Expert Study and Participatory Needs Assessment. on Accessibility of Social Services

Transcription

1 Expert Study and Participatory Needs Assessment on Accessibility of Social Services Baseline Research Report Head of the Research: Ia Gabunia Research consultant: Vazha Salamadze Authors of the research report: Ekaterine Danelia Ia Gabunia Mariam Shanidze Researchers: Ekaterine Danelia Mariam Shanidze Temur Jaliashvili Tamar Bochorishvili Nino Mghvdeladze This publication has been produced with the assistance of the European Union. Its contents are the sole responsibility of People in Need and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the European Union. Civil Society Institute Tbilisi, 2016

2 Contents Preamble... 4 Description of the research... 5 Goal of the research... 5 Objectives of the research... 5 Research methodology... 5 Scope of the research... 7 Limitations of the research... 8 Definition of terms... 9 Key findings of the Research Assessment and analysis of situation at central level Assessment and analysis of situation in target municipalities IDP-related issues Chapter 1: Description of General Environment and Situation of Social Service Provision at National Level Introduction Social Programs at the National Level Chapter 2: Description of General Environment and Situation of Social Service Provision in Target Municipalities Gori Municipality Description of current situation Problems and challenges in the social service provision Zugdidi Municipality Description of current state Problems and challenges in the social service provision Tkibuli Municipality Description of existing situation Problems and Challenges in the social service provision Khoni Municipality Description of existing situation Problems and Challenges in the social service provision Chapter 3: Need Assessment of Socially Volnurable Groups... 43

3 3.1. Gori Municipality Zugdidi Municipality Tkibuli Municipality Khoni Municipality Chapter 4: Issues Related to IDPs General overview of the situation IDP-related national social programs Actors involved in settlement of IDP issues Current situation in target municipalities Gori Municipality Zugdidi Municipality Imereti Region Problems and challenges with respect to IDPs Annexes Bibliography... 84

4 Preamble The present research has been conducted by the Civil Society Institute upon request of the Czech non-profit organization People in Need under the project Enhancing the participation of regional CSOs in policy dialogue on social inclusion in Georgia, which aims to improve provision of social services in target municipalities. The project is funded by the European Union and the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs and is being implemented in Gori, Zugdidi, Tkibuli and Khoni municipalities. The project envisages establishment of advisory committes. Findings of the given research will help the committees to develop local social inclusion strategy for the target municipalities, which in its turn will facilitate better coordination among the stakeholders, improvement of service sector for beneficiaries and development of response policy to other needs. It is widely recognized that certain pre-conditions are required for development-oriented social service sector. Availability of vital social programs in the state is one of them. Despite the ongoing reforms, that are being passed in the country by the Ministry of Labor, Health and Social Welfare on the one hand and Gori, Zugdidi, Tkibuli and Khoni municipalities on the other, social service sector is not based upon a systemic approach and participatory planning principles. Expert research and participatory needs assessment ensures collection and analysis of baseline information in the social service sector and is expected to contribute to development of social service delivery strategy in target municipalities. Research findings will serve to identify those key social and institutional issues, that can greatly improve social welfare sector of the target municipalities. Meantime, the research will study pattern of cooperation among various actors, identify shortcomings and overlaps in social programs, determine social challenges at both central and regional levels and assess current needs of beneficiaries. Based on the given information, the Civil Society Institute came up with a methodology for expert research and needs assessment and carried out field work in the period of May-July 2016 to get a clearer picture of current state and social provision practices in all four municipalities. A brief overview of the research and key findings are presented below.

5 Description of the research Goal of the research Study on social service accessibility and assessment of needs aim to present an expert analysis on challenges pertaining to the social service sector at the central and regional levels; through applying participatory approaches, it strives to assess needs of vulnerable groups in four target municipalities: Gori, Zugdidi, Khoni and Tkibuli. Objectives of the research Considering the above-mentioned, the following are the objectives of the research: - General overview and analysis of the social service provision in target municipalities; - Identification of crucial problems and challenges in the social service provision; - Study of cooperation among different actors in the field of social service, both at local and central levels and identify overlaps and gaps; - Analysis and assessment of needs of socially vulnerable groups. Research methodology The research employs tools of qualitative methodology, such as: desk research based on secondary and tertiary sources, in-depth interviews and focus groups. At the central level, in-depth interviews were conducted with sector experts; as for target municipalities, representatives of decision-making structures and public organizations were interviewed. Focus group discussions covered social program beneficiaries and their family members. Focus group meetings were held as well with members of social inclusion advisory committees set up by the Czech organization People in Need in all four municipalities; the given committees include representatives from local units of the Social Service Agency, local authorities as well as active civil society organizations. Focus group meetings with the committee members ensured validity of results and contributed to greater commitment on the part of the members to ongoing municipal processes. Below you can find detailed description of each method used throughout the study. Desk Research The aim of the desk research was to get a broader picture of the social service sector, describe current state of social service delivery at the central level and particularly in target municipalities. Under the desk research, our team examined statistics and database available on websites of the Social Service Agency and other authorities; we also collected and analyzed various papers, professional articles and surveys in the given sector. It is noteworthy that limited number of surveys is being conducted in Georgia concerning social policy, complicating process of desk research due to lack of academic and reliable sources. However, for describing picture at the central level, we resorted to findings and policy documents of various local and international organizations, pertaining to certain directions in social policy. Desk research entailed study of geographic coverage, scope and number of beneficiaries under different state social programs.

6 In-depth interviews and focus groups conducted in four municipalities helped us to specify general findings of desk research and complement it with more qualitative results. In-depth interviews with Field Experts and Decision-makers In the framework of the research, 26 in-depth interviews were held with field experts and decision-makers on national, as well as local level in target municipalities. The questionnaire was consisted of four major blocks: a) general overview of the social service sector, b) main challenges in the field of social services; c) cooperation and coordination among stakeholders in the social service provision; d) needs assessment (full questionnaires are available as an annex 3.1 and 3.2.). The questionnaire for national and local level experts was slightly different, as on the national level the study was focused on nation-wide social services. In target municipalities, CSO representatives, local decision-makers from different bodies were interviewed. The focus was the general situation on social service provision in each target municipality and profound analysis of the municipal social services available in each region. The detailed list of respondents of in-depth interviews is available in the annex 1.1 Focus group discussions of Beneficiaries Focus Group discussions were held with immediate beneficiaries of social programs and their family members to determine the degree of satisfaction and assess their needs. The format we employed differed from the traditional focus group and ensured active involvement of all members through a participatory approach. First of all, while opening the focus group discussions for beneficiaries and their family members, we applied a brainstorming method to create a common ground about the meaning of social service. The participants mentioned various social assistance forms they were familiar with during the brainstorming. For focus groups with beneficiaries as well as decision-makers and civil sector representatives, H-Form1 (see annex 1.7) was employed. The H-Form is a tool of participatory assessment and allowed us to evaluate the group s overall perception and identify positive and negative aspects of social service provisions. For beneficiary focus groups, the key question was about their satisfaction with existing social services and programs available at the national and local levels. This tool envisaged pre- and post-assessment as well and provided the basis for the generalization of discussion. In the H-form, a middle bar was used as a scale from 0 to 10, where 0 means very negative assessment and 10 very positive. During the pre-assessment, all participants evaluated their satisfaction with the social service provision in general and then the facilitator calculated the average score for the group. After the participants discussed the positive and negative aspects in the social service provisions and they were acquainted with differing perspectives of the issue, it was possible that their own overall assessment changed due to their discussions. The post-assessment was conducted with the participants at the conclusion of the discussion. (For the detailed guideline, see the annex 3.5) It is noteworthy that in the focus group with beneficiaries, we additionally employed a self-administered, structured questionnaire. This questionnaire was composed of 8 questions and appraises the disposition of the beneficiaries towards a number of issues under social programs (effectiveness of programs, availability of 1 Evelyn Speich-Baer, Drive Social Change, pg. 51, Civil Society Institute, Tbilisi, 2016, available:

7 information, quality of communication, etc. See annex 3.4) and measures their satisfaction with the quality of social services in order to extract more thoughtful information from beneficiaries. Focus group discussions of Advisory Committee Members Experts Focus Groups were conducted with the members of the Advisory Committees in each of the target municipalities and will work on the local social service provision strategy later in the framework of PIN project. For focus group with committee members, we employed the same H-Form tool to ensure participatory discussion among different stakeholders. In order to discuss in deep three major issues, such as 1) social policy planning; 2) cooperation and coordination in field of social service provision; 3) challenges and problems of social service provision, the World Café 2 approach was applied for Advisory Committee Focus Groups (for the detailed guideline, see the annex 3.6). All focus group participants had an opportunity to express their opinion and concerns on all three issues as they had the possibility to rotate every 20 minutes from topic to topic. The World Café approach provides an opportunity to collect valuable and diverse information from stakeholders on previously defined topics. This information is shared among them in the last discussion, where each participant can add additional comments on any issue. In the course of the research, a number of target categories were indentified that were beneficiaries under different social programs. However, IDP programs should be highlighted as the most specific ones. Given a particular interest of the research ordering company in IDP-related issues, target group of IDPs were studied at central and regional levels and presented separately in the report. Needs assessment of beneficiaries implies, on the one hand, an analysis of satisfaction with current social programs and, on the other, a study of needs that by opinion of beneficiaries are not covered by national or municipal social programs. To this end, a structured questionnaire was developed which was used to assess the disposition of beneficiaries towards social programs available at the regional level and measure their satisfaction in different directions. Scope of the research As already mentioned, key goal of the research is to study the situation in the target municipalities that were defined by the resreach ordering organization: Gori, Zugdidi, Tkibuli and Khoni. The objective of the research represents the current situation in the given regions with respect to: social service delivery implementation and consistency of social policy challenges encountered by the local authorities and civil sector satisfaction and attitude of various target groups towards effectiveness quality and accessibility of social programs needs of the beneficiaries remaining outside of the coverage of current state and local social programs vulnerable groups deprived of access to social services for a variety of reaons 2 Evelyn Speich-Baer, Drive Social Change, pg. 73, Civil Society Institute, Tbilisi, 2016, available:

8 To meet the goal of the research, 26 in-depth interviews and 13 focus group discussions were conducted. Additionally, close to 120 beneficiaries who where the participants of the Focus Group discussions, filled out structured questionnaires. Distribution of interviews and focus groups by regions is presented in annex Limitations of the research It is noteworthy that the social service sector is a rather broad area and encompasses a number of social projects and programs implemented at the state central as well as the local level. Given the objectives of the research, our team was focused on a detailed study of the social programs and services at the local level. Analysis of problems and challenges at the central level requires more in-depth expertise and thorough examination that will allow the state to reconsider key shortcomings in rendered social policy and develop strategies and recommendations for reforming. Due to the limited time frame, it is difficult to assert that we managed to perform a detailed study of the people left beyond coverage of social programs in the target municipalities. In several regions, focus group discussions were attended by such individuals. However, it is hard to draw a general picture only on the basis of their assessment. Self-administered, structured questionnaires depict trends in the general attitude of beneficiaries towards a number of issues. However, questionnaire results are not subject to generalization due to the small sample size of the respondents. In total, the questionnaire was filled out by nearly 120 beneficiaries and can identify major trends in the attitudes of beneficiaries towards social service provision. It is noteworthy that despite our numerous efforts, in-depth interviews could not be conducted with high-level officials from the Ministry of Labour, Health and Social Affairs and the Ministry of IDPs, Accommodation and Refugees. After intensive negotiations, we determined that because of the pre-election period on one hand and staff changes on the other, ministry officials refrained from giving interviews. Under the research, we conducted in-depth interviews with former high-ranking social sphere officials who were actively involved in the reform process. Also it should be noted that while speaking about IDP issues in the study, the research does not reflect IDPs perceptions and attitudes as there were no focus group discussions held for IDPs in particular.

