Habitat for Humanity Romania

Contact information HFH Romania Str. Al. Motilor, Bl. AN6, ap. 8 Beius 415200 Bihor Romania Phone: +40 213113025 Fax: +40 213113025 E-mail: emil.olteanu@habitat.ro         Web site www.habitat.ro				Habitat's Work in Romania Number of families served this year*: 80 Full house sponsorship cost: US$27,920 Incremental house sponsorship cost: US$4,170         Romania News and Stories Romanian Big Build on World Habitat Day Building Big in Romania Romania tops 3,000 volunteers mark
Country profile

In 1996, Romania became Habitat for Humanity’s 50th country worldwide. Since then, Habitat Romania has overseen seven affiliates in Beius, Cluj, Craiova, Comanesti, Cumpana, Pitesti and Radauti. The affiliates are spread across the three historic provinces of the country, with the national office in Bucharest.

The housing need in Romania

According to the national statistics, 35 percent of the housing stock in Romania is in a state of complete neglect and needs urgent repairs. Progress toward a stable market economy has been slow and difficult after years of the oppressive rule of dictator Nicolae Ceausescu. Real wages for working Romanian families have dropped by about 40 percent, putting additional pressure on the strained social system. The unemployed, farmers and housewives are the social categories most affected by severe poverty. Two-thirds of Romania’s poor live in rural areas.

In the cities, many dwellers live in cramped apartments in condominium complexes. Much of Romania’s housing stock is low-quality and deteriorating because of a lack of maintenance. A family of eight is more likely to live in a two-room flat than in a house. More than 10,000 blocks of flats were constructed before 1980 and now need serious renovation to their infrastructure, heating systems and roofs. More than half of rural communities have no access to piped water.

Since 2005, Romania has faced its worst floods in the past 100 years. July 2008 brought new floods in the northern counties, leaving thousands of people in temporary shelters.

How Habitat addresses the need

Habitat Romania acts as a catalyst for improving housing conditions and offering support, expertise and experience to various groups and parties. The organization has taken leadership on tackling repairs, renovations and rehabilitation of old communist-era block apartments and disaster response projects.

Here are some examples of Habitat projects in Romania:

• Construction and rehabilitation of homes and block apartments
Habitat for Humanity Romania builds and renovates homes in partnership with low-income families throughout the country. This can range from one-house builds to blitzes of 10 or more houses in just one week. Rehabilitation work is aimed at improving living conditions for families in the communist-era apartment blocks.

• Energy-efficient housing
In partnership with the world’s leading steelmaker, ArcelorMittal SA, Habitat for Humanity Romania has developed and started implementing an energy-efficient steel house model. This construction can be easily assembled from prefabricated frames with volunteer labor, and, at the same time, is environmentally friendly and energy-efficient.

• Affordable housing for vulnerable groups
Habitat for Humanity Romania is actively working to provide simple and decent shelter for vulnerable groups such as the Roma, the mentally disabled and former orphans raised in state-run institutions. These groups are marginalized in society and have no access to funds to improve their housing situations.

• Disaster response to flooding
In Romania, Habitat is actively involved, with the support from local and international corporations, in the recovery efforts after disastrous floods that occur almost every spring and summer. In 2008, more than 110 families got help remaking their homes in the flood-hit Doljesti area.

Meet a Habitat family

Remus and Ghiorghina Teglas live in Beius together with their son and two daughters. They used to live in a shack of just 10 square meters, but after the family was finally assigned a piece of land, they started building a new house with Habitat’s help. International volunteers came to help, and soon the family was ready to move in.

Local Habitat organizations in Habitat for Humanity in Romania