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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