Locality Přednádraží
The area in front of the Railway Station (Přednádraží) – General Overview (situation to 5th of November 2012)
History of the locality:
The area of the suburb Rear Přívoz, specifically the Přednádraží St., has been one of the seventeen localities threatened by social exclusion in the City of Ostrava, according to the study by R. Kvasnička prepared in 2010, titled ”The description of Roma localities threatened by social exclusion in the Ostrava region”. The party ordering the study was the Agency for the social inclusion.
According to the study, there were apartments allocated to Roma families, not in the transparent way, by the then owner of the houses (Czech Railways, hereinafter referred to as CD only) during the 1980s and also at the beginning of the 1990s. Some Roma family members were employees of CD, but others were not. The apartments in the Přednádraží St. were attractive to Roma people mainly because of low rents and they were also easy to rent. The Roma concentration in the Přednádraží St. might be, according to the study, called “voluntary” and there was no involvement of the City or the country government.
Thanks to the later reduction in investments put into repairs and maintenance by the owners (CD and later Toba Trade Ltd.), the objects in that locality started progressively decaying. Because of that, the study says, the occupants had to resolve long-term specific emergency situations as, for example, blocked sewerage, cracked duct pipes, etc. In 2010, all houses in the Přednádraží St., with the exception of one which was owned by the Municipality of Moravian Ostrava and Přívoz, were purchased from Toba Trade Ltd. by a private owner - the Přednádraží Houses Co. Ltd., who owns them also now.
The assistance provided to the locality residents:
Considering the problematic situation of the occupiers, not only in the area of housing, but also in the area of unemployment (which has reached about 80% in the locality, according to experts’ estimate), the low qualifications, education, children care, and others, there were social works performed for a long time.
The Municipality of Moravian Ostrava and Přívoz (hereinafter referred to as ÚMOb MOaP only) is the main subject obliged to perform complex social works with adults and also within the social and legal protection of children in the locality, according to the binding City of Ostrava Bylaw No. 11/2000 – The City of Ostrava Status and also other legal regulations. The Department of social affairs of the Municipality (hereinafter referred to as OSV only) is specifically involved.
Other subjects active in the locality, trying to assist residents when resolving their problematic social situation, are the providers of social services from among non government non profit organisations (Together-Jekhetane, o.s., Salvation Army, and Living Together, o.s.). Their activities are subsidised, among others, from the budget of the Statutory City of Ostrava. Together-Jekhetane, o.s. has been providing social services – street programmes, in the locality already for almost 10 years.
These subjects have provided in the locality for a long tome debt consulting services, turned attention of the residents to their critical housing situation, offered other accommodation capacities or negotiated with the Job Centre in order to ensure material rent assistance and assistance allowances assigned to people in needs.
Some specific activities in the social area:
The Municipality of Moravian Ostrava and Přívoz have been implementing in the city area, as a part of the complex social care after residents, the so-called Housing with an accompanying social programme, within the project “Prevention of homelessness”, since 2003 in cooperation with Salvation Army. It is about letting flats by the Municipality to that organisation, which sub rents these flats to people from the targeted group. The organisation also implements the accompanying social programme. After the accompanying social programme is successfully finalised, the Municipality concludes proper rental contracts related to the flats with the families and provides to Salvation Army other flats for the same purpose. When selecting clients for these so-called training flats, a Roma assistant cooperates with Salvation Army. Then he also cooperates within the implementation of the accompanying social programme.
In 2010, there has been the project “Support of street works in risky areas of the Municipality Moravian Ostrava and Přívoz” implemented, with the financial support by the City of Ostrava and with the cooperation with the non government non profit organisation Together-Jekhetane – within which the street works became more intensive, especially with 10 families living in the area of the Rear Přívoz, thereof 6 families from the Přednádraží St. - the solutions of debts of those families, their housing, financial issues, problems with young children, or the provision of assistance from the Food Bank.
In July 2012, the social works by all involved parties have become even more intensive because of the situation, in which the threat of disconnection of the locality from the duct became pressing.
Dušan Červeňák, the Roma assistant, is active in the locality every day as well as the social worker from the Department of social-legal protection of children (hereinafter referred to as OSPOD only) - Miroslav Pyš. Also, Yveta Holubová, the Head of OSPOD, and Jana Holásková, the Head of the Department of social work (hereinafter referred to as OSP only), and another social worker from that Department, and a street worker of the non government non profit organisation Together-Jekhetane, o.s. visit the locality several times a week.