9 Definition of terms3 Beneficiary recipient of social assistance; IDP - Internally Displaced Person - a citizen of Georgia or a stateless person bearing the status, who was forced to leave his/her place of permanent residence because of threat to his/her own or his/her family members life, health or freedom as a result of foreign country s occupation, aggression, armed conflict, widespread violence and/or mass human rights violations and/or due to the above-mentioned reasons, it is impossible for him/her to return to his/her place of permanent residence. Social assistance is any type of monetary or non-monetary allowance, intended for people in need of special care, deprived families or homeless persons. Social assistance system set of measures financed or organized by the state and/or carried out under state supervision to improve socio-economic condition of persons in need of special care, deprived families or homeless people. Social service activities aimed at meeting needs of people in need of special care, deprived families or homeless persons through providing them with non-monetary social assistance. Evaluation system a system used to measure socio-economic state of a family and determine its material welfare. A homeless person a person having no permanenet, defined place of residence and registered as homeless with local authorities. Deprived family a person or groups of persons permanently residing in a separate place of residence, engaged in joint household activity and holding position below the minimum socio-economic limit set by the Georgian Government. A person with disabilities a person granted such status in line with the Law of Georgia on Medical and Social Expertise. A person without breadwinner a child (children) before attaining the age of 18, with one or both of parents dead. Outsourcing - is a practice used by different companies to reduce costs by transferring portions of work to outside suppliers rather than completing it internally.4 LEPL - Legal Entity of Public Law CSO - Civil Society Organization 3 Note: definition of terms relies on the Law of Georgia on Social Assistance; Law of Georgia on Internally Displaced Persons Refugees 4 See the link:

10 SSA Social Service Agency Key findings of the Research Assessment and analysis of situation at central level The expert analysis and participatory needs assessment showed that the problems and challenges encountered in the social service sector of Georgia need systemic and consistent reconsideration and reforming. Changes moved in the period of to the social system may be deemed as the first wave of reforms under which monetization of national social programs took place and all existing and future services became based upon monetary allowances. Considering the situation at that time, the reform was believed to be reasonable as it was conducive to the establishment of an anti-corruption system. In order to effectively address current problems and challenges, it is vital to transform the social service sector into a service-oriented system. A systemic approach envisages the development of a strategy based upon comprehensive needs assessment which, on the one hand, will consider the necessity of introducing social warranties for the population and, on the other, highlight the importance of social services rather than monetary assistance. Under the Law of Georgia on Social Assistance, social assistance implies such activities that are aimed at satisfying the needs of various target groups by providing them with non-monetary social assistance.5 The majority of social programs administered by the Social Service Agency do not comply with the given definition of social assistance because they are built upon cash disbursements. It is also noteworthy that geographical access to social services is limited and it is a privilege of big cities. The social service sector s budget has been characterized by a growing tendency in recent years. Since 2012, social and health care have become the highest priorities for the State. Despite the fact that each year, the state spends more and more funds on social programs, social services show little signs of improvement. It once again confirms the fact that only an increase of cash disbursements or the coverage of a greater number of beneficiaries do not help to improve the socio-economic situation in the country. We need the implementation of sustainable and effective reforms which would improve the functioning of the social service sector and promote the development of social welfare in the country. Extensive assessment of beneficiaries needs and the development of a social strategy by employing participatory practices represent an important part of a consistent approach. Meanwhile, it is important to take into account the foreign experience and practice of the countries which had similar backgrounds in the past (Eastern Europe and the Baltic States). It is also noteworthy that the social service system is strongly centralized. Social policy planning is performed at the top and the administration of programs has a rigid hierarchical nature territorial units of the Social Service Agency are responsible for administration of social programs in the regions. Engagement of regional and local levels in the policy planning process is close to zero. Their role is limited to sharing statistics with the central branch which needs to be considered when planning a variety of social programs. Expansion of the role and functions of the local municipalities is a part of the self-governance reform and is expected to take place gradually. However, except for certain exclusive rights, local municipalities are highly dependent on centrally 5 Law of Georgia on Social Assistance; available at: seen on:

11 adopted decisions. Social policy priorities are set out by the Government and all municipal services are obliged to follow them. The formal approach needs to be revised and social service provision needs to be decentralized. There is dissatisfaction among beneficiaries as well as local civil society organizations and municipal representatives with a number of national social programs. It holds particularly true for the social assistance program (subsistence cash allowance). The program is systematized and based upon certain criteria - the evaluation declaration and computerized scoring system - which calculates scores for each family. Despite a number of methodological changes that have been implemented in recent years, there is still dissatisfaction with this method. Beneficiaries and other actors speak about the unfair distribution of social assistance. This problem is common to all four target municipalities. Some of the beneficiaries approve the removal of the agent s subjective assessment from the questionnaire, while others believe that decisions adopted based on purely objective reasons are unfair as they do not consider subjective factors. In addition, beneficiaries have other concerns with regard to the program. Social assistance does not apply to the groups that are most socially vulnerable - the homeless, as they often do not have a fixed place of residence. It also does not apply to those IDPs who are temporarily living with their relatives - their rating points (because of good living conditions at the relative s house) are much higher and they fail to meet the eligibility criteria for social vulnerability status. Meanwhile, field experts and decision makers have repeatedly remarked that the current social assistance model is counterproductive, as it contributes to permanent dependence of vulnerable groups on state donations and does not provide sustainable solutions to their problems. It is important to review the policy of disbursing social allowances. The State should allocate more resources to the employment of capable people - allowance recipients repeatedly note that they refrain from employment because they prefer to be beneficiaries of stable social programs. Beneficiaries and decision-makers have different position towards the universal healthcare program. Beneficiaries positively assess the program but think that it is not sufficient. They would like to have more and expanded health care services covering sensitive issues such as full funding for medicines and medical examination for the vulnerable population. Decision-makers and experts emphasize need for a differentiated approach as the universal nature of the program is a significant challenge for the State and results in an ineffective increase of costs. They believe that the program should provide full funding to the most socially vulnerable groups. As for other categories of people, their needs should be funded based on their income. The same is stated in the report challenges in the healthcare system and ways to overcome them, produced by the Institute for Development of Freedom of Information6. According to the report, it is necessary to reconsider the principle of universality, taking into account financial capacity and develop a target program which will primarily consider the needs of the most vulnerable groups. It is noteworthy that little information on national or municipal social programs is available to the public. As social sector experts explain, existing social programs have limited financial resources. In the case of spreading information widely, the number of beneficiaries would grow. And given the limited budget, the needs of most 6 Institute for Development of Freedon of Information: challenges in universal healthcare and ways to overcome them, Tbilisi, 2016, available at: seen on:

12 beneficiaries would not be met, which would increase the dissatisfaction among the population. Such a scenario is not in the interests of the state and municipal agencies. Assessment and analysis of situation in target municipalities The Research entailed a detailed study of four target municipalities: Gori, Zugdidi, Tkibuli and Khoni. Based on the research, we can say that the municipal social services mainly represent complementary components for nation-wide social programs. Local municipalities are trying to fully adhere to priorities of the government and take into account the main strategic directions of the State. 7 For the most part, municipal social programs are monetized and cash payouts are actively employed. Local municipalities are deprived of opportunities to provide social services to the local population and their social and health care programs are built upon cash benefits as well. Because of the introduction of the Personal Data Protection Inspector, information sharing among various agencies became more difficult. The SSA surely has an integrated database that is shared with its regional offices. However, local municipal social services are not allowed to access this database without consent of a citizen. Accordingly, in each individual case, they have to request such information from the Social Service Agency which delays and impedes the effective handling of citizen applications in the local municipalities. Apart from problems with data sharing, cooperation and communication between the center and the region needs to be significantly improved. Involvement of regions in social policy planning, delegation of powers and decentralization of the social system may be the optimal solution to the current situation. It is also noteworthy that there is deficient communication between various communities and municipalities. In the case of the Gori Municipality and Tighvi, Eredvi, Kurta and Akhalgori communities, there are program overlaps which indicate low levels of communication and cooperation. In general, it should be noted that focus groups and interviews conducted in target municipalities revealed that opinions expressed by beneficiaries on one hand and decision-makers and field experts on the other differed dramatically. Interestingly, compared to beneficiaries, decision-makers and field experts more positively assess social situations in the municipalities. Such differences could be explained by the fact that the participation of beneficiaries in local social policy planning is not provided. Neither do civil society organizations employ participatory methods while planning projects which lead to a lack of acceptance on the part of beneficiaries. With regard to beneficiaries, it should be noted that the persons remaining beyond the national and municipal social programs basically are former beneficiaries whose social vulnerability status has been suspended. In the Gori and Zugdidi municipalities, social programs are highly diverse programs and cover various categories. The Zugdidi Municipality is the most distinguished one as there is a precedence of substituting one-time cash payments with the long-term housing program for the most socially vulnerable groups. Based on the Zugdidi 7 Remark: Matrix of state and municipal social programs, see the annex 2.2

13 focus group and interview results, we can conclude that such practice is found to be most relevant. It is important for other municipalities to share the given experience as it will help them develop innovative approaches for the most vulnerable groups in the regions. Development of database systems and assessment of beneficiaries needs remain a significant challenge for all target municipalities. Despite statistical figures, municipalities do not have the experience and practice of data collection and processing. Statistical figures are mostly chaotic and lack systemization. Refinement of current practices would much simplify social policy planning. IDP-related issues With respect to IDPs, key findings of the research need to be emphasized. First, as it applies to the determination of IDP status, the Law of Georgia on "Internally Displaced Persons Refugees stipulates that IDP status may be granted to citizen of Georgia or by consent of a parent or other legal representative to statusbearing non-citizen underage person if one or both parents have and/or had been granted IDP status. Interviews, conducted with public officials related to IDPs issues, showed that such determination results in artificial growth in the number of IDPs as the change of generation further increases the size of the IDP population and the State finds it more and more difficult to deal with their needs. However, it should be noted that IDPs primary statistics, which will enable us to compare the current number of IDPs to their original data and detect if the number of IDPs is increasing or decreasing, is not publicly available. Focus group of beneficiaries in the Gori Municipality showed that opinions differ between IDPs affected by the first Tskhinvali conflict and the 2008 August War. More services and programs are intended for the 2008 August War-affected IDPs, whereas the ones from the first conflict remain overlooked. This practice needs to be changed and social programs should provide for equal treatment of both groups. In conclusion, the social service sector in Georgia requires significant transformation. It is necessary to develop a new systematic approach which will introduce social security guarantees in the country and replace the current donation system with more effective, long-term performance-based programs.

14 Chapter 1: Description of the General Environment and the Situation of Social Service Provisions at the National Level 1.1. Introduction Social service, in its broad sense, implies policy and vision implemented by the state in the field of social and health protection and unites a number of programs and subprograms, mostly aimed at equipping citizens with social security guarantees. Social service stands at the core of the state welfare and ensures provision of the population with decent living conditions. Georgia is a country with a transition economy and goes through the stages of social policy transformation and reforming. We have not yet developed a sophisticated model of social protection that would ensure a full-range of social and economic protections of citizens. There are a variety of social welfare models worldwide and much experience is accumulated in the field of social security. This experience indicates that effective social policy is always preceded by substantial economic reforms. Nowadays, the socio-economic situation is a major challenge for the state. It holds particularly true for social policy, which is highly sensitive to ongoing developments in the country. It is hard to come up with a mechanism that would ensure the transformation of the current social system into an effective and efficient one as it requires complex, systemic and multi-dimensional research. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, post-soviet countries, including Georgia, started on different ways of change and reform towards a democratic transition. In1995, Georgia opted for a liberal model of reforms which entailed the introduction of a free market economy and the development of a privatization policy. This economic, social and political transition affected all fields of public policy including social welfare the universal Soviet model started a transformation into a market-driven and liberalization policy. Primary social security guarantees inherited from the Soviet Union collapsed. Different states held different views on the complex and difficult process of democratization. In the first stage of the transition, Georgia failed to thoroughly reconsider and reform Soviet social policy or offer to its citizens a systemic and comprehensive policy of the new model. From 1995, during the presidency of Eduard Sevardnandze, signs of a social policy started to re-emerge with the introduction of a retirement system and the establishment of pensions for persons with disabilities. According to research of Transparency International Georgia on reforming Georgia s social welfare system, from 1995 Georgia replaced the old Soviet-period system by differentiated pension system, envisaging a disbursement of pension based on age limits. 60 and 65 years have been defined as retirement ages for women and men, respectively.8 According to the 2004 Global Corruption Index which was first held after 2013 Rose Revolution, 99.2% of the Georgian population believed that poverty was the most severe problem in the country. 99.3% of respondents named unemployment to be another pressing issue. In addition, if we resort to general statistics and IRI polls, we will see that the majority of the Georgian population considers unemployment to be the gravest problem of 8Transparency International Georgia, Reforming Georgia s Social Welfare System, Tbilisi, 2006, available: last seen:

