The project addresses the problem of social exclusion and the ‘ghettoisation’ of people living in the largest social housing estate in Bialystok. The housing estate is home to families who – through lack of adequate support and overwhelming problems such as poverty, unemployment, addictions or illness – have failed to cope with crisis situations. As many as 76 % of them receive social assistance (MOPR). Unemployment, crime rates and the scale of domestic violence are high. There is a lack of investment in the estate, and dilapidated blocks of flats and communal spaces are not renovated. The policy pursued by the authorities is one of isolation rather than integration, which exacerbates social inequalities in the city and further excludes families living on the social housing estate.

The project consisted of several complementary activities: family support assistance, youth empowerment assistance, community animation and legal advice and consultation. The regular individual support of the family support assistants included, among other things, emotional support, social support, educational support and assistance with health issues. Families also benefited from specialised legal advice. Youth support consisted of individual and group support for several teenagers leaving day care and foster care. Self-help groups for male and female residents were, in turn, based on the exchange of experiences with neighbours, e.g. with regard to computer use, writing official letters and disposing of money. People from the self-help group, together with an animator, prepared five thematic neighbourhood meetings to foster the integration of residents. In addition, animations for children and consultations for parents were organised in facilities run by us.

The project improved the situation – empowerment, recovery and independence – of 20 families with children and young people (6 people) from a social housing estate in Bialystok. It was thus a step towards equal opportunities for the residents of the social housing estate. A total of – to varying degrees – around 150 people benefited from the activities. There is no doubt that social ties have been strengthened and that the residents have become more active. We hope to indirectly influence local government and the city’s social policy through the activities carried out and their results.