<translation>City Hall wants housing for young people in the Ostrava locality of Bedřiška</translation>

Ostrava - The city district of Mariánské Hory and Hulváky in Ostrava is considering transforming the settlement of Bedřiška, which belongs to the so-called excluded localities in the city. The district wants to convert the colony with old wooden houses into residential housing with homes for young families. However, it must first resolve the housing for current tenants, said Deputy Mayor Patrik Hujdus (Independents) today to ČTK.

In about twenty houses in the settlement, there live several long-time residents as well as several predominantly Roma families who have gradually moved in. The locality gained infamy in the past not only for an arson attack on a Roma house, but the district mayor Liana Janáčková (Independents) also faced criticism years ago due to alleged racist statements.

Hujdus said that tenants who have rent arrears will have their lease agreements terminated. “We will stop renewing fixed-term contracts, and we want to find solutions for other tenants and residents,” he stated. The town hall does not plan to move residents to municipal apartments, but wants to negotiate with other property owners about rental options. “We expect to address various forms of assistance, whether it concerns covering deposits or possibly other participation. At the same time, we are aware that the entire process will take longer than a year,” said Mayor Janáčková. According to her, the district currently has no specific development project, nor is it negotiating with anyone. “Whether the construction will be in the hands of a private individual or the city is an open question at this moment. I can imagine both variants, or a combination of them,” she noted.

According to Deputy Mayor Hujdus, the so-called Finnish houses were built 70 years ago. "And even back then, their builders anticipated that they would not have a significantly long lifespan. Currently, they have outlived their usefulness and do not meet today's standard housing requirements. The composition of tenants corresponds to the character of those houses,” Janáčková stated. According to her, the locality has been problematic for a long time, and some tenants have built various shelters and other structures on the land around the houses without permission. According to the mayor, construction waste is sometimes brought to the settlement, such as old windows, which the residents allegedly use for heating.

The Deputy Mayor said that young families or perhaps seniors could find housing in the area. “To prevent non-compliant and socially vulnerable citizens from moving into the locality, the Mariánské Hory town hall purchased a building that used to be a hostel. It is currently empty, and the district leadership is discussing its possible future use,” Hujdus added.