Grassroots Organizing in Eastern Europe
Hungary
The 8th District Renter’s Community, based out of Mandák House, a Lutheran Church in one of the poorest neighborhoods in Budapest, is organizing public housing tenants to improve living conditions for more than 3,000 families living in 130 publicly-owned apartment buildings. The Renter’s Community celebrated new management of the company responsible for managing public housing in their community and a commitment to redesign the system for making repairs to apartments and buildings.
The tenant organizing in Budapest, which is led by many people from the Roma community, is part of a long tradition of civic action in Hungary, particularly around issues of public housing. Faith in Action International is working with Pastor Márta Bolba, a Lutheran pastor, who leads Mandák House, to grow grassroots faith-based organizing in Hungary. For more information visit https://www.facebook.com/berloikozosseg or contact Kikka Nemesdy at [email protected].
Slovakia
Faith in Action International partnered with the Center for Community Organizing in Slovakia to build the Christian Platform of Banská Bystrica, the first grassroots multi-faith organizing effort in Slovakia. The Christian Platform is currently working with Catholic, Protestant and Jewish religious leaders, the Community of Sant’Egidio and Roma community organizations on a campaign to create a comprehensive housing strategy for Banská Bystrica, Slovakia’s second largest city, that provides housing to the homeless, repairs public housing, which is in deplorable condition, and lower the cost of rental housing for young people. For more information contact Ondrej Druga at [email protected].