The complex social works, performed in coordination, are based mainly on the following activities:
- Assistance in housing in cooperation with the providers of social services – Salvation Army and the Centre of social services (dormitories, asylum houses, half-way houses, and flats by private owners)
- Agreements concluded with dormitory and flat owners on terms and conditions on the housing (without deposits, reduced rents, etc.)
- Social consulting (negotiating social allowances, coverage of housing costs, applications for flats by MOb assigned on the basis of tenders, inoculation of children moved to dormitories, etc.)
- Cooperation with the Centre of social services in the implementations of projects like “Are you looking for work?” and “Employment of young adults”, i.e. offers of retraining or gaining a qualification with the consequent employment within the beforehand agreed companies.
Summary chronological review of the situation:
The duct in the locality was disconnected on the 27th of July 2012, consequently, on the 3rd of August 2012, the Construction Authority declared the houses in the locality not fit for living and asked the occupiers for leaving the houses. In this situation, the activities of the social workers from ÚMOb MOaP and the street workers of the non government non profit organisation Together-Jekhetane, o.s. were focussed on the actual organisation of free capacities in dormitories, on negotiations with private flat owners, with the social work providers and also with the managers of the Municipality MOaP. For the residents, they tried to organise places, where they could go in that situation, as quickly as possible. Some families, aware of the existing situation, started resolving their housing needs by themselves and moved to their relatives, or to dormitories or to private owners contacted by them.
At that time, Kumar Vishwanathan with his organisation Mutual living, o.s. started his activities in the locality in coordination of the houses’ owner Mr. Roztočil. They told to the rest of occupiers that, despite the decision by the Construction Authority, there was no need to leave the locality because the houses would be repaired. This process, unfortunately, spoiled the work by all subjects trying to help the people in leaving the locality as quickly as possible. The occupiers, frustrated by the fact that they had to leave their homes, started to believe in these empty hopes, which proved empty in time, and refused the offered places of alternative housing.
At that time, at the end of July 2012, there were 76 adults and 101 children living in Přednádraží.
The number of people for whom OSV has organised accommodation so far:
55 adults 97 children
thereof:
39 adults and 68 children in the dormitory in Cihelní St. 81 and Cihelní St. 81i
7 adults and 12 children in the Half-way House
3 adults and 4 children in flats by Salvation Army
4 adults and 11 children in flats by private owners
2 adults and 2 children in a flat by MOb
Conclusions:
As on today, on the 5th of November 2012, the most families with children are aware of the need to resolve their situation and they accept either the offer of a dormitory or they are in the process of negotiation housing in flats by private owners. It is important that even parents, who still stay in Přednádraží, mostly moved their children to their relatives, or moved to No. 8, where there is no actual risk of acute collapse.
Out of the original 76 adults and 101 children in July 2012, there are still in Přednádraží St. 21 adults and 4 children staying. Thereof, one family has moved their children away from Přednádraží and 2 families (6 adults and 3 children) are waiting for social allowances which should help them in their moving out.
All people, who have left Přednádraží, still get the social work provisions as those who still stay in Přednádraží. They are visited by social workers from ÚMOb MOaP within their street duties. The same applies for the street worker from Together-Jekhetane, o.s. with the objective to further assist in resolving their housing needs. Some families try for moving from dormitories to half-way houses.
Number of people in Přednádraží – the development
Date Adults Children
July 2012 76 101
August 2012 49 52
6 September 2012 43 44
18 September 2012 40 41
24 September 2012 36 35
3 October 2012 32 19
31 October 2012 21 4
On behalf of the Department of social affairs, education, sports and leisure activities
Mgr. Jaroslava Rovňáková
in her own hand
Head of the Department
Annex No. 1
Opinion by the Statutory City of Ostrava on the situation in Přednádraží on the 6th of August 2012
Prepared by Mgr. Michal Bayer, Lord Mayor Office, Head of the Department of presentation and public relations
Dear colleagues,
The growing interests of media in issues related to Přednádraží have resulted in disappearance of the real causes leading to the current situation. The growing media interest in the locality resulted also in the growing interests by varied non profit organisations and also the number of good advice, which we get from various places, is growing. However, these institutions wish to help to the Statutory City of Ostrava, which has “supposedly” shown its negative attitude, or to state authorities at the city level without knowing the real state of the affairs. They base their opinions on media reports and on not named verbal sources. This is why we have decided to present a detailed factual and chronological review of the development in that area.
