Category: Video

23.07.202613.08.2026 News

What happens when residents, local authorities, professionals and young people come together to imagine a better future for their neighbourhood?
In Bulgaria, the answer is beginning to take shape.

One year into the “HOME EQUALS – Improving Housing Conditions in Informal Settlements” project, communities in Kyustendil and Berkovitsa are taking steps towards better housing conditions, stronger local partnerships and greater recognition of the voices of people living in informal settlements.

Since joining Habitat for Humanity’s global HOME EQUALS initiative in July 2025, Habitat for Humanity Bulgaria has been working with residents, municipalities, national institutions, universities and other partners to address some of the long-standing challenges facing informal settlements – from insecure housing and limited access to infrastructure to the need for more inclusive local decision-making.

Turning local challenges into concrete action

In the Izток neighbourhood in Kyustendil, dozens of families have taken an important step towards  secure tenure through obtaining a Certificate of Tolerance, which gives their homes a recognized tolerated status.At the same time, preparations are underway for water supply and sewerage infrastructure on several streets that currently lack access to these essential services.

In Rakovitsa, Berkovitsa, a street network regulation plan has been prepared, while residents and the municipality are working together to explore opportunities to improve the neighbourhood’s public spaces. These may seem like practical, local steps – but for families living in informal settlements, they can represent significant progress towards safer, more secure and more dignified living conditions.

From local action to national policy change

The work in Kyustendil and Berkovitsa is also contributing to a broader goal: making housing a stronger and more integrated part of social policy in Bulgaria. One important milestone has already been achieved. The “housing mediator service”, developed by Habitat for Humanity Bulgaria in 2014 and tested through a number of projects, has been included in the Action Plan to the National Strategy for Reducing Poverty and Promoting Social Inclusion 2030.

The plan envisages the phased introduction of 265 housing mediators, financed through state and municipal budgets. Their role will be to help vulnerable households improve their housing conditions, access municipal housing, navigate administrative procedures and better understand and exercise their housing rights and obligations.The next step is for the Council of Ministers to adopt a decision securing the necessary funding and establishing the framework for introducing the service.

For Habitat for Humanity Bulgaria, this represents an important opportunity to turn a model developed and tested through years of practical experience into a sustainable mechanism that can support vulnerable households across the country.

Learning across borders

Sustainable change also means learning from what has worked elsewhere. In April, Habitat for Humanity Bulgaria brought together representatives of the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works, the Directorate for National Construction Control, the National Association of Municipalities in the Republic of Bulgaria, the Slatina District of Sofia Municipality, and the municipal administrations of Kyustendil and Berkovitsa for a study visit to Romania. The delegation explored Romania’s experience in the integrated improvement of informal settlements, including legal frameworks, spatial planning, infrastructure development and approaches to improving housing conditions.

In Bucharest, Bulgarian representatives met with national institutions working on housing and social inclusion at a round table, hosted by the Romanian Ministry of Regional Development and Public Administration. During a subsequent visit to the municipality of Reșița, nearTimișoara, they learned about a state-funded social housing programme and practical approaches to the legalisation of homes and the improvement of living conditions in a local Roma neighbourhood.

The visit reinforced an important lesson: lasting improvements are more likely when national institutions, local governments and communities work together. It also created space to explore which solutions from Romania could be adapted to the Bulgarian context.

Putting residents at the centre

But no neighbourhood can be transformed without the people who call it home. That principle lies at the heart of the “Build the Dream” initiative, implemented by Habitat for Humanity Bulgaria in partnership with the University of Architecture, Civil Engineering and Geodesy (UACEG).

Twenty-two urban planning students and five university professors visited the Rakovitsa and Izток neighbourhoods to understand their challenges and opportunities directly from the people who live there. Through conversations with residents and municipal representatives, the students explored local needs and perspectives before developing concepts and visualisations for the future development of the two neighbourhoods. Their ideas were presented at discussion forums chaired by the mayors of Berkovitsa and Kyustendil, bringing together students, local authorities and residents.

The initiative showed what can happen when professional expertise meets local knowledge. Rather than planning for communities, it created an opportunity to plan with them.