15 the last decade. For instance, 2015 spring survey results9 show that to the question: what is the most important problem faced by Georgia? 45% of respondents still name unemployment first while it is on the list of problems named by 65% of respondents. Among second-order problems, 17% of respondents name economic development first whereas it is on the list of problems provided by 37% of respondents. Territorial integrity is regarded as a third-order problem and is named only by 14% of respondents. The question What are the most important issues that your household is currently facing? deserves attention 29% of respondents name unemployment first, 12% - economic development, 7% - low income, 6% - poverty, 5% - healthcare, 3% - high prices on utilities, 3% - low pension, 2% - social problems, 1% - availability of drinking water, 1% - poor living conditions, 1% - high prices on medicines and 1% - homelessness.10 Attention needs to be drawn to the question in your opinion, has the situation improved or worsened in the listed areas. 79% of respondents point out that the situation has improved in healthcare. Only 5% point out that there have been improvements in terms of unemployment whereas 64% believe that situation has worsened in this regard.11 26% of respondents also believe that solving the healthcare problems is the greatest achievement of the Georgian Government whereas 9% regard universal healthcare program as being such.12 It should be noted that the reforming of the social system started after the Rose Revolution. Widespread corruption was the gravest, most deep-rooted problem in the country. Social programs that were in place before and inherited by the new Government (for instance, assistance programs for single pensioners, in which beneficiaries were enlisted. Following change of the Government, it was discovered that in fact there were only such beneficiaries)13 were not tailored to reality and needs. Consequently, a comprehensive reconsideration and reform of social policy was put on the agenda of the new Government. As already mentioned above, there are different models of social policy transformation for post-soviet countries. One of these models refers to so-called monetization, i.e. development of a system built upon the cash disbursement. This system became the cornerstone for the Government after the Rose Revolution. The social system and other fields were deemed to be harbors of total corruption. The fight against corruption was declared as a top priority and the first phase of the social reform may be regarded as one of the reflections of the given battle. Years are considered to be the first phase of the reform, when social programs switched to targeted social assistance and the system built upon the so-called cash benefits was launched. As the expert interviews showed, different models were actively considered for reforming social system in Georgia. However, transforming the exsiting system into a European welfare model was a highly difficult task for the Government at that time as social services in Europe are directly linked to family income. In the case of Georgia, it was and still is difficult to adopt decisions solely on the basis of revenues, as a major part of the 9International Republican Institute, Public Opinion Survey Residents of Georgia, February 3-28, 2015, pg. 19, available: last seen: Ibid (the same source). pg Ibid. pg Ibid. pg In-depth interview, Vakhtang Megrelishvili, former Deputy Minister of Health, Labor and Social Affairs/politician, June 2016

16 population is self-employed and part of their income represents the so-called shadow income, etc.14 Consequently, focus was made on a South American model and two social programs offered by the World Bank were launched. From the beginning, criteria were set forth to be used for evaluating the welfare of households. From the old legacy, no such databases were available. A pilot program was launched by which families would be eligible to receive the so-called social allowances only after evaluating their social state based on pre-defined criteria. Development of the system helped to eradicate problems with identification of beneficiaries. Since an integrated and digitalized database was developed, it became much easier for the state to control cash disbursements and monitor beneficiaries of various services. Introduction of the system allowed the state to eradicate corruption schemes at the very first stage and collect accurate data on beneficiaries. Establishment of eligibility criteria for national social assistance programs made it possible to tie other social benefits such as utility vouchers, state compensations, day center services and others to the status of socially vulnerable and rating score of the family15. Nowadays, it is significant to mention, that some of the national social services are outsourced by the state and CSOs have an opportunity to be involved in service provision as main providers. Outsourcing practices basically mean that there are different mechanisms of state funding for CSOs, including giving vauchers for beneficiaries who are involved, for example, in daily centers. These vauchers stand as financial support for those service providers in the field of social service. The state defines the standards and announces tenders for service provision. Mainly, this is true in children welfare programs and services. But this practice is not wide-spread at the local level. The same trend is emerging in Zugdidi and Gori municipalities but needs further development. This practice of outsouring at national level can serve as a success story for Georgian Social Service Provision and should be applied at the municipal level as well. The entire system of outsourcing needs to be defined and reformed at the local level. In 2007, the LEPL Social Service Agency was established. It is an agency subordinated to the Ministry of Labor, Health and Social Affairs and is directly in charge of administering national social and healthcare programs. The Social Service Agency is headquartered in Tbilisi and is represented in regions of Georgia through 68 territorial offices which ensure the regional presence of the Agency and on-site administration of social programs. The Bylaws of the Social Service Agency16 state that the primary mission of the Agency is to offer support to the most vulnerable groups of the society, refine and enhance quality of services offered to citizens. The Law of Georgia on Social Assistance explicitly stipulates the rights and responsibilities of the Agency and its respective competencies. Furthermore, the law provides a definition of the terms such as social assistance, social service, social assistance system, homeless persons, deprived families, persons without breadwinner and etc In-depth interview, Gia Kakachia, former Head of Social Department at Ministry of Health, Labor and Social Affairs/Director civil society organization Partnership for Social Welfare, May 25, In-depth interview, Gia Kakachia, former Head of Social Department at Ministry of Health, Labor and Social Affairs/Director of civil society organization Partnership for Social Welfare, Director, 25 May Bylaws of LEPL Social Service Agency, available at: ; seen: Law of Georgia on Social Assistance, available at: seen:

17 From 2007, the range of national social and healthcare programs further expanded to include the beneficiaries of numerous vulnerable groups throughout the country. Given the goal of the research, it would be beneficial to provide a brief overview of the social and healthcare programs available at the state level Social Programs at the National Level The document on state budget priorities and programs clearly outlines focal areas for After the change of the Government in 2012, social policy and healthcare protection became top priorities for the new Government and the share of funding for such programs in state budget reached 30% by The management of national social programs is a direct prerogative of the Social Service Agency (SSA). The website of SSA states that national social programs are being primarily implemented in the following five areas:20 1. Social programs that bring together: monetary social assistance (subsistence allowance), support for rehabilitation of war veterans, provision of supporting equipment, support for communication of the deaf, day centers, community organizations, provision of people with mental disorders with asylums and state support program for improving demographic situation. 2. Child care: child adoption, alternative forms of child care, protection of children from violence, preventive measures for family assistance, rehabilitation of children, early child development, provision of shelters for orphans, emergency assistance in crisis for families with children. 3. Healthcare programs: universal healthcare, other healthcare programs, programs for eliminating Hepatitis C. 4. State disbursements: state pension, state compensation, household subsidy, social package, reimbursement of leave for maternity and childcare, as well as for adoption of a newborn child. 5. Employment. The document on state budget priorities and programs21 contains the following two primary directions in the social service sector22: a. Affordable, high quality healthcare and social provision it is stated that public health care and the provision of social guarantees is the most important priority for the state. The given field is aimed at developing a patient-oriented health care system which in turn requires financial affordability, geographic accessibility and a high quality of medical services. Following the reform of the healthcare system, all citizens of Georgia are provided with a universal healthcare program and easy access to health care which implies accessibility of medical services, protection from financial risks, disease prevention and a basic coverage of emergency treatment. 18 Priorities and programs of the state budget of Georgia, available at: seen: Ibid 20 Official website of the Social Service Agency: seen on: Georgian state budget priorities and programs, available at: seen on: Remark: social and healthcare expenditures in the budget of Georgia may be found in annex 2.1

18 In addition, various programs are run by the state for exercising constant supervision over public health. These programs provide for the prevention of different contagious and non-contagious diseases, promotion of effective immunization programs, prevention of HIV infection, reduction of the transmission of tuberculosis and prevention of chronic diseases, such as diabetes and chronic renal failure. Active work is also underway on a hepatitis-c elimination program. The given priority also includes state-provided social assistance, pension payouts to retired citizens in line with the law, important social services intended for specialized institutions shelters and day centers for orphans, the elderly and persons with disabilities as well as other institutions. In the field of employment, public policy should promote the creation of work places and the proper management of labor resources. The development of an effective and civilized labor market was named as one of the priorities which, in turn, entails the alignment of the labor law with the European legislation. The Government started to elaborate and update the database of unemployed people, collect and analyze unemployment data, search for employers and gather information on qualifications they required. The State program budget considers sub-programs under key priority areas as well: 1.1. Social protection of the population: for promoting the realization of economic and social rights by citizens of Georgia, alleviating the financial position of target social groups, improving the physical and social state of persons with disabilities, the elderly, the homeless, socially vulnerable groups, orphans and abandoned children and promoting their integration into society through preventive, rehabilitating, alternative and family empowering services and assistance measures Provision of pension implies the assignment of pensions to the population beyond the retirement age (women 60 years and men 65 years); state compensation to specific category of persons (law enforcement, the prosecutor s office, civil aviation employees, former MPs, high-ranking diplomats, etc) Social assistance to target groups aims to alleviate the financial condition of target social groups: for impoverished families below the poverty line subsistence allowance; for target groups provision of social packages; allowances for people with IDP, refugee and humanitarian status; reintegration allowance; monetary benefits for improving demographic state; assistance for maternity and childcare as well as adoption of a newborn child; compensation for damage inflicted to an employee s health while performing job duties Social rehabilitation and childcare, which aims to improve the physical and social conditions for persons with disabilities (including children), the elderly and carefree, socially vulnerable, homeless and abandoned children and ensure their integration onto the society Healthcare financial affordability and geographic accessibility of healthcare services. The program aims to promote public health, encourage healthy lifestyles and prevent contagious and non-contagious diseases; promote immunization, screening and early detection of diseases as well as control the dissemination of contagious diseases such as tuberculosis, malaria, viral hepatitis, HIV infection, sexually transmitted diseases;

19 Universal healthcare, which provides for planned ambulatory, urgent ambulatory and stationary treatment, planned surgery, chemical, hormone and radiotherapy; funding of delivery and Caesarean section; provision of certain groups of beneficiaries (socially vulnerable, retired persons, veterans, etc.) with medicines Public healthcare, which implies promoting immunization, screening and early disease detection as well as controlling the dissemination of contagious diseases such as tuberculosis, malaria, viral hepatitis, HIV infection, sexually transmitted infections, encouraging healthy lifestyle through various campaigns Medical services to the population in priority areas: specialized assistance for people with mental disorders; treatment and provision of medicines for patients with diabetes; hematologic oncology services for children; dialysis, kidney transplantation and medicines for patients with chronic renal failure; treatment and medicines for patients with rare diseases; emergency medical care, transportation and ambulatory services for rural residents; referral assistance; medical examination of recruits to military forces; reduction of death rate caused by non-contagious diseases, protection of the public from financial risks caused by the given diseases through ensuring accessibility of medical services Postgraduate medical education: it implies the determination of those scarce and crucial medical specialties, that will be subject to funding; determination of places (quotas) in the given specialties; the list of the municipalities, for which medical specialty seekers will be funded, will be defined by the administrative-normative act of the Minister of Labor, Health and Social Affairs;23 If we consider the figures of the last three years, we will see that budgetary funds allocated for social and healthcare programs are characterized by an upward trend. Below is a diagram which is based upon the official budget data.24 Diagram 1 23Georgian state budget priorities and programs, available at: seen on: Ibid

20 In order to understand the scale of social and healthcare programs, it would be interesting to see the general statistics on the number of beneficiaries served by specific programs. The first phase of the universal healthcare program was launched in February At the first stage, in the period from February to June, citizens received emergency ambulatory treatment, emergency stationary care and citizens were registered for planned ambulatory and polyclinic services.25 The second phase of the universal healthcare program was launched on 1 July As the policy of the Institute for Development of Freedom of Information runs, compared to 2011, the number of citizen applications to doctors increased by 54%.26 Nowadays, the universal healthcare scheme covers 92% of the population whereas around 400,000 citizens have private individual or corporate insurance Report of the Georgian Government, Available at: seen on: Institute for Development of Freedom of Information, policy brief challenges of universal healthcare program and ways to overcome them, Tbilisi, 2016, available at: seen on: Report of the Georgian Government 2015, available at: seen on:

