The City of Zagreb opened a new space for the homeless at Ilica str.29

The City of Zagreb has provided people who stay outdoors during the winter months and have no other suitable accommodation with a new, higher-quality overnight accommodation space of 300 m2 at Ilica 29, with separate accommodation for about twenty male and female users, with separate sanitary facilities. The space is in operation from Sunday, February 4, 2024, from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m., and users will be provided with a dry meal (sandwich, pâté, cold cuts), a hot drink (tea, coffee), milk and milk products, and fruit.

Deputy Mayor Luka Korlaet said that this is part of the strategy of the City of Zagreb in the fight against poverty, which includes investments in the so-called day residences, i.e. places where fellow homeless people will be able to stay overnight.

"All this is a prelude to even more serious work that we intend to do as an administration when it comes to the problem of homelessness, because we want to integrate these people into normal life flows," said the deputy mayor, noting that fellow homeless citizens can also apply for city apartments. "It is a big shift in the social policy of the city and in the integration of these people into normal life courses. The idea is that these shelters will be temporary places for the integration of the homeless, and then through increased funding of the city and through all the conditions, they will become full and normal citizens of this city", concluded Deputy Mayor Korlaet.

A dining room with a TV set will also be available in the space, and free coupons will be provided for the use of the public bath "Diana", which is located in the immediate vicinity (Ilica str. 8). At the same time, the premises at Vukovarska str. 235, where more than 500 overnight stays were recorded in 70 days of operation, stopped working.

The City of Zagreb has also provided systematic examinations for the homeless, as one of the measures of the Zagreb strategy to combat poverty and social exclusion for the period from 2021 to 2025. The examination includes laboratory diagnostics, abdominal ultrasound, EKG, gynaecologist examination and tests, and specific prostate antigen. So far, 72 users have expressed interest. Examinations are free for the homeless

The restoration of the said space was carried out by the Institution of the City of Zagreb "DOBRI DOM", which continues to provide (as it did for the space at Vukovarska str. 235) all logistics in terms of its nature and maintenance, as well as to the employees who are on duty during the night in order to fully and functionally operate accommodation for the homeless.

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