Over 60,000 families in Romania live in informal settlements, which constantly puts them at risk. By “informal housing” or “informal settlements,” we mean residential areas usually developed on the outskirts of urban or rural areas, where residents do not own the land on which they have built their homes. There are no building permits, and most dwellings are rudimentary shelters made from reused or poor-quality materials. Access to basic utilities and roads is limited or even nonexistent. In many cases, these homes are located in high-risk areas. Accessing national or European funds is a significant challenge because the national legislation does not address informal housing. For the same reason, authorities cannot invest in these communities’ running water, sewage systems, or electricity.

In this context, we decided to act together with the PACT Foundation, Civic Group Valea Corbului, DEP Bumbești Jiu, and the Reșița Local Action Group for the safety and health of informal settlement dwellers.

More precisely, through the project “No Man’s Land: Informal housing in Roma communities – recognition, accountability and shared solutions” we aimed to draw attention to the following issues:

• Informal housing exists and is on the rise; according to a study conducted by the Ministry of Regional Development in 2014, 38.7% of respondents acknowledged the presence of at least one informal settlement within their locality;
• Although funding sources are available, current financing programs and legislation do not consider this issue or attempt to address it;
• In general, neither the relevant authorities nor the people directly affected are aware of the problem or understand the urgency of finding solutions.

During the project (August 2017 to January 2019) we documented the phenomenon of informal settlements in Romania, examining its scale and impact, and focused in-depth on the situations in Reșița, Bumbești-Jiu, and Valea Corbului. We researched the relevant legislation and regulations, as well as obstacles to providing funding to informal settlements. We raised awareness among parliament members, local authorities, and directly affected community members. We carried out advocacy efforts to introduce the concept of informal housing into relevant legislation and to explore possible solutions at the local level. We investigated best practices with international experts and will propose significant changes for both government and European funding.

We developed two Action Guides on informal settlements in Romania: one for local public authorities and another for communities living in informal settlements. Additionally, we prepared a position paper dedicated to informal settlements, providing an overview of the issue and current approaches to it, along with recommendations regarding future legislation, public policies, and funding.

All the resources we created during and after the project can be found on the official website www.locuireinformala.ro, only available in Romanian.

As a result of this project, in August 2019, Law 151/2019 on informal settlements in Romania was enacted, introducing the first official definition of informal settlements in the country and establishing an institutional framework to improve living conditions within these areas. You can read more about our involvement on this topic here.

„No man’s land: informal settlements in Roma Communities” was partially funded through an Open Society Foundation Institute. See more of our work on housing and informal settlements here and here.