Several families whose members perished in the fire in February have returned to Bar after spending almost a month at the state resort on Ivan's Korits. Some of them sleep on the street, some in vans, and the rest in dilapidated shacks and makeshift homes in Šušanj. They claim that the system failed them.
They returned to Bar on their own initiative, as they told "Vijesta", and in the next two days they will all return. They did this because, according to them, what was promised to them was not fulfilled and they do not see the purpose of staying in Cetinje.
The Bislimi family returned four days ago. Sanela Bislimi she said that they were promised that after 15 days they would be able to return to Bar and that their housing issue would be resolved. That did not happen, as he says, so they returned to their city on their own.
"This is a shame for both Bruka and Greot. We are afraid if something will happen to us and my children tomorrow. We are asking to be given a roof over our heads anywhere in Bar, just to be closer, but we from five families don't want to be far from each other," she said.
According to her, it was not good at Ivan's beds because they slept in small rooms, isolated from the city, and almost all the children got sick because of the colder weather than what they were used to. She added that they did not have the medical assistance they needed.
"They will live like this until someone else burns," said Bislimi.
As they said, those who have vehicles have returned, and in a few days they will come up with a plan to get everyone else back.
Tarzan Bislimi said that they do not return to Ivan's beds because it is not their home and that it was "like in prison".
"They never came to see how we live, and we have lived there for 25 years. Now that this happened, they came. We want to have our own roof, not to live in a shack anymore," said Bislimi.
Tomorrow, eighty of them are going to the Municipality of Bar, as he told "Vijesti", and if necessary, they will also sleep there if their problem is not solved.
The Bislimi family believes that the deadly fire that claimed four lives was quickly forgotten by the authorities and that now that the dust has settled, they have all given up on them.
Now they live in dilapidated shacks and improvised homes in Šušanj, next to the "Amfora" restaurant. Large amounts of waste, dilapidated walls, mold, government, water, electric wires, are just some of the images that can be seen in the space where these families live.
"It's not all about money" is the inscription carved on the wall of one of the shacks where twenty-three-year-old parents with two children live.
She returned from Ivan's troughs and Sofia Bušani who with her husband, child and brother-in-law now lives in a van in a bar parking lot. They returned, as she said, because their child in Cetinje was constantly sick and they did not have the conditions to treat and feed him.
“Eight of us sleep in the van. Three children. We did not go under Volujica. When we got there, they told us that they might build us houses or something, but we don't know anything yet," she said.
Her family also wants to live in Bar, it is their city, and they were promised that they would return.
The ministry did not respond to the questions that "Vijesti" sent yesterday. The Roma council of which he is the president did not respond to two calls either Mensura Šalaja The municipality of Bar called to help in cooperation with the families of the victims of the fire.
At the end of February, a meeting was held between representatives of the Ministry of Labor and Social Work, the Municipality of Bar, the Roma Council and representatives of families.
As "Vijesti" has unofficially learned from several sources, at the meeting and in further communication it was planned to buy five houses in Bar where Roma families would live.
This information was also received by Ljiljana Vujović, who believes that this would not be a good solution since this population is used to living together, in a group and in a community. He believes that they should have their own neighborhood in Bar, which will allow them to live the way they want, but in decent conditions.
"I believe that after the big accident that happened in Bar, the entire public of Montenegro should be aware of what happened at that famous session and what these families can hope for," concluded Vujović.
Minister of Labor and Social Welfare Naida Nišić, in an earlier conversation, she told "Vijesta" that, after seeing what the real situation is, she will choose the best solution that they can offer.
One family settled in a rented apartment, the other in a house
The Vice-President of the Municipality of Bar, Tanja Drašković, said that at the meeting held at the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare, the full readiness of all competent authorities to act in partnership in overcoming this crisis situation and to jointly create acceptable and dignified solutions based on the model of non-segregated housing was expressed.
"The Ministry, and especially the employees of the "Lovćen Bečići" JU, really made great efforts to ensure that all 80 members of these Roma families were taken care of in a short period of time in safe and satisfactory conditions, both in terms of heating, nutrition, conditions for maintaining hygiene, and in terms of provision of health care and psycho-social support," she told "Vijesta".
She confirmed that the Municipality of Bar knows that these citizens left the resort on Ivan's behalf as they wished, even though there were conditions for them to continue staying there.
They are in intensive communication with the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare, as well as with the Center for Social Work, according to Drašković, from whom they received information that one family is housed in an apartment owned by the Center, and one family is housed in a rented house in Stari Baru, while work is being done to find adequate accommodation for other families.
After the deadly fire, the Municipality of Bar paid the Roma Council 12.000 euros to help the families of the victims, and these funds will be used to pay for the lease of residential buildings in Bar.
"What the Municipality is able to do at this moment is to allocate even more significant financial resources from its own budget to participate in the process of solving the long-term issue of housing care for these Roma families. It is not realistic to expect that the Municipality can solve independently in a permanent and appropriate way the multi-decade issue of housing Roma who are displaced persons, but the participation of the local administration in that process is unquestionable in every sense," said the vice-president of that local administration.
As potential solutions, they see the purchase of ready-made residential units in the wider area of the city or the construction of prefabricated residential buildings, with the recommended model of non-segregated housing. They also have in mind the possibility that through projects funded by the European Union, "significant strides can be made in terms of providing quality living conditions not only for the Roma, but also for other categories of people who are in a state of social need".
According to her, communication with the Ministry takes place on a partnership basis because this is a very complex issue and only with full mutual cooperation and the involvement of all other reference actors can we come to some concrete solutions.
When asked whether the Municipality of Bar is able to provide these families with what they want, i.e. a roof over their heads, Drašković replied that when it comes to the responsibilities of the local administration, it is important for the public to know that the organization of responsibilities in Montenegro is based on the principles of centralization and decentralization.
"In this sense, the tasks of social protection, social welfare and especially the protection of risk groups, are in the original competence of the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare, that is, the Ministry of Human and Minority Rights when it comes to the tasks of protecting human and minority rights and improving the position of Roma, Ashkali and Egyptians and their integration into all streams of social life," she said.
She added that the local administration has no significant competences in the area of social care, and even less in the area of spatial planning and solving the problems of informal settlements, which are mostly formed on plots that are not owned by the Municipality, but by the State of Montenegro.
She thinks that no municipality in Montenegro has independently resolved the issue of Roma housing, nor is it possible to finance the complete construction and furnishing of housing facilities from the local budget.
"There are also numerous legal restrictions when it comes to the use, management and disposal of state property. We are ready to provide an active contribution within our competences to the full institutional and social integration of members of the Roma community, and adequate housing conditions are certainly a necessary prerequisite for this and therefore we expect much stronger support from the central authorities in that direction," concluded Drašković.
Vujović: They come to the National Kitchen to warm up
Ljiljana Vujović, the president of the non-governmental association "Women of the Bar with a Big Heart" was in constant contact with the families staying in Cetinje. She told "Vijesta" that they have been telling her for the last few days that they want to return to their city.
"They don't complain about the conditions in the resort, but they are aware that the public, the state, the municipality forgot about their problems too quickly. They see that nothing is happening, no news, and even the public does not hear anything related to the solution of their problems", she said.
Vujović said that they spend the nights parked in places that have lighting, some of them under Volujica, others on the street, and they do not turn on the heating because they are afraid of another tragedy. They came to the National Kitchen, according to her, to keep warm.
Their problem can only be solved by the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare because, as stated earlier, they have taken care of them. Despite this, Vujović was unable to get in touch with them through official and private contacts.
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