Under the pilot project “From the street to work”, a briquetting plant and a floriculture greenhouse designed to provide work for homeless people was opened in District IX of Budapest.
Deputy State Secretary for Public Employment Imre Hoffmann said at the opening ceremony that the Ministry of Inferior provides funding of HUF 106 million under the “Start” public employment programme for the project which was launched on 1 November 2013 and is about to be completed at the end of April.
Minister of State for Employment Sándor Czomba stressed that the Government has implemented significant employment policy reforms; it provides work instead of welfare benefits and ensures that no one is left in the lurch.
As the Minister of State pointed out, state assistance for finding a job is vital not only for homeless people, but for those with low school attainment and for long-term unemployed people as well. He added that 200 thousand people participate in the winter phase of the public work programme or in vocational training courses.
Imre Hoffmann noted that for 2014 funding of HUF 183.8bn is earmarked for the public work programme and the number of public work employees who find a job on the labour market has been increasing.
As Imre Hoffmann emphasised, the pilot project in Ferencváros, District IX of Budapest, employs 100 homeless people and creates significant value. Under the project, besides the construction costs of the briquetting plant and a floriculture facility, personal expenses, wages and the purchasing of equipment was also paid for.
Ferencváros Mayor János Bácskai said this project also proves that public work employees are capable of making the transition from the street to the labour market through meaningful and valuable work.
CEO of Ferencváros Social Employment and Rehabilitation Nonprofit Ltd Endre Sebők stressed that theirs is Hungary’s largest rehabilitation work centre for homeless people and since 2011 hundreds of homeless people have been given work at the centre and thus the chance of returning to normal life. The project manager added that their employees gather green waste in public parks and instead of having it taken away at high costs the waste will be recycled and handed out to needy locals in the form of biomass briquettes, while in the greenhouse they will cultivate ornamental plants for parks.
(Ministry for National Economy)
