Social inclusion policies and programs in the field of housing in the Republic of Serbia

Abstract

Homelessness and inadequate housing were out of public policies focus in Europe for a long time. Different theoretical approaches in defining both of these terms, as well as their different manifestations, have resulted in limited activity of the European Union and European countries in formulating housing support policies and programs for vulnerable populations. The subject of this paper are housing support programs in the Republic of Serbia, with the aim of social inclusion of poor population. The objectives of the paper are to describe, analyze and compare available housing support programs in Europe and Serbia, while the method of research is content analysis of relevant political, strategic and legal documents in this field. Based on the analysis, it is concluded that there is a narrow understanding of the concept of homelessness and housing deprivation in public policies in our country, that no specific national strategy is represented and that the programs are dominantly focused on emergency and temporary accommodation services.