Development of housing policies

Since its establishment in 2001, Habitat for Humanity Bulgaria defends the right to access to a home as a basic human right and works towards raising public awareness with regard to eliminating housing poverty. Since 2012 the organization has put systematic efforts in to improve the housing conditions within the country by working actively with the responsible institutions for strategic planning, legal regulations and implementation of the housing policy.

The organization also takes part in a number of working groups, public councils and committees as follows:

• 2012 – 2015: Member of the Thematic Working Group for the Development of Operative Program for Regional Development for the programming period (2014 – 2020);
• 2012 – 2014: Member of the Thematic Working Group for Development of Operative Program for Human Resources Development (2014 – 2020);
• 2012 – 2013: Member of the Working Group for the preparation of a Cross-Border Cooperation Program between the Republic of Bulgaria and the Republic of Macedonia for the programming period (2014 – 2020);
• 2012 – 2013: Member of the Working Group for the preparation of a Cross-Border Cooperation Program between the Republic of Bulgaria and the Republic of Serbia for the programming period (2014 – 2020);
• 2015 – 2016: Member of the Public Council of the Parliamentary Commission for interaction with NGOs and complaints of citizens;
• 2015: Member of the Expert Consultative Council of the Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers, in regard to the National EE Program for multifamily residential buildings;
• 2014 – until now: Member of the National Council for Cooperation on Ethnic and Integration Issues at the Council of Ministers;
• 2016 – until now: Member of the Monitoring Committee of the Operative Program “Good Governance” and the Permanent Subcommittee “Enhancing Citizen Participation in Policy Making and Control”;
• 2017 – 2018: Member of the working group on the development of a National Housing Strategy for the MRDPW.

Habitat for Humanity Bulgaria has initiated the formation of a National Coalition for improvement of the housing conditions in Bulgaria “Decent Home”. It has been established as a non – formal union of equal organizations, driven by the common will, positions and ideas to provide better housing conditions in the country.

During the last 5 years, Habitat Bulgaria with the support of the National Coalition “Decent Home” has developed and submitted more than 200 proposals for amendments in legal, strategic and program documents related to the improvement of the housing conditions in Bulgaria, including:

• The Condominium Ownership Management Act;
• The National Program for Energy Efficiency of Multifamily Residential Buildings;
• The National Action Plan of the National Strategy for the Integration of the Roma;
• The Spatial Planning Act and its regulations;
• The updated National Energy Efficiency Action Plan 2014-2020 and in particular Annex 2 “National long-term program for the mobilization of investments in the implementation of measures to improve the energy performance of buildings”;
• The National Housing Strategy.