21 According to 2016 June official statistics of Social Service Agency, 4.5% of the Georgian population are beneficiaries of social packages.28 Diagram 2 Number of social package recipients throughout the country by target groups 9, , Persons with disabilities 24,660 Family members without a breadwinner Politically repressed persons 124,534 Recipients of State compensation Recipients of household subsidy Other It is interesting to note how the statistical data look in target municipalities of the research. By the 2014 census, the population of the Gori Municipality makes up 77,549 people. The potential share of social package consumers is around 4,7% of the total population. The population of the Zugdidi Municipality is 62,511 people and the potential share of social package consumers totals 4,9%. The Tkibuli Municipality has 20,839 inhabitants and the share of beneficiaries of social packages is 5.4%. We have the same figures in the Khoni Municipality there are 23,570 residents and potential share of beneficiaries is 5.4%. Table 1 Number of social package recipients in target municipalities Persons with Persons without Politically repressed Recipients of state Recipients of household Other Total 28 According to 2014 census, population of Georgia constitutes 3, people. National Statistics Office of Georgia, available at: seen on:

22 disabiliti es breadwinner persons compensation subsidy Tkibuli District ,131 Khoni District 1, ,262 Zugdidi 1, ,187 Zugdidi District 2, ,070 Gori 1, ,466 Gori District 2, ,674 As for the number of retired population, the following table shows the number of pensioners and the total amount of funds disbursed to them based on June 2016 data, throughout the country as well as in target municipalities. Table 2 Pension Number of Pensioners Funds disbursed as Pensions in GEL Throughout the country 712, ,037,585 Tkibuli District 5, ,448 Khoni District 5, ,944 Zugdidi 12,676 2,052,468 Zugdidi District 15,388 2,486,292 Gori 8,369 1,346,505 Gori District 13,136 2,113,960 The social assistance program represents the central direction of the national social programs it holds true for subsistence allowances to which a series of other social program are tied. As already mentioned, the state aproach is built upon the socio-economic evaluation of households and assigning rating scores. The Decree 141/N29 of the Ministry of Labour, Healthcare and Social Affairs of Georgia explains the rule of evaluation of socio-economic conditions in socially vulnerable households which includes different aspects, such as: assessment of a living area of a family, personal data of family members, level of education of family members, their income, communal expenses, assessment of a plot, domestic cattle, etc. All this data is analyzed by a computer-based program which calculates the overall rating score for each household. This score has a decisive role when allocating other benefits for similar families. Consequently, it is interesting to look at country statistics in this field and study the situation on a regional basis. Meanwhile, it is noteworthy that there is a 29 The Decree 141/N of Ministry of Labour, Healthcare and Social Affairs of Georgia, 20th of May, 2010, Tbilisi.

23 substantial discrepancy in the number of people who applied for status of socially vulnerable and the actual number of beneficiaries having socially vulnerable status, as all applicants are not granted with the status of socially vulnerable after household evaluations were conducted by the SSA. The following table shows that only 34.5% of the applicants are the recipients of social allowances. This table also shows the differences between recipients of social assistance and registered for receiving social assistance by target municipalities.30 Table 3 Target Social Assistance Number of Individuals receiving social assistance Throughout the country Number of Families receiving social assistance Number of Individuals registered for receiving social assistance Number of Families registered for receiving social assistance 469, ,734 1,360, ,076 Tkibuli District 3,291 1,205 13,356 5,172 Khoni District 7,439 2,426 14,177 5,045 Zugdidi 5,859 1,878 15,130 5,084 Zugdidi District 8,759 2,309 31,837 9,711 Gori 3,721 1,326 14,613 5,045 Gori District 20,707 5,869 40,590 12,408 Amount of transferred funds by target municipalities are as follows: Diagram 3 30 * Figures published by the National Statistics Office as of January 1, 2013 are used for number of families and population in Georgia. Number of families by separate municipalities is calculated based on the average size of families set in 2002 census data

24 The Household subsidy represents one of the directions in the national social programs. It is a monthly cash disbursement which is designated for different social categories as defined by the law for satisfying their household-utility needs. The following table depicts the number of household subsidy beneficiaries throughout the country and by municipalities. Table 4 Subsidy for better conditions of life Subsidy Beneficiary of 7 GEL subsidy Beneficiary of 22 GEL subsidy Beneficiary of 44 GEL subsidy Throughout the country 12,920 13,987 2,463 29,370 Tkibuli District Khoni District Zugdidi Zugdidi District Gori Gori District Total Interviews with regional representatives of the Social Service Agency have explicitly demonstated that social policy planning is carried out at the central level whereas regional offices of the Agency are in charge of its administration on a regional basis. It is up to the Ministry of Labor, Health and Social Affairs to set out the strategy and priority areas in the social policy. The Ministry applies common standardized approach and implements the above-mentioned programs throughout the country. In-depth interviews showed that while planning social assistance programs (it refers to allocation of subsistence allowance and assignment of a rating score to the household) specifics of particular regions are taken into account and each region has its own coefficient.31 In the welfare index, there are different coefficients for different sizes of geographic areas. There are four types of settlements: a) Capital; b) Large towns (including, Gori and Zugdidi); c) Other urban settlements (including Tkibuli and Khoni); 4) Rural settlements.32 This document also refers to different types of coefficients, such as: disabled children, persons living alone, pensioners, pregnant women, nursing mothers, orphans, persons having chronical diseases.33 While discussing the evaluation system and methodology, it was pointed out that the methodology as well as the evaluation questionnaire have been repeatedly revised to better respond to the needs and concerns of citizens. Following the recent adjustment in June 2015, a modified methodology is employed for evaluating socially vulnerable families.34 Methodological changes include: a) change in methodology of filling out an evaluation questionnaire and declaration: in previous years household appliances used to be indicated in declarations the requirement has been removed; area of living space and 31 In-depth interview, Nino Chighladze, Head of Imereti Regional Center of Social Service Agency, 15 June Government Resolution 758, of vulnerable families (households) socio-economic status assessment methodology approval, December 31, 2014, Tbilisi 33 Ibid 34 In-depth interview, Tea Tedeluri, Head of Shida Kartli Regional Center of SSA, 14 June 2016

25 number of rooms have been added to the questionnaire; subjective assessment by social agent has been completely removed; b) cash allowance has been adjusted based on the score: in previous years, families with rating score of 57,000 were eligible for a social allowance. For now, the score has been raised to 65,000. For detailed information, see the table below. Table 5 Rating Scores Amount of Funds Received by Family 0-30,000 Each Family member gets 60 GEL; plus 10 GEL (if there is a child under 16) 30,001-57,000 Each Family member gets 50 GEL; plus 10 GEL (if there is a child under 16) 57,001-60,000 Each Family member gets 40 GEL; 60,001 65,000 Each Family member gets 30 GEL; There were contradictory positions with regard to methodological change which envisaged the removal of the SSA s authorized person s subjective assessment from the questionnaire. As the heads of the SSA territorial offices point out, the change is expected to make the evaluation system much more objective. However, others criticize the change and claim that the agent s subjective assessment helped to better perceive the actual situation of the families. As a result of the methodological change, the rating system of vulnerable families became reliant solely on objective factors and in some cases families were left without social assistance due to various reasons. An example is a one-time assistance received by a family having a patient with cancer.35 It is noteworthy that the social service sector is characterized by a high degree of centralization and there is a top-down approach applied to planning and implementation of national social programs. All regional offices get instructions and guidelines from headquarters on the how social programs need to be administered on the regional basis. There is nearly zero involvement on the part of regional and local levels in policy planning and the role of territorial offices is restricted to sharing statistical data, and citizen complaints and needs with the center. It is also noteworthy that by introducing the position of personal data protection inspector, the process of personal data-sharing among different agencies has become much more complicated. The Social Service Agency surely has an integrated database that is shared with its regional offices. However, without a citizen s consent, this database can not be accessed by the social services of local municipalities. Consequently, in each individual case, they need to request information from the Social Service Agency which prolongs and impedes fast and adequate response to citizen applications in local municipalities. A number of social services are not fully available in different regions. As Social Service Agency representatives claim, geographic expansion of all social services is a priority for the state. However, they also point out that a shortage of human resources represents a major challenge. As an example, there is lack of occupational therapists in the country - their number is approximately This, in turn, suggests that the day centers of 35 In-depth interview, David Chikhradze, Head of Gori Gamgeoba Healthcare and Social Security Service, 14 June In-depth interview, Mari Tsereteli, Head of Care and Social Program Department of Social Service Agency; Tbilisi, 8 July 2016

26 disabled children experience a lack of qualified specialists which impedes the provision of various services in a comprehensive manner. Chapter 2: Description of the General Environment and the Situation of Social Service Provisions in the Target Municipalities Apart from national social programs, local municipalities operate social departments that offer local residents different social programs based on governmental priorities in that particular region. Such programs mostly serve to complement state-level ones. In general, the Law of Georgia on Social Assistance regards the following parties as agents in the social field: Ministry of Health, Labor and Social Affairs, Social Service Agency and its regional representations and local municipalities. Congruent to the Law of Georgia on Social Assistance, local self-government bodies: a) Take part in the evaluation system as provided by the Georgian legislation; b) provide homeless persons with shelter; c) register the persons at the shelter; d) make information on registered homeless persons available to the Agency. It is also pointed out that in case of implementing local social assistance programs, local self-government bodies should make data on allowances of beneficiaries under the Law available to the Ministry and the Agency and make this information compatible with the Agency s unified database of socially disadvantaged families, according to the procedures, form and frequency determined by the Minister. The Local Self-Government Code of Georgia sets forth exclusive and delegated authorities of local selfgoverning units. Congruent to the 2 nd paragraph of article 16 of the Code, exclusive authorities include a provision for homeless persons with shelter as well as their registration. The 3 rd paragraph of the same article states that a municipality is entitled to exclusively settle any issue unless it does not conflict with competencies of other governmetal agencies. Therefore, a municipality may implement measures for promoting employment, development of agriculture, tourism, social assistance, healthcare and so forth.37 It is noteworthy that following the 2014 legislative amendments to the self-government, self-governing status was granted to 7 cities: Gori, Zugdidi, Telavi, Mtskheta, Ozurgeti, Akhaltsikhe and Ambrolauri. Consequently, the Gori and Zugdidi municipalities were split into city hall and district municipal services. It led to a number of changes in the social field as well. It is noteworthy that despite several changes in the code of Local Self- Government in terms of improving decentralization in the country, there are very limited exclusive 37 Group of authors of Caucasus University: Amiran Gigineishvili, Natia Jokhadze, Revaz Egadze, Ana Janelidze, Aleksandre Kalandadze; policy document: state standards and technical regulations in exclusive and delegated authorities of municipalities, Regional Development Program, Civil Society Institute, Tbilisi 2016

27 competencies for local self-government and the system stays strongly centralized in many fields of policies, including social and economic policy of Georgia. The primary goal of the research is to study the current situation of the social service sector in the following target municipalities: Gori, Zugdidi, Tkibuli and Khoni. To this end, field work was conducted in all four regions and entailed in-depth interviews and focus group discussions with representatives of municipal social services, Social Service Agency and civil society organizations Gori Municipality Description of current situation According to the census conducted in 2014 in Georgia, the population of the Gori Municipality is 77,549 people.38 Apart from national social programs, there are more than 20 social and healthcare programs available in the Gori Municipality. They complement those national programs that are being implemented throughout the country. The table below provides a detailed description of the programs and their respective budget line. It is noteworthy that following 2014 self-government reform, cities and municipalities were separated and Gori became a self-governing city. The research refers to the situation in Gori Municipality. Social and healthcare programs of the Gori Municipality are characterized by an upward trend. In 2013, the program cost GEL ; in GEL , while in 2015 social budget grew from GEL to GEL This year, the budget was first set at GEL However, after being adjusted three times, it now grew to GEL 2, 556, 000 and made up 10,71% of the total municipal budget.39 Based on 2015 statistics, 5500 beneficiaries took advantage of social and healthcare programs in the Gori Municipality. By the 2016 May data, the number of beneficiaries constituted Meanwhile, it is noteworthy that a co-financing program is operating in the Gori Municipality and the projects initiated by civil society organizations and other non-profit legal entities are eligible for partial funding. During 2015, the Gori Municipality funded 11 such projects. By 2016 figures, the Gori Municipality has already co-financed 10 projects and this number is expected to double by the end of the year. This program is positively assessed by representatives of municipal services as well as the non-governmental sector which believes that the availability of similar programs will help local civil society organizations more effectively carry out their activities. In contrast to state programs, CSO programs have different specifics. The detailed description of already co-financed projects, see the table.40 Table 6 Civil Society Organizations Project Brief Description Funds from Gori Municipality 1. Association Betlemi 10 days summer camp for 25 beneficiaries from socially vulnerable families; 5000 GEL 38 National Statistics Office of Georgia, available at: seen on: Information available at: seen on: In-depth interview, David Chikhradze, Head of Gori Gamgeoba Healthcare and Social Security Service, 14 June 2016

