"We are slaves to norms, the adoption of laws but we don't ask how they will be implemented. According to statistics, by 31 December 2015, there were 391 homeless people in approximately 15 shelters. But all of us dealing with this issue know that the number is much higher. According to the EU statistical data, Croatia is at the bottom of the list of countries according to the number of homeless people, but this is not the correct number, it is significantly higher when you look at the most vulnerable groups of the society." an envoy for Social Policy and Youth Minister, Ante Babic, said at a conference, organised on the occasion of World Homeless Day, observed on 10 October.
Babic stressed that this year for the first time Croatia had secured funding for three-year programmes for the homeless and expressed satisfaction with the fact that the government can assist NGOs so as to help the homeless integrate with the society.
The head of the Red Cross Zagreb, Petar Penava, sad the organisation provided for 150 homeless people adding that over the past seven years more, more than 570 homeless people passed through the its shelter.
Lidija Lukina Kezic of the Public Ombudswoman Office advocates amendments to the social welfare act aimed at better defining the term homeless and enabling homeless people in shelter the right to a minimum compensation.