Regional View on Housing of the Marginalized Roma Population in the Slovak Republic

The Roma ethnic group represents an integral part of the Slovak population. Thanks to their specific customs and traditions, in combination with social segregation, they have kept several differences from the majority of the population. These differences have also been demonstrated in the conditions and quality of housing, which are the basic indicators of the economic and cultural maturity of an individual, as well as the nation itself. The goal of this paper is to examine the issue of the Roma population in the Slovak Republic, with a focus on the area of housing. In the historical excursion, the authors present the arrival of the Roma to Europe and subsequently the present territory of the Slovak Republic. They point out the importance of the Roma issue and what has caused the conditions and factors determining the development and position of this ethnic group at the periphery of the majority. Using the data from the Atlas of Roma Communities from 2019, they analyze the demographic behavior and reproduction of the Roma population, which differs from the reproduction behavior of the majority population, as well as the territorial displacement of the Roma. In the following sections of the paper, the authors focus on examining the housing conditions of the Roma community in individual regions of the Slovak Republic and the programmes aimed at improving the housing situation of the Slovak Roma.