28 2. Association Woman and Development 3. Center for Welfare and Development 4. Center for Welfare and Development 5. Red Cross Society of Georgia Building vocational capacity for 15 women from socially vulnerable families; Co-financing 15 disabled children to be enrolled in day center for one year; Co-financing 10 disabled children to rest in Ureki resort for 6 days; Co-financing Basic healthcare mobile cabinet ; GEL GEL 1800 GEL GEL 6. Community Biliki Co-financing 20 children from socially vulnerable families and living in conflict area settlements for summer camp; 6000 GEL 7. International Charity Organization Caritas Homecare service for 35 beneficiaries from socially vulnerable families who are living alone; n/a 8. Europe-Dona Georgia To implement breast cancer preventive measures for villages in the municipality; 9. Union of Blind People Project for disabled to design a daily center, where they can study Braille and through this start using computer; n/a n/a 10. Community Fund of Shida Kartli For Peace and Development Co-financing computer study courses for three months in Tirdznisi villages; n/a The following social and healthcare programs are being implemented in the Gori Municipality: Table 7 Gori Municipality Social and healthcare expenditures envisaged by 2016 annual budget41 Org. code Title of the Program Healthcare and social security of the population 2,556, Arranging infrastructure for clinics in villages 30, Social security of the population 2,521, Assistance program for the elders 100 years of age and above 10, Assistance to orphans 35, Assistance to multi-child families 100, Treatment and medical assistance for socially vulnerable people with cerebral 110, Information available at: seen on:

29 palsy, Down syndrome and autism Funeral services 15, Assistance to families residing in borderline villages near occupied territories 1,451, Social assistance for sportsmen and students 45, Medical assistance for socially vulnerable population 100, Medical care for cancer patients 195, Treatment and rehabilitation of children with scoliosis 10, Co-funding of social projects 120, Provision with free medicines 95, Assistance to homeless families affected by fire and natural disasters 20, Social assistance to families of fighters (veterans) for freedom and territorial integrity of Georgia 30, One-time allowance for socially vulnerable, disadvantaged and homeless population 30, One-time social assistance for dialysis-dependent patients with Hepatitis C 60, Social assistance for patients with leukemia 30, One-time social assistance for socially vulnerable youth returned to biological families from reintegrated state care 10, One-time social assistance for socially vulnerable single mothers 55, Public healthcare services 5,000 Focus group discussions and in-depth interviews with representatives of non-governmental organizations and local municipality officials showed that the present situation in the social service sector in the Gori Municipality has relatively improved and is deemed more or less satisfactory. Advisory committee members participating in focus group meeting individually assessed the social service sector in the Gori Municipality. During pre-assessment, the average score of the participants was 6,2 on a 10- point scale42. After discussions and in-depth analysis, the average score of the group dropped slightly to 5,9. It is noteworthy that there is a sharp discrepancy between the average scores of the focus group participants of beneficiaries and the Advisory Committee members in Gori Municipality. During pre-assessment, in response to the question do social programs meet your needs participants of both groups put only 2.4 points on a 10- point scale. During the secondary assessment, the average score remained the same as the score of the first group dropped (1.9 points) whereas the score of the second group increased to reach 2.9 points. According to representatives of the Municipality, Social Service Agency and non-governmental organizations, such an assessment is caused by the fact that socially vulnerable groups have different characteristics and it is difficult to fully meet their requirements. Beneficiaries always believe that programs or projects that are 42 Remark: The detailed description of the H-Form see in the methodology, pg. 6

30 intended for them do not offer sufficient benefits. There is a low willingness on the part of beneficiaries to be actively involved in various activities, whereas the degree of skepticism is rather high. Participants named the low self-esteem of the beneficiaries as one of the reasons preventing them from communicating with public and non-governmental institutions. Because of the lack of adequate social skills and poor education, civil society organizations actively employ a social accompaniment practice which implies assistance to socially vulnerable groups for proper communication with municipal and state agencies. In terms of the positive aspects of the social service sector, focus group participants brought the following issues to the fore: - Diversity, scope and accessibility of social programs (diversity of coverage zone/different socially vulnerable groups, support offered in various directions, combination of both cash and non-cash benefits); - Numerous civil society organizations operating in the social service sector and the diversity of their projects. A high degree of involvement on the part of CSOs and initiation of new and innovative ideas; - Openness of the Municipality and cooperation with the civil sector, high degree of communication; the practice of implementing joint projects and the support of social projects by the Municipality; - Interest of donor organizations in problems of the social service sector and the support in financing of social services; - Smooth referral network between the Social Service Agency, civil society organizations and the Gori Municipality; - Hepatitis C elimination program co-funded by the Muncipality funding of pre-treatment medical examination costs. Under the research, attention was drawn to the current practice of social policy planning in target municipalities. The majority of the focus group participants point out that social policy planning is built upon past experience, current needs of citizens and research outcomes. Based on the data, the Gori Municipality drew up a one-year action plan which was approved by the Sakrebulo of the Gori Municipality.43 Statistics of citizen applications were used for defining priority areas and it was natural that the focus was made on the most demanded areas. In addition, the Gori Municipality saught to supplement existing national programs, trying not to overlap the ones already available for the beneficiaries. For instance, the universal health care program does not provide for diagnosis and medication costs. Therefore, the municipality has a program in place that envisages funding of examination and medication costs for socially vulnerable groups. High-risk groups are defined to be key beneficiaries of the municipal social programs. Focus group participants believe that engagement of civil society organizations in social policy planning is well ensured. Focus groups participants positively assessed the approach of the municipality which provided for compatibility of social programs at the central and local levels. While discussing the quality of cooperation and 43 In-depth interview, David Chikhradze, Head of Gamgeoba Healthcare and Social Security Service of Gori Municipality, 14 June 2016

31 coordination, participants remarked that communication with CSOs had significantly improved compared to previous years, although further steps needed to be taken to promote future cooperation. Problems and challenges in the social service provision The Gori Municipality representatives strongly asserted that registration and differentiation of vulnerable groups was underway and policy development was based upon conducted research outcomes even though CSO representatives presented a completely different picture. As they claimed, the collection of statistical data of the population, assessment of needs and analysis never actually took place. Information available in the Municipality was chaotic and the database was in need of improvement. In addition, participants put forward a number of other problems and challenges. The following issues were identified as key challenges: - Lack of material, technical and human resources; - Lack of communication between central as well as local authorities, civil society organizations and the public; - Lack of a consistent approach towards social policy planning. While discussing causes underlying the given problems, it was pointed out that unified and long-term strategy of a social policy did not exist. Scarce resources, low level of education, lack of common standards, lack of motivation on the part of the citizens to be involved in decision-making process, absence of monitoring and evaluation tools represented significant obstacles as well. As for cooperation and coordination among various agencies, focus group discussions and interviews revealed that in most cases coordination and communication between different actors is not quite effective, ultimately resulting in problems for beneficiaries. It holds particularly true for communication between various municipalities. Relationship of the municipalities with Tighvi, Eredvi, Kurta and Akhalgori community representatives is particularly notable.44 In a number of cases, program overlaps occur due to poor coordination and cooperation among the Gori Municipality and these named communities. According to the participants, it would be beneficial if the practice of experience sharing between municipalities could be introduced - it would help them expand their horizon and refine social services. In addition, participants highlighted the importance of sharing foreign experiences, especially those of Eastern European countries. It was also noted that cooperation with the central government is very poor and social policy planning is carried out from the top. Local self-governing units, as well as the regional office of the Social Service Agency administered social programs that were regarded as priorities by the Government. The problem of data sharing between various actors was cited over and over again. Recent legislative changes in personal data protection restricted access of municipalities and public organizations to the database of the 44 In-depth interview, Tamaz Gvimradze, Head of Shida Kartli and Samtskhe-Javakheti territorial unit of the Ministry of Georgia for IDPs from the Occupied Territories, Accommodation and Refugees, 14 June 2016

32 Social Service Agency on socially vulnerable families. Nowadays, only citizens themselves may request such information from SSA which creates an additional barrier for beneficiaries and takes more of their time.45 It is also noteworthy that in spite of improved cooperation with civil society organizations they, as well as ordinary citizens, are not involved in the municipal budget planning process and are only able to take part in public discussions about the budget. The given fact demonstrates that Gori does not apply participatory planning tools in practice and updates the public on the budget only after its approval. With respect to spreading information, the reseasrch found out that mass media represent the main channel of communication. Residents get information on new social and healthcare programs from TV. Civil society organizations are conductors of information. The Gori office of the Social Service Agency disseminates information as well. However, it should be noted that all these programs have scarce resources and funds are limited. Spreading information would lead to an increase in citizen applications which in not in the interests of the municipality.46 Among the challenges, participants named lack of qualified staff. Social workers engaged in social programs have exceedingly busy schedule and much workload, posing a threat that quality may be sacrificed. In conclusion, it can be stated that the social state in Gori Municipality is similar to the general situation in other target municipalities Zugdidi Municipality Description of current state Following self-governance reform, a number of changes were initiated in the Zugdidi Municipality. To begin with, the status of this self-governing city was granted to Zugdidi in Consequently, city and municipality administrations were separated from each other. Urban and rural social services were divided. The social and healthcare service of the Zugdidi Municipality was split in two. Nowadays, they have separate programs and budget lines. According to the 2014 census, the population of Zugdidi Municipality is 62,511 people.47 There are 12 social programs available in Zugdidi Municipality. The following table presents key areas and the budget of the given programs for It is noteworthy that funds allocated in the Zugdidi Municipality for social and healthcare programs make up 9.86% of the total budget.48 Table 8 45 In-depth interview, David Chikhradze, Head of Gamgeoba Healthcare and Social Security Service of Gori Municipality 14 June, Ibid 47 National Statistics Office of Georgia, available at: seen on: Information available at seen on:

33 Zugdidi Municipality Healthcare and social security costs covered by 2016 budget 49 Org. code Name of the program Healthcare and social security of the population 1,824, Public healthcare services 144, Other healthcare measures 20, Social Security 957, Support program for the elderly, lonely old people, families of socially vulnerable diceased beneficiaries 40, Social protection program for war veterans 35, Social protection program for families and children 60, Social protection and rehabilitation for persons with disabilities 100, Social protection program for persons without breadwinner 50, Assistance program during holidays 41, Funding transportation fees for village Khurcha residents, vulnerable students and dialysis-dependent citizens 80, Support program for homeless persons 90, IDP support program 30, Medical assistance program 430, Provision of socially vulnerable population with heating tools 55, Provision of homeless persons and people residing in poor living conditions with living spaces 588, Co-financing of various projects presented by different organizations and physical entities for improving living conditions of socially disadvantaged 60,000 families and vulnerable groups 3367 beneficiaries have already taken advantage of different municipal social programs in the first half of 2016 under the code Just like the Gori Municipality, social programs in the Zugdidi district are planned in a way not to overlap national ones and complement them. For example, the state provides assistance to vulnerable families for the birth of a third child. The Zugdidi Municipality established a one-time monetary assistance for the birth of the first and second children. After the birth of a fourth child, such families become eligible for a multi-child assistance program as well. The Social Service of the Zugdidi Municipality tries to base just a few programs on the so-called rating score and thus ensure the maximum inclusion of other target categories. 49 Information available at: seen on: In-depth interview, Gogi Revia, Head of Gamgeoba Social Department of Zugdidi Municipality, 21 June, 2016

