Prague, March 11 (CTK) – The number of homeless people in the Czech Republic is now estimated at 68,500, not over 30,000 as it was believed before, a unique survey by the Labour and Social Affairs Ministry released on Thursday has found, daily Pravo writes Friday.
According to the survey, 120,000 people are immediately threatened with the loss of housing in the country with a population of 10.5 million, Pravo writes.
It writes that according to the estimates, 6.7 persons per 1000 people live in the street.
The survey found out that municipalities lack emergency and low-cost housing with cut rents, Pravo writes and adds that they do not have housing for people who need social services given their age and health condition.
The same problem concerns people with addictions, psychiatric diseases, without an income, without a claim to a pension and people not registered by labour offices, Pravo cites the survey.
Women constitute almost one quarter of the total number of people living in the street, 12 percent are young people aged under 18 years and 10 percent are seniors aged more than 65 years, Pravo writes.
The biggest number of homeless people live in the Moravia-Silesia Region (13,800) and in Prague (9,500). The lowest number – 1,600 – was registered in the Hradec Kralove Region, Pravo writes.
Debts (90 percent), alcoholism (79.2 percent) and unemployment (78 percent) were given as the most frequent causes of homelessness, according to the survey.
Pravo writes that the survey also indirectly uncovered that almost every 10th Czech (which is one million people) who is threatened with poverty according to the statistical parameters starts to be seriously threatened with the loss of housing at the same time.
It writes that the biggest number of these people (28,000) live in the Moravia Silesia Region. In Prague there are 10,000 such people. The lowest number (2,000) live in the Hradec Kralove Region.
This has been the first such survey made in the country.
