The social development bank for Europe

Integration of Roma

Romani people are disproportionally affected by unemployment, poverty, inadequate housing and poor health standards. The Housing and Empowerment for Roma (HERO) project tested an innovative, multi-pillar model designed to improve the housing conditions, financial inclusion and socio-economic opportunities of marginalised Roma communities. HERO was implemented in Bulgaria, Romania and the Slovak Republic between 2021 and 2025. It was supervised by the CEB, which coordinated a broad range of stakeholders, including Roma communities, local authorities and non-governmental organisations.

HERO combined capacity-building initiatives, including support for labour market integration, with a risk-mitigating mechanism encouraging financial intermediaries to provide microloans for housing purposes. Despite a complex operational environment and highly varied national contexts, the project benefitted close to 1 000 individuals and families. It proved that a community-rooted model can empower Roma to make lasting improvements in their housing, financial and employment situations. Its achievements underscore the importance of integrated, long-term, and context-sensitive strategies. The CEB looks forward to applying lessons learned from HERO to new initiatives in favour of vulnerable Roma and fostering their integration ̶ a key challenge in countries where they account for a significant share of the population.

The HERO project was funded by a €2.8 million contribution from the European Parliament, supervised by the European Commission, and a €200 000 contribution from Spain through the Spanish Social Cohesion Account.

For more information on the HERO project, please visit HERO Project: Housing and Empowerment for Roma (hero-project.org).

A programme funded by:

Integration of Roma

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