34 Interviews with representatives of civil society organizations showed that municipal social programs are functioning well in the Zugdidi district and the allocated budget is fully consumed. While analyzing the general situation in Zugdidi Municipality, it was found that the budget allocated for social programs tends to be fully consumed as the practice of budgeting is built upon the databases run by the Zugdidi Municipality Social Service.51 Databases, priorities identified by the Government, experience of nongovernmental sector, new skills acquired from various trainings as well as needs retrieved from citizen applications are actively employed in the course of social policy planning.52 With respect to the databases, the social service representative pointed out that the municipality has different types of databases and he himself is in charge of the study process. Detailed information on various socially vulnerable groups is fully available. As no such practice has been in place before, the Municipality has to dedicate much time and resources to the development of database system. The update of databases is performed once a year and the annual social budget is adjusted on the basis of new developments. The rate of citizen applications is quite high in the Zugdidi Municipality. On average, around 4,000 applications are submitted to social services each year. Basically, the appeals refer to needs covered by available social programs. In thecase of identifying some additional needs, there is a referral system in the municipality and citizens are redirected to other relevant bodies. At the initial stage, advisory committee members participating in focus group meetings positively assessed the current state in social service provision and the average score made up 7 points on a 10-point scale. After repeated assessments, the average score of the group remained the same. However, much like the Gori municipality, the score put by beneficiaries differed considerably from the one put by experts and decisionmakers of the sector. During pre-assessment, 4.8 was the average score put by beneficiaries on a 10-point scale. After the discussion of needs already fulfilled and needs that should be addressed by the governmental bodies, the average score placed by beneficiaries decreased to While discussing positive aspects of the social service provision, focus groups participants put an emphasis on the following areas: - Diversity of social programs and coverage of vulnerable groups apart from state ones, there are 12 social programs running in the Zugdidi Municipality. Focus group participants highlighted the following ones: free canteen, financial assistance to caregivers, medication co-funding program, assistance program for single mothers and victims of violence, house construction and accommodation program, one-time monetary assistance to vulnerable families for birth of a first child, other types of monetary allowances, one time monetary assistance of GEL 500 to victims of domestic violence, etc. Focus group participants drew particular emphasis on municipal housing program, which they believed was the most effective one, oriented on longterm results. According to the representatives of civil society organizations, direction of one-time monetary allowances on similar long-term projects was a very good decision and they welcomed this initiative of the municipality. 51 In-depth interview, Gogi Revia, Head of Zugdidi Gamgeoba Social Department, 21 June Ibid

35 - Better environment for persons with disabilities A special committee was set up in the Zugdidi Municipality to work on disability issues. The given fact was positively assessed by focus group participants. City Hall and the Municipality government ensures there are adaptive facilities. According to the participants, the interest of the Municipality in the problems of disabled people has increased considerably and inclusion of the given vulnerable group in different programs and projects has intensified. Participants positively assessed the survey conducted by the Municipal Social Service on disabled persons which was aimed at developing a detailed database on their current needs. - Cooperation between civil society organizations and the local municipality focus group participants positively assessed the cooperation between civil society organizations and the municipality. It has been repeatedly emphasized that communication has much improved and the degree of CSO engagement is quite high. The given fact is further facilitated by the availability of the co-financing program for civil society organizations that is running in Zugdidi Municipality for the second year now. This helps organizations to implement different social projects for their beneficiaries. In the table below you can see the project already financed by the municipality. Table 9 Civil Society Organizations Project Brief Description 1. Hangi Persons with disabilities received co-finances for buying the sewing machine for their social enterprise; 2. Nergebi Homecare service for small children with the psychologist involved; 3. Fund Sokhumi Capacity building trainings for public officials in every village of Zugdidi municipality on domestic violence. The trainings will be conducted in July-August; Zugdidi City Hall runs a similar program which provides for co-financing of civil society organizations. Representatives of civil society organizations additionally remark that other state actors express their willingness to cooperate and are committed to the development of a better environment. - Promoting employment in this regard, the new state-implemented employment program was emphasized which envisaged training and internship (WORKENT53). Participants positively assessed this as well the efforts initiated for promoting employment of disadvantaged groups, which would provide sustainable solutions and a way out of the current situation. - Healthcare programs it was remarked during the discussions that the healthcare programs implemented by the municipality, such as assistance to vulnerable groups for diagnostics and purchase of medicines, supplemented the universal health care program. The program of providing babies up to 1 year of age with food additives was positively assessed as well. 53 See the link:

36 - Other programs participants also brought forward activities carried out in the social service sector by other actors, such as free legal aid to socially vulnerable and IDP population, support to small entrepreneurs, assistance of socially vulnerable people employed in agriculture through grants, etc. - Professionalism and competencies of social workers Focus group participants positively assessed the professionalism of municipality employees and their attitude towards beneficiaries. Particular emphasis was put on the kind disposition of the social service staff towards citizens and their overall enthusiasm. Problems and challenges in the social service provision Interviews and focus group meetings conducted in the Zugdidi Municipality revealed that homelessness represents one of the major problems in the district. This specific problem if the major issue for a substantial part of the population, ranging from IDPs to socially vulnerable families due to the socio-economic situation in the country. That is the reason Zugdidi municipal social service embarked on a housing program two years ago. Families living in poor living conditions is another grave issue. The renovation of living space is a priority for such families. However, scarce resoucres are not sufficient to satisfy all existing needs. While talking about these challenges, the Head of Zugdidi Municipality Social Service pointed out the lack of various services such as a day center for children with disabilities, shelter for the elderly, introduction of home care services and etc. In terms of the challenges in the social service sector, the Advisory Committee s focus group participants drew particular emphasis on the following issues: - Need for extensive research - Although the Municipal Social Service of Zugdidi Municipality has its own separate database which contains detailed information about socially vulnerable groups, production of mere statistics is not sufficient to ensure a better functioning of the social service sector. Incomprehensive needs assessment is another crucial problem. Participants noted that a systematic approach and extensive research was required to ensure the effective functioning of social service sector, whereas surveys were hardly ever conducted in the Municipality. Social policy is focused on short-term results and does not consider long-term outcomes. - Absence of various services - During the discussions, participants repeatedly stressed the need for a variety of services. The given fact was verified by the Head of the Municipal Social Service during the interviews. For example, the availability of shelters and social housing, a daycare center for disabled children, the launch of home care services, development of social enterprise, strengthening the social service provisions in the new IDP settlements, etc. The lack of social service provider organizations was named as one of the problems which hinders the development of various services in the Zugdidi Municipality. - Socially vulnerable groups - As participants remarked, it was important to revise the status of socially vulnerable groups to include homeless persons as they were frequently left behind in the coverage of national social allowances. It is also important to ensure greater integration of socially vulnerable groups into the society. With respect to social vulnerability status, the same problems are encountered in the Zugdidi

37 Municipality and, according to the participants, cases of unfair distribution of social benefits and calculation of rating scores are rather frequent. It is essential to eradicate the gaps in the given field. With regard to domestic violence victim status, there are problems that need a differentiated approach. - Lack of financial resources As participants remarked, resources allocated for the social service sector are not sufficient. Even though the local budget of social care has increased, a number of social programs are still lacking funds. It holds particularly true for the housing program where the Zugdidi Municipality is trying to raise additional funds from various donors. - Lack of information participants believe that beneficiaries are not fully aware about their rights which prevents them from taking advantage of the services they are eligible for. Meanwhile, public awareness of social programs still remains low. It is necessary that both municipal bodies and civil society organizations engage in the active dissemination of information. - Incorrect approach to social healthcare participants touched upon the gaps in universal healthcare and pointed out that an effective healthcare system should employ a differentiated approach the most vulnerable groups should receive full medical service whereas those having more capacity should be eligible for cofunding. - Employment and retraining Just like in other target municipalities, Zugdidi focus group participants touched upon the deficiencies in the existing social security system and stressed the need to cope with the prevalent unemployment. Retraining and employment of socially vulnerable groups should become a focal point which will ultimately result in allowance-dependent families becoming less contingent upon state donations. In conclusion, it can be stated that compared to other regions, social service provision in the Zugdidi Municipality is relatively well-functioning and even progressive in certain areas (disabled persons). Actors involved in the field spare no efforts to turn short-term programs into more sustainable and viable ones. Provision of homeless persons and people residing in poor living conditions with living spaces is an example of such programs, which entailed successful direction of one-time cash disbursements into long-term program Tkibuli Municipality Description of existing situation According to the 2014 census, the population in Tkibuli district is 20, Healthcare and social programs represent priority areas for the Tkibuli Municipal Social Service Provision. According to the data for 31 May 2016, the Municipal Social Service Sector budget makes up GEL which is one of the lowest indicators throughout the country. The share of social programs in the budget is approximately 4%. Just like the other target municipalities, the social service sector budget of the Tkibuli Municipality is characterized by an upward trend: in 2015, funding of social programs grew by GEL while in 2016, it grew by GEL 30, 000. In terms of health and social care, there are programs available in the Tkibuli Municipality where each program has 6 different directions. For detailed information, please see the table below: 54 National Statistics Office of Georgia, available at: seen on:

38 Table 10 Tkibuli Municipality Social and health care costs envisaged by 2016 budget55 Org. code Name of the program Public health care and social security 364, Healthcare programs 60, Public health care 60, Social programs 304, Individual assistance programs 112, Neonatal care 50, Funeral expenses 5, Food for the socially vulnerable persons 64, Assistance program to persons affected by fire, natural disasters and other ills 65, Assistance to families of veterans of World War II and people, who died protecting territorial integrity of Georgia 8,000 Advisory committee members participating in focus group meeting positively assessed approach assumed by the municipality towards social policy planning. This entailed recording the number of beneficiaries and identifying their specific needs. Attempts of the municipality to properly allocate financial resources were welcome, as well. The municipality follows certain criteria to allocate respective resources for vulnerable groups. It was also noted that public involvement in the budget review process was not provided for in the Tkibuli Municipality. As municipal officials claim, everyone is aware of the time of the public hearings and citizens are encouraged to participate in such meetings. However, public involvement in decision-making process is low. Problems and Challenges in the social service provision As already mentioned above, not everyone is equally satisfied with the recent methodological changes to the social assistance program. There are a number of contradictory opinions. Interviews conducted in Tkibuli showed that the system of awarding rating scores, which automatically assigns points and is fully devoid of subjective assessment, is widely criticised. Citizens are frequently unhappy with the purely objective assessment. They do not understand why they are assigned a high rating score making them ineligible for social vulnerability status. Social Policy Planning is a significant challenge in the Tkibuli municipality as well as the Municipal Social Service does not have a systematic approach and strategy towards social policy planning. It is further verified by the fact that in the Tkibuli municipality, disabled persons above the age of 18 represent a specialized target category due to the reason that Tkibuli is a town in industrial zone where most of the population is employed 55 Information available at: seen on:

39 in mines and often have severe physical injuries. People who have received injuries while working in mines are referred to as mine losers and the community treats them with particular dignity and honor. Despite the respect demonstrated towards these people, there is only one sub-program under the individual monetary assistance56 at the municipal level intended for disabled people above the age of 18. This fact is constantly criticized by representatives of local civil society organizations. The Tkibuli Municipality does not perform a periodic search of data on vulnerable groups. Consequently, no database on the different target categories is available which substantially impedes the process of social policy planning. The Municipality only registers citizen applications which implies that there is a poor understanding of actual picture and current needs in the Municipality. As for the involvement of citizens in budgeting or social policy planning, public organizations and ordinary people are not engaged in the process. Hence, we might conclude that needs-based social policy is not properly carried out. The interview with the Head of the Local Social Service revealed that, in practice, no needs assessment is performed which substantially hinders the development of a systematic approach towards social policy. Basically, the planning of social programs is built upon previous experience and citizen applications. This not always justified and, frequently, additional funds need to be raised for addressing the needs of citizens. Due to the lack of citizen engagement in decision-making process, there is an absence of effective control over municipality activities and thus, a problem with transparency stands rather acute.57 The Lack of financial resources is another significant challenge. As already mentioned above, the social budget of the Tkibuli Municipality is one of the smallest and given the social background of the region, financial resources are inadequate for addressing crucial problems. The Qualification of social service employees, especially social workers, is problematic in the municipality. Low competency in the social field leads to inappropriate performance. Municipality employees do not fully perceive the importance of needs assessment and strategic planning. Despite the lack of financial resources, it is possible to better manage and operate municipal services. However, representatives of public organizations state that the ineffectiveness of municipal services is an important problem and refer to one-time financial allowances. In most cases, such one-time assistance is not sufficient for individual citizens. Therefore, they apply to municipalities a number of times whereas the municipality does not have a clear idea on which target groups it assists.58 Such one-time assistance was always assumed to be a political importance during pre-election periods and becomes a kind of favorable mechanism for attracting voters59. The Head of the Municipal Social Service also believes that disbursement of one-time allowances is ineffective and focuses on the development of services, such as a shelter for homeless people, a day care center for people with disabilities, social enterprises, etc. 56 In-depth interview, Giga Sopromadze, Representative of CSO Nabiji Tkibuli, 22 June, In-depth interview, Zaza Gochelashvili, Head of the Tkibuli District Development Fund, 13 June, Ibid 59 Ibid