When we differentiate activities by self governments – in our situation the state governance by the Statutory City of Ostrava and the self government, we must turn the attention, just at the beginning, to the fact that most activities and decisions related to this issue are executed by the state, by the state administration bodies respectively without a legal chance by the self government to enter the decision-making processes of individual authorities.
Drinking water deliveries
The switch starting the current events was the drinking water disconnection by Ostrava Ducts and Sewerage Co. (hereinafter referred to as OVAK Ltd. only). The property owner – Houses in Přednádraží Ltd. – has got a valid contract on water deliveries concluded with OVAK Ltd. The disconnecting took place, according to the communication by OVAK Ltd., because of non performance of duties included in the contractual relation between Houses in Přednádraží Ltd. and OVAK Ltd. ¨
OVAK Ltd. is forced to disconnect about one hundred delivery places in the city area annually. This is simply a standard process when a client cannot or does not wish to pay.
Water was disconnected by OVAK Ltd. because of non payments of water fees by the property owner. In the interest of equal opportunity, the process is the same for all non payers. This process does not restrict human rights of any part of the nation - the Roma people, as is often claimed.
The constructional-technical situation of the houses
The Construction Authority of the Ostrava City Council (hereinafter referred to as the Construction Authority only) repeatedly informed the Houses in Přednádraží Ltd., which owns the subject houses, in 2011 about the bad technical state of the objects and, in that connection, about the owner’s obligation to organise repairs of the houses and of the infrastructure functionality if they should be further rented for housing purposes.
The company, instead of continuous organisation of houses’ maintenance and repair, did not react to calls by the Construction Authority related to the very bad state of some of the objects. The Construction Authority thus had to ensure safety of the houses, when people got in an immediate risk of injury, in the form of an alternative performance on behalf of the construction owner.
That related to the removal of a part of the roof structure, including the brick ledges of the house No. 864/4, when there was the threat of a collapse of the shell onto the adjacent public road and space. The alternative action on behalf of the owner was organised by the Department of investments of the Ostrava City Council. Later, in August this year, the Construction Authority in cooperation with HZS MSK had to organise the removal of gutters long about 5 metres, above the house entrance because there was the threat of their collapse.
The Regional Centre of Hygiene of the Moravian-Silesian region asked the Construction Authority for coordination, on the 13th of May 2011, because there was the threat of an epidemic outbreak. Within the coordination, there was a constructional inspection organised in the locality. The inspection of the constructional–technical state of the above-mentioned objects indicated, among others, that the waste sewerage was completely out of order and that resulted in flooding of cellars and waste infiltration into housing flats. Apart from that, the officers noticed neglected parents’ care (the unsatisfactory dresses and shoes and the presence of children who were supposed to be at school). They informed the Department of social affairs of the Municipality of Moravian Ostrava and Přívoz about the situation.
The Regional Centre of hygiene of the Moravian-Silesian region organised a meeting on the 17th of May 2012 because of the unsatisfactory epidemiological situation in the Přednádraží locality and the notice to OVaK Ltd. indicating the possible disconnection of drinking water deliveries. The meeting, which was not attended by the owner of the property, resulted in discussions about the situation and suggestions related to the way how to prevent an outbreak. OVAK Ltd. announced that the owner of the houses was repeatedly called upon to pay the outstanding fees and that the prepared process of disconnecting the water deliveries was the last legal possibility.
The Construction Authority of the Ostrava City Council continued in its situation observance which progressively found and described the constructional-technical state of the individual houses. The Construction Authority of ÚMOb MOaP (hereinafter referred to as the Municipal Construction Authority) was informed about the conclusions. This Authority has assessed, on the 3rd of August 2012, the houses as unfit for housing because they threatened safety and health of the houses’ occupiers. The repairs of the houses could not be performed when occupied. The Authority ordered by its decision the property owner and all people staying in the houses to dismantle them.
