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Místní místním, z.ú.

Regional and Community Development Socially Disadvantaged Groups

Support Místní místním - Locals for locals

We are a non-profit organization that strengthens local social ties and supports people experiencing homelessness or other people need. We create a Solidarity network connecting socially friendly places, cafes and shopkeepers that decide to offer small services to anyone. We break down prejudices about homelessness. Together we can reduce social exclusion in Prague.

we started on 2019-11-03

Solidarity network in our neighborhoods

Every contribution helps us spread solidarity and support those in need. Thank you for your generosity!
Donate in €:
secured by Darujme.cz
We aim to:
  • create opportunities and social ties between people in need and their surroundings
  • destigmatize homelessness
  • break stereotypes and barriers towards people without homes and in need
  • create solidarity and a more socially friendly neighborhood.
Why social friendliness?
 
Over 270,000 people in the Czech Republic were homeless or in housing emergency already in 2022, while thousands of others found themselves in hidden homelessness, living in shelters, hostels etc. Their needs are usually addressed on an institutional basis only, which contributes to feelings of social exclusion and loneliness. People who would gladly offer their help unfortunately often lack the necessary platform and the know-how. With the impact of the pandemic and the economic crisis, the number of people in need and people without homes is increasing. Housing is becoming increasingly unaffordable.
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With Místní místním (Locals for Locals), we see the need for more contact between people in need and the people without homes and their immediate surroundings, as well as the need to have concrete tools to help people in their neighbourhood.
For the first time ever, Prague has a network in place that connects shopkeepers, cafés,, the public and professional social services in direct assistance to people in need. The Solidarity network offers free small services: water, toilet etc. The public can purchase vouchers to support people in need, such vouchers will offer coffee, food, event access and more to, whilst simultaneously supporting the shopkeeper. Information about the solidarity places and services offered is distributed to people in need by official social service providers – our partners in this effort.
 
  • We are connecting solidarity cafes, bistros/restaurants, second-hand stores, cultural/community centres, theathre and bookstore – across already 11 districts of Prague. We can see that people around want to help! And we give them the opportunity, the tools and the support to do so. 

  • We cooperate with most of the main providers of social services in Prague for people in need and without people homes.

  • We are a member of The Chime, an international platform of similar projects around the world who we share good praxis with, we help each other develop and we support the same idea: to empower people who happen to be on the margins of our society.

  • We believe that the impacts of our work are:
    1. Creating opportunities for different social groups to meet 
    2. Strengthening social ties within neighbourhoods and communities 
    3. Bringing society together in solidarity 
    4. Reducing social exclusion
We build on these values:
  • Inclusion
  • Respect
  • Open communication
  •  Sustainable support

In the future, we want to create a dense and locally accessible safety net within the Solidary Network, with a wide variety of services and types of vouchers offered, in all parts of Prague, so that anyone who is homeless or in need knows where to find small help in their neighbourhood. We are working to create a good practice methodology for other cities in the Czech Republic that would like to take up the idea of the Solidarity Network and implement it.


It's not just a small service, but an opportunity to make contacts and social connections, and the feeling of beeing accepted. We strive to make the support of the Solidarity Network low-threshold, inclusive, respectful and sustainable.


As one of the few non-profit organizations, we are not a social service provider. We cooperate with the City of Prague, but otherwise we provide our own funding, mostly through grants, giving presentations or merchandising. Our regular donors are a huge help. They enable us to continue our work. We are extremely grateful for them.

You can also help us in our work. With every donation, you help us create a neighborhood that is good for everyone to live in.


Photo: Dobrá Trafika, Korunní - solidarity café, Prague 2

You can follow us or find more information about us on our FB or Instagram.
Support this project even more and ask your friends to help Create campaign

MÍSTNÍ MÍSTNÍM (LOCALS FOR LOCALS) 2021 - 2023

Since 2021, we've seen a lot of new things happen. You can read about it specifically in our annual reports, which can be found on our website. Here are some major milestones :)


  • During 2021-2022 we ran a Community Centre for people experiencing homelessness. The Centre responded to the lack of realisation and personal growth opportunities for socially excluded residents and the lack of follow-up support for people who are halfway through homelessness. At the community centre in Karlin's Invalidovna, which we have adapted for them, these people have been able to organically become members of a wider creative community, receiving support in creative activity and in getting on their feet in life. They were able to have meaningful leisure time and regular contact with the public. We also hosted a number of concerts and exhibitions with and especially for people with experience of homelessness. From June 2022 we have unfortunately had to suspend activities due to insufficient funding and human capacities. However, during 2022 we organised two more individual exhibitions and one joint exhibition for a total of four artists with the experience of homelessness. We currently only provide support to artists on an ad hoc basis as part of the organisation's volunteer capacity.

