a kitchen, so it can accommodate almost 30 vulnerable persons. Unfortunately, the need for this type of social protection is even greater in our municipality, but in this way, with the support of the Government of Serbia and the European Union, we will be ready to take care of the most urgent cases", said the Mayor of Bosilegrad, Vladimir Zaharijev.

Within the project, there will be developed the Plan of active measures of social inclusion in line with the possibilities of socially vulnerable persons, their age, gender, state of health, level of knowledge, skills and other relevant criteria, all in order to improve their social and economic position.

The deadline for the completion of the works conducted by the company DHC Inženjering from Belgrade, selected in the public procurement procedure conducted by the municipality of Bosilegrad, is 180 days.

The project in Bosilegrad is among the local infrastructure projects in the regions of Šumadija and Western Serbia and Southern and Eastern Serbia that the EU supports through the EU PRO Plus programme with close to six million Euros in order to improve the quality of life of people through the renovation and reconstruction of educational, health and social care institutions, sports and cultural facilities, and improvement of communal infrastructure and public administration buildings.