The following defects were the main reasons for the decision by the Construction Authority:
• Disturbed building shell •
Very much damaged balcony plates showing corroded bearing frames, which threatened to collapse
• The inner power distribution installations were impossible to operate safely
• Chimneys did not fulfil safety regulations related to safe removal of combustion products and threatened people inside
• Disturbed inner house sewerage system (pulled out pipes). The situation resulted in the infiltration of waste waters in the building inner spaces
• Missing window glass and door panels – some of them threatened to fall out
• Some of the houses were disconnected from power lines
• Wall plasters in the corridors were damaged by the wetness and mould. The same defects were found inside the flats
• Roof covers were locally damaged and water leaked inside. Some of the houses had unsatisfactory gutters
• Parts of the buildings were full of household wastes of all possible kind
• Parts of the spaces were flooded by waste waters because of the non functional sewerage system.
The decision to evacuate the buildings, issued by the Department of constructional order and offences, which includes in detail assessments of specific buildings, has been in full at the disposal on the Official Board of the Municipality of Moravian Ostrava and Přívoz. It was also on the web pages of the Municipality at the address: http://www.moap.cz/cs/radnice/uredni-deska in the period from the 3rd of August to the 19th of August 2012.
At the moment, the occupiers stay in the houses at their own risk and the owner of the buildings is also responsible for their safety.
Sewerage
Sewerage is managed within activities by the state administration of water management. The Department of the environment, as the legal water authority, has been interested in the locality for longer than a year. No entity claims the ownership of the sewerage system or its part and the underground works has not been drawn in any maps. The first steps by the water authority were the investigations about the route placement of the sewerage system and finding about the ownership. The water authority was successful in finding the exact route of the sewerage system only on the 3rd of May 2012, when they obtained sewerage drawings prepared by Czech Railways Ltd. in 2006. In the case of the ownership, the authority has found that the management rights belonged to Management of railway routes, the state owned company, which transferred the buildings, including the sewerage, by a purchase contract to TOBA TRADE Ltd. Then, TOBA TRADE Ltd. has transferred the buildings and land lots by a purchase contract of the 24th of June 2010 to Houses Přednádraží Ltd. (the Statutory Representative is Oldřich Roztočil). On the basis of a witness declaration of the 5th of June 2012, the representative of TOBA TRADE Ltd. said that the sewerage has been transferred together with the buildings to Houses Přednádraží Ltd. The map of ownerships makes an attachment to these documents.
Ostrava Ducts and Sewerage Ltd. have informed us in writing in May 2012 that the investigations of operations of the sewerage network by Ostrava Ducts and Sewerage Ltd. have shown that the inner distribution in the buildings, owned by Houses Přednádraží Ltd. are in critical conditions. Waste waters from the buildings get probably out of the inner sewerage system and infiltrate the basement layers. Measurements made by OVAK did not prove that the contamination had been the result of outside sewerage infiltration. The investigations by the Construction Authority have shown that there were pipes missing in that place (they were pulled out). They were the pipes taking waste into the outside sewerage network. Wastes thus flow to inner parts of the buildings – cellars, etc.
Ostrava Ducts and Sewerage Ltd. informed that the client Houses Přednádraží Ltd. had a contract concluded on the water deliveries, but had not any valid written contract on the waste waters taking. This kind of a contract was concluded with TOBA TRADE Ltd., but not with Houses Přednádraží Ltd.
There were five administration proceedings conducted in relation to this matter within the water management:
1. The administration proceeding with Ostrava Repair and Engineering Shops Ltd. related to corrective measures in regard to the not functional sewerage system in the land owned by the company. It started in November 2011. The Company accepted responsibility for this part of the sewerage system but, consequently, rejected the ownership. This part of the sewerage system is in land lots owned by the Company. As the Company has filed a determination suit with the District Court in Ostrava, the administration proceeding has been paused. The proceeding will continue as soon as the District Court in Ostrava makes the valid decision and determines the owner of this part of the sewerage system.
2. The administration proceeding with the Statutory City of Ostrava – the Municipality of Moravian Ostrava and Přívoz, which managed the block of flats No. 931 in the locality, was started on the 2nd of November 2011 and finalised by a verdict on the 24th of January 2012. This verdict has become valid on the 10th of February 2012. The verdict has ordered corrective measures to the Municipality of Moravian Ostrava and Přívoz meaning the organisation of waste waters liquidation in accordance with the Water Act and the Duct and Sewerage Act within 30 days from the date of the verdict validity. Then, the Municipality of Moravian Ostrava and Přívoz announced, in March 2012, that it has terminated tenant contracts with the tenants by an agreement and organised alternative housing for them and moved them out of the property. The Municipal Council has also decided on the demolition of this block of flats.