40 The Advisory Committee s Focus group participants discussed the challenges in the social service sector and possible solutions. Among the challenges, the following factors were listed: - Scarce social services - Groups remaining beyond coverage of social assistance and scale of social services - assigning social vulnerability status - Unemployment and new job opportunities - Lack of social programs for disabled persons - Lack of target programs for the youth - Availability of information on social programs - Low qualification of social agents and need fro retraining To overcome the given problems, participants believe that it is necessary: to have greater communication with the local population; engage in effective management and appropriate facilitation of social programs; plan and implement social programs adapted to actual needs. It was also noted that cooperation and coordination between central and local agencies is not complete. Information sharing is not performed and constructive cooperation between the civil sector and the municipality is developing well right now Khoni Municipality Description of existing situation Khoni district is one of the poorest municipalities in the Imereti region. Consequently, th social proetection situation is grave. Healthcare programs represent a priority for the given municipality. According to the 2014 census, the Khoni municipality has a population of 23, By 2015 figures, 1748 beneficiaries received assistance in the Khoni Municipality and funds envisaged by the budget, GEL , were fully consumed.61 The budget for 2016 makes up GEL , which is 12% of the total budget. The table below provides a detailed overview of the social and health care programs available in the Khoni Municipality: Table 11 Khoni Municipality costs of social and healthcare programs envisaged by 2016 budget 62 Org. code Title of the program Public health and social care 786, Khoni Public Health Care Center 88, National Statistics Office of Georgia, available at: seen on: In-depth interview, Leila Kintsurashvili, Head of Gamgeoba Service for Labor, Health and Social Affairs, Veterans, Refugees and IDPs in Khoni Municipality, 16 June, Information available at: seen on:

41 06 02 Social programs 698, Social care for families and children 0, Khoni Charity House 98, Free canteen in the charity house 98, Social (one-time assistance) 430, Provision with firewood 12, Telephone benefits for veterans 55, Funeral expenses 5,000 Focus group with advisory committee members showed that representatives of civil society organizations and various agencies give a rather positive assessment to the social service sector in Khoni Municipality. On a 10- point scale, the average score put by participants totaled 7.4. During the repeated assessment, the average score dropped slightly to 7 points. In the case of Khoni, there is also a substantial difference between the picture seen by the beneficiaries and the decision makers or field experts. Analysis of both focus groups of beneficiaries showed that the average score for the both groups was 3.4 points, which is in sharp contrast to the assessment made by members of the Advisory Committee. When talking about positive aspects of the social service sector in the Khoni Municipality, focus group participants basically list those programs that are administered by the Municipality: - National health care program - Co-funding of healthcare programs from the local budget - Programs intended for eco-migrants, specifically, purchase of residential houses (from central budget) - Medical examination for socially vulnerable people (including funding of tomography) - One-time monetary allowances - Funding of utilities for IDPs - Concessions for socially vunerable people on sewage and water supply - Social asseistance - Charity houses for socially vulnerable people It should be noted that the health programs carried out by the Khoni Municipality are fully based upon the rating scores assigned to vulnerable families. On one hand, this is absolutely understandable but on the other, it creates significant problems as there are serious concerns and criticism expressed by the Khoni Municipality Social Service representatives on the given rating system. According to the local self-government code, under the article 54, the Gamgebeli or the Mayor has a right to appoint his/her representatives, known as trustees, in every village.63 Despite the fact that information is spread via village trustees, it is notable that the Khoni Municipality still has some problems with spreading of information. In addition, there are three regional newspapers and the media which are used as communication channels. 63 The Organic Law of Georgia, Local Government Code, available:

42 Problems and Challenges in the social service provision Social policy planning is a major challenge in the Khoni Municipality because there is no strategy or vision on which the implementation of social programs would be based. While planning social programs, emphasis is put on the quantitative coverage of beneficiaries, though within the limits of allocated financial resources. The Municipality does not conduct a needs assessment or data analysis. Data collection is of spontaneous nature. The Khoni Municipality does not have detailed information on vulnerable groups, though it records data on beneficiaries of its own programs. There is a tense relationship between the local authorities and local representation of the Social Service Agency. Mutual accusations on the grounds of a political party belongings are frequently heard (particularly from representatives of Khoni Municipality) deserves particular attention. With respect to awarding a rating score, there are numerous concerns that are shared by the representative of the Agency as well. Hhe claims, in spite of methodological changes, that the given system is still in need of revision as reasons for awarding high scores are frequently obscure which leads to dissatisfaction on the part of the population. In terms of informing the population, neither the Agency nor the Municipality have specialized tools. Local representation of the SSA use the local municipality office where a meeting of the village trustees is held every Wednesday. Trustees are provided with information about the programs that they are required to disseminate among the public. This causes a lot of discontent among the population. Advisory committee members touched upon other important challenges in the social service sector: - Lack of programs to fund education of children in socially vulnerable families - Medicines are not provided for, as they are rather expensive - Problem of unemployment; employment programs - Methodology of granting social assistance and defining rating scores: rating system is catastrophic. A number of municipal assistance programs are awarded based on scores assigned by the Social Service Agency. If a higher score is assigned, municipal assistance is no longer eligible either. - Inefficiency of one-time financial assistance - Increasing cost of services by private clinics and insurance organizations; by universal healthcare program, 70% of costs are covered, the rest is disbursed by the municipality. The cost of the remaining 30% has much increased due to higher prices of medical service. It can be stated that while talking about problems and challenges, participants covered a considerable part of the needs as well. They remarked that overcoming of these challenges required the establishment of a working group which would perform an analysis of social programs once-a-quarter and determine their effectiveness. They also believed that it was necessary to ensure the transparency of the score calculation under the rating system in order to eliminate a lack of trust towards the SSA representatives. The discussion also referred to the accumulation of a one-time financial assistance and the direction of funds towards programs oriented on the long run, as the Zugdidi municipality did. As example, they allocated this one-time assistance budget for the Housing program which will have long-term results in the future for socially vulnerable people.

43 Chapter 3: Needs Assessment of Socially Vulnerable Groups Measuring the satisfaction of social and healthcare program beneficiaries as well as assessing and analyzing their needs represent the most important areas of the given research. It is noteworthy that the research focused on those persons as well those who remained beyond the coverage of the social and health care programs. The study showed that the individuals beyond any social assistance in four target municipalities are the ones whose socially vulnerable status has been suspended. Therefore, they are no longer eligible for national and certain municipal services. First of all, it should be noted that a family may be granted status of social vulnerability only if the family has a fixed living address. Due to the given fact, the most vulnerable social group, that is the homeless, is left deprived of social benefits. Different municipalities have a different approach towards the category of the homeless. It is noteworthy that the policy on the homeless is being solved in Tbilisi City Hall, as reflected by construction of an asylum on the territory of Lilo settlement. The given issue remains a significant challenge for the target municipalities and the construction of shelters requires the mobilization of substantial financial resources. In Georgia, where there is no institutional database for registering the homeless, there is no systemic vision on the problem of homelessness. There are neither relevant services nor housing policies. Starting in 2007, international aid funds such as the United Nations Development Programme, the UN s Population Fund, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation have implemented a number of projects in different municipalities for the purpose of installing the beneficiaries in social houses.64 However, the problem is largescale and deserves particular attention from the state. Unemployment is another grave problem that remains still unsolved at the central level. Even though beneficiaries put little emphasis on the importance of employment, social service representatives of all the four target municipalities believe that promoting employment is a key priority in the future and it should serve as a basis for modifying and reforming the currently effective practice of social assistance. It should be noted that the universal health care program is very popular among the beneficiaries in all four municipalities. However, high prices on drugs and the lack of various social programs for purchase of medicines, which is not covered under the universal healthcare program, pose problems to the local population. In general, focus group discussions with beneficiares highlighted the key finding: that beneficiares are having trouble distinguishing national and municipal social services while discussing the needs they have. They have lack of awareness in the field of social service provision and are not oriented on the service. Vice versa, mainly the beneficiaries in all four target municipalities name the lack of cash allowances as one of their key needs Gori Municipality Focus group meetings with beneficiaries in the Gori Municipality revealed that the issue of granting and removing socially vulnerable status was vital for the local population. First, beneficiaries assessed a level of satisfaction with social programs in the Gori Municipality. Focus group participants included beneficiaries of 64 Tatuli Chubabria, Homelessness policy in Georgia: need for changes, published at: seen on:

44 social and health care programs as well as their family members and citizens remaining beyond the scope of the programs. To the question about whether existing social programs satisfied their needs, the average score put by participants on a 10-point scale made up 2.4 points. Focus group participants were given an opportunity to assess the existing social and health care programs by various criteria, such as: effectiveness of social programs, degree of satisfaction with social services, social policy adapted to needs and etc. In total, 25 participants filled out a questionnaire and results produced genreally reflect the general attitude of the beneficiaries towards social programs. With respect to the effectiveness of social programs, the majority of the Gori focus group participants - 72% from surveyed respondents - consider that social programs are ineffective or highly ineffective. To the question how would you rate the accessibility of information on social programs in local municipalities, 80% of the participants think that dissemination of information on social programs in the Gori Municipality is low or very low. Measuring satisfaction with existing social programs is one of the most important aspects. As the analysis of the questionnaires revealed, a majority of surveyed beneficiaries were dissatisfied or highly dissatisfied (80%) with existing social programs. Considering the needs of the beneficiaries in social programs is another significant factor which clearly demonstrates whether social programs in the region are needs-oriented. As we found out, 72% of beneficiaries think that their needs are mostly or fully neglected. Only 4% of the participants think that their needs are fully considered. As for the question of how beneficiaries would rate communication from municipality representatives, a majority of the respondents (68%) gave a negative assessment. However, 32% of respondents believe that the degree of communication with the citizens in the Gori Municipality is good or very good. With regard to the qualifications of social service sector employees, a vast majority of respondents (64%) give a negative assessment and only 28% think that the qualifications of the social workers is high or very high. Under the research, we studied the degree of the beneficiaries awareness of various social programs and projects carried out by different actors. In the beginning of the focus group discussions, participants talked about the social services, about which they had certain information. They listed several projects carried out by civil society organizations. However, analysis of the questionnaire showed that 39% of respondents were in no way connected to CSO-implemented projects. For greater details, please, see Diagram 4

45 To the question does the local municipality take your needs into account in the process of budgeting, the majority of respondents (80%) stated that needs of citizens were mostly or fully neglected. A main part of the focus group was dedicated to the identification of needs among the beneficiaries which is expected serve as a cornerstone in future social strategy planning. Basically, in the Gori Municipality, the needs of the beneficiaries may be grouped in the following categories: Unfair distribution of social assistance, the so-called subsistence allowance - The vast majority of beneficiaries believe that the practice of awarding social vulnerability status to families is unfair and frequently it is not clear how the rating scores are assigned. Most of the beneficiaries declare distrust to the system of counting points. They also have concerns with regard to status suspension. In the opinion of the beneficiaries, a one-time assistance received from another organization or donor may become a reason for suspending the status. Ineffective social services - According to the beneficiaries, social programs that fail to fully satisfy the needs of the recipients may be regarded as ineffective. For example, the Hepatitis-C elimination program does not cover costs of the diagnosis and it remains a major problem for the population. The universal health care program does not envisage either provision of drugs, funding of medical examination, free supply of medicines of constant consumption. A GEL 100 one-time financial assistance allocated by the Municipality is not sufficient to cover similar expenses. Homelessness - Some beneficiaries named homelessness to be one of the most pressing problems, which is not easy to solve. The problem of homelessness stands acutely among the different target categories including IDPs and the groups that are most socially vulnerable. There are national programs for IDPs that provide them with housing but shelter programs for the homeless still remain a problem in Gori, as well as in other target municipalities. Funding of education for students - Beneficiaries noted that only certain categories of families are eligible to get funding for students. Such categories include residents in buffer zones or borderline

