Monday, June 27, 2011 – Ivan Gerginov, the Assistant to the Commissioner for refugees, Miroljub Stojčić, the major of the city of Vranje and Branislava Žarković, the director of the Housing centre, signed the agreement on the construction of 20 housing units for social housing within a supportive environment which are intended for refugees, internally displaced persons and socially vulnerable local citizens.
 
Contruction of the housing units is one of the components of the 'Program Support to the refugees and internally displaced persons in Serbia', that is financed by the EU by means of the 2009 IPA fund.

The aim of this project is to provide sustainable housing solutions for socially vulnerable refugees and internally displaced persons and support to the process of closing collective centers; that said, 20% of the housing units are intended for local use and socially vulnerable citizens.

The newly constructed building in Vranje will have a capacity of 20 housing units ranging in size from 22 to 54 square meters.

The investment value of the project amounts to 315,000 Euros.  The city of Vranje participated in the aforementioned project by donating some 20,000 Euros and providing the parcel of land where the construction is to take place, along with all the necessary infrastructural support.
The project is to be completed in cooperation with the Commissariat for Refugees of the Republic of Serbia, the city of Vranje and the Housing Centre which is the key institution in the project in question.

Social housing within a supportive environment is of one of the rights which, according to the Law on Social Protection, belongs to the group of extended rights which fall under the jurisdiction of the local community.  Aside from providing solutions to the housing problems, the beneficiaries of the aforementioned project will also be provided with social support and support in the process of integrating into their new communities, services which will be made available through the Centre for Social Welfare and the host family.

The beneficiaries are to be selected by the Joint Commission comprised of the representatives of the Commissariat for Refugees, the UNHCR, the Centre for Social Welfare of the city of Vranje and the Housing Centre.