Funding for NGOs helping people in crisis of homelessness. Response of Ministry of Family and Social Policy
Date:
The CHR has received an open letter from the Polish Federation for Solving the Problem of Homelessness regarding state funding of assistance to people in the crisis of homelessness. The Federation points out that there has been no change in the amount of funds allocated annually to non-governmental organisations under the programme of the Minister of Family and Social Policy "Overcoming Homelessness”. Programme of Assistance to the Homeless" since 2006.
The Ministry replieds that the social assistance programmes in the field of homelessness announced over the course of almost 20 years have only been of a complementary nature with regard to the statutory obligations of municipalities in the field of homelessness prevention and of a supportive nature for the activities of authorised bodies.
The issue of an increase in funding was discussed by the CHR’s Committee of Experts on the Prevention of Homelessness on 19 May 2023. The Committee took a stance that the programme should be amended to enable NGOs to carry out their tasks more fully, including multiannual tasks.
Deputy Commissioner for Human Rights Stanisław Trociuk, asked Marlena Maląg, Minister of Family and Social Policy, for her position.
Stanisław Szwed, Secretary of State in the Ministry of Family and Social Policy, replied that in the current budget planning for the next few years, the Ministry takes into account the possibility of increasing the amount for the implementation of the above-mentioned programme, but at the moment he cannot guarantee what funds the Ministry will actually have at its disposal. This is due to the need to comply with the Public Finance Act and is not the result of bad faith.
