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STOPA, a leading Slovakian non-profit organisation dedicated to ending homelessness, has won a Silver World Habitat Award. The Award, in partnership with UN Habitat, represents international recognition for STOPA’s Housing First and housing-led approaches, which have provided safe and stable homes alongside comprehensive support services to hundreds of individuals experiencing homelessness in Slovakia.
In a country where homelessness is often stigmatized and misunderstood, Slovakia’s crisis is mostly handled by underfunded emergency and temporary shelters, and kept out of sight from the general public.
However, STOPA operates differently. Its Crossroads project provides daily wraparound social support in addition to permanent housing for people with the severest mental and physical health problems, promoting recovery and well-being.
Their Housing First work also delivers permanent housing in residential blocks where people have long term security and receive monthly welfare checks.
More opportunities to escape homelessness are available through its Solidarity Café and garden, situated in Bratislava’s city centre, across from the houses of parliament. Here, individuals experiencing homelessness can learn barista and customer service skills, and tend to a kitchen garden.
Through regular public events, film screenings and the cafe where members of public and those with lived experience of homelessness can talk together, STOPA is shifting the narrative around homelessness.
David Ireland, CEO of World Habitat, said: “STOPA’s Crossroads project has learnt from and adds to an international body of evidence that proves it is possible to solve homelessness. Even in the most complex contexts and cases, with the right support and a housing-led approach, people can find stability and rebuild their lives.”
Pavol Sabela, Founder of STOPA said: “For such a small organisation from a small country in central Europe, it is a great honour to have reached the final. The award is an evaluation of our work over the years, it motivates us and gives us the strength to try to change the way we look at ending homelessness in Slovakia.”
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