Housing and Roma Mediation
The role of intercultural mediation in
promoting better living conditions for Roma
The case of Portuguese Roma Municipal Mediators
Murska-Sobota
20th September
Alexandra Castro
Contextualizing Portuguese Roma Population
• The majority of Roma living in Portugal is
Portuguese
• Despite the lack of official data about the
Portuguese Roma population, its number is
estimated to be in a range of about 40,000 and
100,000
• The housing conditions are heterogeneous:
• 25% of Roma live in shantytowns or in tents
without an authorization of permanence, mostly
in Rural aged areas and industrial urban
territories
Legenda
Nº ciganos por concelho (valor absoluto)
0
1 - 60
61 - 100
101 - 200
201 - 400
401 - 900
901 - 2050
• 75% of Roma lives in proper housing
conditions, mostly in rural areas with
demographic concentration and in urban
consolidated areas. In these territories there has
been a great public investment in social housing
Programme for Municipal Roma Mediators
Organization
Target
ACIDI – High Commission for Immigration and Intercultural Dialogue
(public institute belonging to the Presidency of the Council of Ministers)
The Programme it’s addressed to all Portuguese municipalities, in
partnership with local civil society organizations, with significant
Roma population, interested in building bridges towards a
constructive dialogue by hosting mediators in municipalities.
The Roma mediators should:
- facilitate communication between Roma communities, local authorities
and civil society organizations;
- promote consensus and mediate conflicts;
Objectives
- promote intercultural dialogue as a strategic methodology of work and
intervention;
- promote and facilitate Roma communities’ access to local services and
organizations.
Housing and mediation
Potentialities regarding citizenship and participation
The concentration of a great
diversity of individuals from
distinct cultures and social
backgrounds make cities
innovative places, but also
spaces of tension and cultural
conflicts.
The ability to manage this
tensions is one of the main
challenge of modern societies
and local governments.
Housing is one of the most relevant fieldwork of the
Municipal Mediators, alongside with Social
Intervention and Education.
Last year, 21% out of the total mediators activities
were developed in housing contexts; the great
majority of municipalities intervened in this specific
and heterogeneous field.
(public housing, private housing and shantytowns)
How the municipalities address the
housing problems?
Housing precariousness
Problems focused on individuals
• Intergenerational reproduction of
poverty and growing needs in
terms of housing support
• Some families do not accept the
solutions proposed for rehousing
Problems focused at the local context
• Difficulty in finding housing
solutions adapted to the profile of
the householders
• Lack of supply of social housing to
meet the needs
• Difficulty of access to open market
housing - the weight of stereotypes
• Pressure from local residents to a
possible relocation in the vicinity of
their residence
Management of public housing
Problems focused on individuals
Problems focused at the local context
• Lack of diagnosis regarding the
• Difficulty in accepting rules,
aggressive behaviors, vandalism
in public spaces, conflicts
• Sense of self-protection and
impunity due to the strong
cohesion of Roma families
• High visibility of the
neighborhoods in public spaces,
contributing to a negative image
of it
identification of the most adequate
intervention
• Inadequate management of the
rehousing processes and negative
impacts on the use of housing spaces
• The mutual ignorance between Roma
and non-Roma contributes negatively
to the local intervention
Mediation Practices and Housing
To support the roma
population in the
demands and
bureaucratic
requirements to access
housing or other needs
concerning household
(rehabilitation, housing
transference, rent
reductions). The
mediators facilitate the
local responses to
housing demands
To promote a ‘good
use’ of common
spaces, to encourage
‘good behaviors’
concerning
neighboring and
rental payments, to
help municipalities to
control the increase
of shantytowns .
These kind of actions
are not free from
problems.
[PROMOTION OF
PROXIMITY AND
ACCESS]
[CONTROL]
Attendance on
rehousing processes
and to support the
planning and
management of
rehousing and social
quarters.
[COUNSELLING]
To mediate conflicts
between neighboors
(roma and non roma
or just between roma
families)
[REGULATION OF
CONFLICTS]
Roles of the Intercultural Mediator
Empowerment
Constructor
Agent of
Change
Social Bond
Promoter
Diagnosis
and Planning
Facilitator
Keys of success
The need of a political consensus for intervention directed to
the Roma
To recognize the existence of structural problems which
cannot be solved only by the project
The diversity of areas of intervention of the mediator allows
a systemic and a multidimensional approach of the social
exclusion
To be acquainted with the basic principles of mediation by
all the intervenients
To be aware of the need to establish relationships based on
trust between all actors
Existence of inter-institutional cooperation
Valuing the cultural diversity as something positive, and
building spaces of relationship (institutional, technical and
social) between individuals and diversified groups.
Potentialities on Being a Roma Mediator
Facilitates
proximity and
trustful relations
with roma people
Produces a
positive image
between the non
Roma
Increases knowledge
on cultural
specifities, decodes
and adapts
interventions
Facilitates the
relations between
roma people and
local services
Difficulties
Few margin to negotiate: municipalities have
scarce resources to answer housing needs and a
very bureaucratic management
Attributing a monitoring role to mediators puts
them in a difficult position
To consider the mediator as a panacea to solve
structural problems
Nonexistence of an intercultural political point
of view
POSITIV
IMPACTS
Improvement of
the involvment
of the Roma
families in the
management
and conservation
of buildings,
common areas
and public
spaces
Increase the
regularization
of the rental
debts amongst
Roma
inhabitants in
public housing
Increase of the
Roma families
with housing
supports
regarding
requalification
Increase of
Roma families
which initiate
housing
legalization
processes or
regularization
of their
housing
situation
The intercultural mediator assumes an important
role as a changing agent, but he/she can not be
seen as a substitute for the intercultural dialogue
or a panacea to solve the structural problems
Obrigada!
(thank you)
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