Young voices shaping the future

And the conversation does not stop with adults. Young people living in informal settlements have their own experiences, ideas and hopes for the places they call home. HOME EQUALS created space for those voices to be heard.

Eleven school students from the Izток neighbourhood in Kyustendil took part in a video workshop led by a professional screenwriter and director. Using their smartphones, they documented their neighbourhood, captured the things they value and shared what they would like to see change.

The result was more than a creative exercise. It was an opportunity for young people to tell their own stories – in their own words and from their own perspective – and to become active participants in the conversation about the future of their community. Their stories are now reaching beyond their neighbourhood, showing that meaningful change can begin simply by being heard, having a voice and taking part.

Building change that lasts

HOME EQUALS is a global Habitat for Humanity initiative working to improve the lives of more than 1 billion people living in informal settlements worldwide. In Bulgaria, the “HOME EQUALS – Improving Housing Conditions in Informal Settlements” project is being implemented from July 2025 to June 2027 in the municipalities of Kyustendil and Berkovitsa. Its work combines local action, policy engagement, knowledge exchange and community participation to address the complex challenges faced by informal settlements.

After one year, there are already signs of progress: families moving closer to legal recognition of their homes, municipalities exploring practical solutions, national policy beginning to recognise the role of housing mediators, students bringing new perspectives to neighbourhood planning, and young people finding their voice.

Because change does not begin with a plan on paper. It begins with a conversation.

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18.11.202318.11.2024 News

More than 19.2 million people in Europe, 4.2% of the total population, were experiencing severe housing deprivation in 2020. Unfit housing has a dramatic affect on the health and wellbeing of households, from physical affects such as respiratory infections and asthma, or the danger of the physical collapse of buildings, and mental toll resulting in stress, anxiety, and depression. Renovations to improve the living conditions of households are necessary.

This need is reinforced by the introduction of new laws and policy within the EU, such as the EBPD, which aim to move households away from carbon-heavy energy sources, and reduce consumption through greater insulation and energy conservation measures. However, housing deprivation often affects those living below the poverty line – 14.8% of the European population, 23.1% of whom were below the poverty line, were living in housing with leaks, damp, or mould in 2020.

The question remains: when the poorest and most vulnerable households are occupying the unfit housing stock, how can they afford these expensive, and often unapproachable, renovations?

Thousands of vulnerable families in Bulgarian villages and towns live in homes that are in poor condition and urgent need of repair. The health, and sometimes lives, of children and adults may be at risk due to the unhygienic and dangerous living conditions. Habitat Bulgaria (HFH BG) establishes partnerships with local non-governmental organisations actively working with vulnerable groups and communities at risk of poverty. They provide revolving home improvement funds to local partners, who then disburse small amounts as interest- free loans to families that meet the program criteria.

Case study two: Habitat for Humanity, Bulgaria [PDF]

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16.05.202318.05.2023 News

Habitat for Humanity Bulgaria and our partners around the world today launched a five-year campaign, called Home Equals, seeking policy changes at the local, national and global levels to increase access to adequate housing for people living in informal settlements.

As part of the Home Equals campaign, Habitat Bulgaria is advocating for informal settlement upgrading and providing basic infrastructure and services at the community level. According to NSI data from “Census 2021” – 266 720, or 4.4% of the respondents, identified themselves as Roma, a large part of whom live in illegal housing.

“Residents of informal settlements are playing an incredibly important role as they find housing solutions for themselves,” said Mincho Benov, national director of Habitat Bulgaria. “The right policies can remove barriers, accelerate these efforts, and open the door to a better future for many more people who deserve an opportunity to live in a safe, secure home.”

At the global level, Habitat for Humanity is calling on G7 member states — set to meet this weekend in Hiroshima, Japan — to recognize equitable access to housing as a critical lever for development progress and commit to addressing housing needs in informal settlements as a way to advance international development priorities in areas such as economic growth, health and education.

The economic and human development gains from improving housing at a massive scale in informal settlements would be substantial, according to a report released today in support of the Home Equals campaign. The first-of-its-kind report from Habitat for Humanity and its research partner, the International Institute for Environment and Development, or IIED, modeled the benefits that would be realized – in terms of economic growth, income, health, and education — from those housing improvements.