3. The administration proceeding with Houses Přednádraží Ltd., as the owner of the buildings Nos. 744 – 749, 863, 864, 880, and 860 in the locality, related to corrective measures was started on the 2nd of November 2011 and finalised by a verdict of the 30th of July 2012. The verdict has asked the owner of the cited buildings for the waste waters liquidation in accordance with the Water Act and the Duct and Sewerage Act within 30 days from the date of the verdict validity (the same verdict as in the case of the Statutory City of Ostrava – the Municipality of Moravian Ostrava and Přívoz). The verdict has been at the stage of delivery.
4. The administration proceeding with the Statutory city of Ostrava, as the owner of a part of the sewerage system in the locality, related to corrective measures removing the defect situation, which is running at the moment. The relevant authority has been currently informed that the Statutory City of Ostrava is going to file a determination action, related to this part of the sewerage system, with courts.
5. The administration proceeding with Houses Přednádraží Ltd. in relation to corrective measures in regard to the removal of the defect situation affecting a part of the sewerage system in the locality is now running. The proceeding participant did not attend the verbal negotiations taking place on the 19th of July 2012 without any apology. However, he filed an objection on the 31st of July 2012 declaring that he was not the owner of the relevant sewerage part. There was a date of the 31st of August 2012 determined, on the 3rd of August 2012, by which he should present a proof that he has filed a determination action with a court related to this matter. At the same time, the administration proceeding was paused until that date.
Street social works
The performance of social works with adults, also within the legal social protection of children framework, is, according to the valid Status of the City of Ostrava and legal regulations, fully within the competences by the Municipality of Moravian Ostrava and Přívoz. This is the execution of the state administration.
Social workers of this authority, including the Roma assistant, have been resolving the occurring issue for a long time. When conducting the social works, they cooperate with the citizens’ association Together-Jekhetane, which provides street social service in the locality. Within the issue, employees of all mentioned entities regularly visit the locality in person and have been providing the residents the complex social and debt-related consulting. They turned the attention to the critical situation in housing of the residents and offered alternative accommodation. They also negotiated with the Job Centre the provision of a material assistance which would cover housing costs and in the area of assistance for people in material needs, etc.
In the case when an owner cannot organise suitable housing for his or her tenants (for example because of bad constructional and technical state of buildings), he or she is obliged to organise an alternative accommodation. Mr. Roztočil has not done that. The Municipal Authority of Moravian Ostrava and Přívoz did that in advance on their own initiative. Dormitory placements, which were organised in accordance with the clients’ limits, were agreed on over the framework of the usual obligations.
The Ostrava city Council monitored the works and processes organised by social workers of the involved entities and, within the framework of communication exchange, found that the authority has resolved situations of 45 families by the 31st of July 2012 (the 36 families have had 98 children, 9 families have been without children). Considering the frequent changes in residents in the Přednádraží Street, not all residents have been registered as permanent in the Municipality of Moravian Ostrava and Přívoz. There were also families registered with the Municipality of Silesian Ostrava, with the City of Hlučín and Bohumín living. Also, there were about five families from the Slovak Republic. The Municipal registration authority confirmed permanency of about 300 people, who, however, do not mostly stay there. The residents were offered accommodation in the Cihelní St. 81, Žákovská St. 41 and in F.A. Ryšových St. 248. Commercial dormitories offer accommodation for prices which are usual in the places at the time (it has not been the most expensive accommodation in the area of the City of Ostrava). The Municipal Council of Moravian Ostrava and Přívoz is currently solving the allocation of 8 flats within the filed applications for the extraordinary solutions of housing of residents from Přednádraží and negotiates also the accommodation of 4 families in privately owned flats in the area of the Municipality of Silesian Ostrava.
At the moment (i.e., on the 6th of August 2012), there are still about 19 families with children and 9 families without children in the Přednádraží St.
The above-presented information clearly shows that the involved entities perform their duties in the occurring situation and that they pay their attention to the residents within the framework of social works.