  • We have held 101 events with MM since we founded our NGO. We have organized many community events or activities, lectures, and trained solidarity cafes & shopkeepers so that they can safely provide asmall help towards people in need in the long term. We have organized events open to all. We have also co-organised, for example, Picnics for the Homeless or Baking for the Homeless. We organised phone collections for people in need, helping with other sudden crises such as the war in Ukraine, which unexpectedly affected everyone and there was a need to respond quickly and help people fleeing Ukraine to stay in touch with their loved ones.

  • Last but not least, we were still working on the Solidarity Network of cafes & shopkeepers open to people without homes and in need, which was and remained a central project of Místní místním. We devote most of our efforts to it, we inform you about it regularly, we cooperate with many NGOs within it and we are the only ones in the country working on such a project. You can read everything ongoing on our FB and Insta.
    But what to mention here?
    The number of cafes & shopkeepers in our network changed during the pandemic and other crises, unfortunately some enterprises had to close their operations, so in 2019 we had 11 enterprises involved in the Solidarity Network, in 2020 we had 14 enterprises, in 2021 we had 17 enterprises and in 2022 after several crises we were again at number 18, as of June 2023 we are at number 21 solidarity enterprises. The work on the Solidarity Network is long-term, especially because it is built entirely from the bottom up. However, it has managed to overcome a lot and has remained functional and sustainable through extremely instabile times, and for that we are very grateful. It is you, the donors, who help us immeasurably in this, so we are grateful for every contribution you choose to make. Once again, thank you very, very much!

Flyer of the Solidarity Network 05/2023


A solidarity place MM - Skautský institut Rybárna


Collection of phones MM


People from the Community centre


Community centre MM 2021-06/2022


MM ACTIVITIES DURING THE PANDEMIC 2020:
  • Not only Praguers but also foreigners living here are interested in the topic of homelessness and helping people in need. They would often like to help, but many of them do not have enough information on how to get involved in helping. Thanks to the cooperation with Studio Alta, in 2020 we managed to organize an online presentation about homelessness in English, thanks to which participants could get a better overview of the support system for homeless people, and how they can help these people.

  • What did for people in needwe do when we could not exhibit, give concerts and the solidarity network had to close their businesses?

    Thanks to the connection of small entrepreneurs in the solidarity network, social services, people in need and the public, we are able to respond to emergencies. One of them is, for example, the situation surrounding the COVID-19 measure. During the crisis measures, we mobilized a group of volunteers and small entrepreneurs who helped us supplement the limited functioning of outpatient and outreach social services for the homeless. Over the course of seven weeks, we delivered over 2,000 lunches to shelters free of charge, handing out drapes, toiletries, disinfectants and hot food in the field. In the autumn wave of measures, we distributed lunches to the crisis hostel in Melounov, to the field of disinfection and 1,800 delicious baguettes. The already mentioned "educated" foreigners were involved in this wave, who turned to us with an offer of voluntary help.
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    The impact of this aid was positive for small entrepreneurs in the solidarity network, who could cover at least part of their costs by cooking for people in need. The finances were provided by the public, who joined forces in solidarity and thus took advantage of a specific opportunity to help. In addition to material help, homeless people also received human support in a difficult situation and the knowledge that their surroundings were interested in them. We believe that in crisis situations, we will be able to react promptly and help people in need where they are needed. By contributing, you will help us continue our activities. Thank you!

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Děkuji, že děláte tento skvělý projekt :)

Markéta Kosinová

Thanks for the info from Prague Unitarians

David Wadmore
CZK 300

🫶🌞Iove ju místňáci

🌞
CZK 1,000

Hi Ester! All the best! Blessings!

Rachel Cain
€30

Thank you Barbara Woodard and IWAP charity for informing us about this group.
Ron Ayers and Susan Loy

Ron Ayers
CZK 1,000