The report found that GDP and income per capita would increase by as much as 10.5% in some countries and that roughly 730,000 lives could be saved each year globally — more than the number of deaths that would be prevented annually by eradicating malaria. As many as 41.6 million additional children would be enrolled in school, according to the modeling. That’s one out of every six out-of-school children in the world.

“This report adds to the evidence that ensuring people living in informal settlements have access to adequate housing isn’t just the right thing to do — it’s the smart thing to do,” said Jonathan Reckford, president and CEO of Habitat for Humanity International. “Through the Home Equals campaign, we and our partners are committed to taking action so that, when it comes to the places we call home, the more than 1 billion people living in informal settlements are truly treated as equals.”

Learn more: https://www.habitat.org/home-equals
Glossary of Terms: Home Equals

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27.05.202202.11.2022 News

On April 14th, 2022 Habitat Bulgaria hosted the conference „Policies for improvement of the housing conditions of vulnerable groups on municipal and natiоnal level“.

The agenda covered housing related issues on local, national and global level. Habitat Bulgaria raised pressing issues like the fact that Bulgaria still hasn’t adopted a National Housing Strategy, and that there is no unified legislation for the regulation of the public provision of housing. The event took place both in-person at Grand Hotel Astoria, Sofia and online. A total of almost 120 participants joined, amongst them representatives of 4 state institutions, 20 municipal administrations, 24 non-governmental organizations, 3 universities and 8 media.

Opening words gave the deputy-minister at the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works (MRDPW), arch. Stefan Asparuhov, the secretary of the National Council for Cooperation on Ethnics and Integration Issues, Rositsa Ivanova, and Mincho Benov, director of Habitat Bulgaria. Some of the key participants were: arch. Dima Lekova – Acting Director of the Housing Policy Directorate of the MRDPW, Vessela Zvezdanova – Head of the “Strategies and Programs” Department of the MRDPW, eng. Plamen Petrov – expert at the MRDPW, Stefan Radev – Mayor of Sliven Municipality, as well as representatives of a number of municipalities and non-governmental organizations.

Based on the recommendations for improvement of the local housing policies, good practices from other countries with similar profile and strategic directions on European and global level, Habitat Bulgaria presented its recommendations for the national housing policy and regulations. The conference participants agreed upon the idea that, in the first place, it is necessary to adopt a long-term national housing strategy with a horizon up to 2050, with clear vision, priorities and measurable targets set in it, in order to ensure access to quality housing for all. With regard to the Social Services Law, it is important the Bulgarian Government to agree upon establishing of a new service of general economic interest i.e. social housing, for the provision of which the municipalities shall receive compensation from the state.

Watch the full video of the conference herе:

The project „Research Based Arguments for New Housing Policies in Benefit of All” is implemented with financial support of 93,000 Euro, secured by Iceland, Lichtenstein and Norway within the Financial Mechanism of the European Economic Area. The main goal of the project is to contribute to the development of long-term, needs-driven municipal and national housing policies, which will secure safe and adequate housing for Roma.

This publication has been produced with the financial support of the Active Citizens Fund of Bulgaria under the Financial Mechanism of the European Economic Area. The entire responsibility for the content of the document lies with the Habitat for Humanity Bulgaria Foundation and under no circumstances can it be assumed that this document reflects the official opinion of the Financial Mechanism of the European Economic Area and the Active Citizens Fund Bulgaria Operator.

 

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14.03.202202.11.2022 News

Has the housing stock in Bulgaria been managed properly? Who should support it?

A national housing strategy for 2018-2030 was drafted in 2018, but it has not yet been adopted.

Learn more about Habitat Bulgaria’s recommendations for improving the local housing policies and practices in the video below.

Habitat Bulgaria is implementing the project „Research Based Arguments for New Housing Policies in Benefit of All” in the period from October, 2019 to April, 2022. The project has been funded within the first call for strategic projects of Active Citizen Fund Bulgaria with the Financial Mechanism of the European Economic Area.

 

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