46 regions. Funding and access to education is one of the crucial needs of the socially vulnerable population. Promoting employment - Some of the participants believe that unemployment is one of the gravest problems that needs to be jointly addressed by the government and the local municipality. Utilities and other subsidies participants emphasized the need to introduce subsidies on different utilities. Access to other services - It includes those needs that do not involve financial assistance and are based upon service delivery such as absence of a behavioral therapist at the center of disabled children, legal services, psychological help for victims of violence and war-affected persons; arranging adapted environment for disabled persons, improved conditions at day care centers and so forth. Given the focus group results, it can be stated that the threat of vulnerability status suspension and unemployment are the most acute problems for the majority of the beneficiaries. Despite the fact that some of them had been offered some type of employment, they chose to decline it as wages would be much less than social assistance and their conditions would actually worsen. They also find it unfair that a one-time monetary allowance or some other type of assistance may become a reason for suspending social assistance. Beneficiaries also state that current social services do not fully address their problems. As example, apart from expenses covered by universal insurance, there are other costs which they cannot afford to pay. With regard to other actors in the Gori Municipality, beneficiaries stated that they rarely take advantage of their services. Other participants listed different activities carried out by non-governmental organizations ( Step to Future, Association of IDP Women Accord, Charity Humanitarian Center Abkhazeti and the Red Cross ) ranging from psycho-social assistance to trainings and seminars. Problems related to the status of single mothers were separately considered. In conclusion, we may say that in the Gori Municipality the basic needs of the beneficiaries are considered by different social programs. However, beneficiaries think that the degree of consideration is still inadequate Zugdidi Municipality Focus group discussions in the Zugdidi Municipality showed that granting-suspension of social vulnerability status is the most important problem for beneficiaries. Participants stressed the problem of unemployment as well and touched upon the need of introducing employment programs. Beneficiaries participating in the focus group applied participatory tools to assess the general situation and measure the extent to which the existing social programs satisfied their needs. An average score put by both groups during the initial assessment made up 4.75 on a 10-point scale. After the discussion, participants had an opportunity to re-assess their satisfaction with social programs. During the secondary assessment, the average score dropped to 4.35 points. A structured questionnaire was filled out by the 27 participants of the focus group. Analysis of the questionnaire showed that 48% of beneficiaries find social services to be effective or highly effective, whereas a majority of respondents (52%) negatively assess the effectiveness of the social services. As for the accessibility of information, 60% of respondents believe that accessibility of information about social programs is low or

47 very low. With regard to the question of satisfaction with the current social services available for beneficiaries, 63% of the respondents are dissatisfied or highly dissatisfied with the quality of social programs. As for the needs consideration in the social programs, a majority of respondents (70%) find that their needs are fully or mostly neglected in current social programs while in the rest (11%) of them think that their needs are fully considered. When assessing communication by local municipal workers, the opinion of the beneficiaries was split in two. One part of the beneficiaries (51%) believe that communication by municipality officials is good or very good while the rest of respondents (49%) find the communication to be bad or very bad. It should be noted that the majority of beneficiaries (66%) find the qualification of the Zugdidi Municipality employees in the social field to be low or very low. 27% of respondents believe that the qualifications of staff on these issues is very high. As mentioned above, while studying the accessibility of social services, measuring the satisfaction with projects and programs implemented by different actors is also important for civil sector representatives. A majority of Zugdidi focus group participants (48%) noted that they had no contact with the activities carried out by civil society organizations. This given fact deserves attention because the Zugdidi Municipality is characterized by an abundance of CSOs operating in the social field. See Diagram 5 As for the needs consideration while budgeting in the local municipality, 70% of respondents believe that the Zugdidi municipality fully or mostly neglects the needs of the beneficiaries during the process of budgeting. Through applying participatory tools, focus group participants in Zugdidi Municipality identified the basic needs of the beneficiaries that are fully or partially satisfied by various social programs. It is noteworthy that the needs identified in the Zugdidi Municipality are similar to those pointed out in Gori district: homelessness, unfair suspension and cancellation of social vulnerability status, the need for employment programs and so forth. It is important to consider all identified needs and if possible, combine them into groups:

48 Problem with granting social vulnerability status The system of calculating scores for granting socially vulnerable status is one of the acute problems for the majority of participants. Some of the participants could not understand what the reasons are for terminating social assistance and suspending the status. Employment programs - The majority of beneficiaries pointed out that unemployment and lack of job opportunities are one of the most important challenges in the Zugdidi Municipality. Several respondents remarked that they were forced to decline job offers due to the fact that salaries were lower than the cash allowance they received. Consequently, beneficiaries refrain from employment out of fear that it may worsen living conditions. Homelessness The Zugdidi Municipality is distinguished by the fact that it offers long-term social program to its population, which envisages construction of houses for vulnerable families. However, due to the need for substantial financial resources, the municipality managed to build just 16 new houses for 16 vulnerable families in the first year, which is not a great solace and relief for around 200 homeless people living in insecure or extremely grave conditions. Beneficiaries emphasize their satisfaction with the given program. However, given the current slow rate, needs of the remaining population are expected to remain unsolved for a long while. Insufficient financial assistance The majority of the beneficiaries point out that monetary allowances are not sufficient; for example: retirement pension, aid for IDPs, allowances for war veterans. Benefits are not available either for groups of target categories. As example: special benefits for the elderly, benefits for the armed forces and war veterans, utility subsidies for persons with disabilities and vulnerable people and etc. Shortcomings of universal health care program - The majority of beneficiaries are satisfied with the universal health care program. Meanwhile, they remark that the universal health care program does not provide for substantial expenses, such as medicines, diagnostics, multiple assistance for cancer patients; Improvement of services - Some of the beneficiaries expressed concerns that conditions in shelters of single mothers needs to be improved, SSA offers no services that would be adapted to disabled persons, conditions in rural ambulatory clinics needed to be improved, etc. Other needs - Beneficiaries identified other types of needs as well, such as: improving living conditions, procuring IDPs and socially vulnerable children with necessary school items, availability of drinking water, renovation of living houses, adapting environment for persons with disabilities, problems with granting status of a single mother and so forth. An analysis of the questionnaires shows that the lowest rating was given to services delivered by civil society organizations. However, in the course of the meeting, we found that IDPs and vulnerable people in the Zugdidi Municipality have used a number of services delivered by various CSOs. Despite such assessment, the beneficiaries regard civil society organizations as important actors dealing with their needs. As already mentioned, unlike other municipalities, the Zugdidi Municipality employs the practice of constructing houses for IDPs and vulnerable people. However, as beneficiaries remark, they are not satisfied with the quality of work and say it is not sufficient for long-term accommodation of their problems.

49 3.3. Tkibuli Municipality Focus group meetings in the Tkibuli Municipality demonstrated a peculiarity of the region and specific nature which is characteristic to industrial zone settlements. A majority of families living in the Tkibuli district are employed in 4 coal mines that represent the backbone of the regional economy. Therefore, unlike other municipalities, assessment of needs identified was that decent employment and labor conditions are of utmost importance for Tkibuli residents. In the initial assessment of the social service sector, an average score put by beneficiaries participating in focus group totaled 3.4 of a 10-point scale. After repeated in-depth analysis, average score of the group dropped and made up 3.1. In total, 29 beneficiaries filled out a structured questionnaire. The analysis of questionnaires showed that a majority of respondents (55%) negatively assess the effectiveness of social programs whereas it is positively evaluated by 45%. To the question how would you rate the availability of information on social programs in the municipality, 73% of beneficiaries responded that availability is low or very low. 65% indicated a low or very low level of satisfaction with social programs. 66% of the respondents say that their needs are fully or mostly neglected. Only 10% of the respondents believe that social programs fully consider the needs of the beneficiaries. As for communication of the local authorities with citizens, 76% of the beneficiaries are dissatisfied and believe that the current practice of communication is poor or very poor. 76% of the respondents believe the qualifications of the municipality officials in social issues to be low and not corresponding with the standards of professionalism. It is noteworthy that the Tkibuli Municipality is not characterized by an abundance of civil society organizations. A few CSOs are working on social issues, such as promoting and securing a better environment for persons with disabilities. Accordingly, a majority of respondents (40%) are not familiar with projects or activities carried out by civil society organizations. Meanwhile, attention should be drawn to the fact that only 33% of those beneficiaries who have experience working with CSOs positively assess their performance. See, Diagram 6

50 As for the consideration of beneficiaries needs in the process of budgeting, 89% of respondents think that their needs are fully or mostly neglected. Only 11% believe that needs are mostly accounted for in the municipal budget. As a result of focus group meetings, the needs of beneficiaries were identified which partially differ from the ones detected in other municipalities. As we noted earlier, the availability of job opportunities is one of the major problems for local inhabitants: Availability of job opportunities - Part of beneficiaries believe that there would be no need for social assistance if there were decent employment opportunities available in the region. According to the participants, the Labor Code is rather problematic as it puts an employer in a privileged position and does not oblige the employer to compensate an employee who received work injuries. It is difficult to mobilize alternative rehabilitation funds as well as the state does not offer such service to the population. Social vulnerability status The Tkibuli Municipality inhabitants pointed out that they do not trust the rating system and the reasons for suspending social vulnerability status are vague and unclear. Just like in other target municipalities, there were cases when families were at threat of status suspension solely due to the fact that an employer was transferring treatment funds to persons injured in mines and the given funds were regarded as salary. According to some of the beneficiaries, such assistance should not be categorized as remuneration. Shortcomings in the universal health care program - Most of the needs are associated with health care problems and shortfalls in the universal health care program. The majority of respondents believe that medical examination should be reimbursed in full (example: in the field of oncology). Among the needs, beneficiaries also identified availability of medicines, provision in the region with medical equipment, lack of medical staff and availability of certain medical services on-site (for example, local inhabitants have to travel to Kutaisi for a visit to the endocrinologist).

51 Lack of other services - Beneficiaries noted that there is not a day-center available in the Tkibuli Municipality for disabled people and substantial financial resources are needed for its establishment. It is necessary to offer assistance to single mothers and persons without a breadwinner, improve free canteen service for the helpless, etc. Introduction of various benefits - Participants expressed a desire to have a number of benefits for various categories of target groups. For example, the need for utility allowances, free visits to a doctor for multi-child families, introduction of tax concessions, transportation services for dialysis-dependent individuals and the so-called regression pension for people who received physical injuries in mines and can no longer perform work duties (the given pension, in their view, should be equal to employment salary). Beneficiaries touched upon the ineffectiveness of one-time assistance. It would be better to accumulate the given funds and direct them towards long-term programs. It was also noted that in some cases social vulnerability status gives preference to certain people, and persons with other needs remain excluded from national or municipal social services. For example, the rehabilitation program intended for people with disabilities should not be aimed at only vulnerable families. With regard to projects or activities performed by other actors, the majority of beneficiaries were not familiar with activities carried out by civil society organizations. They could recall just a few initiatives, such as attempt by Step Tkibuli to develop a day center and the Czech non-profit organization People in Need that was providing trainings for the local population in craftsmanship (for example, hairdressing) Khoni Municipality Focus group meetings in the Khoni Municipality showed that like other target municipalities, the lack of employment opportunities, procedures of granting social vulnerability status and healthcare needs represent significant problems. By the initial assessment of the social service sector, the average score put by focus group participants made up 3.4 points on a 10-point scale. After in-depth discussions on the needs of the beneficiaries, the average score of participants remained unchanged. In total, a structured questionnaire was filled out by 30 beneficiaries. The analysis of questionnaires revealed that a majority of beneficiaries (57%) positively assess the effectiveness of social programs. In regard to the accessibility of information about social services and programs, a majority of respondents (53%) think that there is a high degree of information available on social programs. According to 60% of the respondents, the degree of satisfaction with social programs is high or very high. With regard to considering the needs of beneficiaries in social programs, the opinion of respondents is split. 50% of the respondents believe that their needs are fully or mostly considered in social programs whereas the other 50% think that their needs are fully or mostly neglected. 60% of the respondents positively assess communication of the local authorities with beneficiaries while 7% of the respondents refrain from providing an answer. The majority of respondents (70%) positively assess the qualifications of local municipality officials in social issues and 7% of the repspondents still refused to answer this question.

52 In general, the Khoni Municipality is not characterized by an abundance of civil society organizations. Beneficiaries found it difficult to name any actor working on social issues in the municipality. Only several participants recalled assistance received from the Red Cross for medicines. Although, an analysis of questionnaires revealed that just 27% of respondents have never had any connection with CSOs, which is rather low compared with the three other target municipalities. A majority of respondents (60%) positively assess performance of CSOs in the social field. See Diagram 7 To the question whether the needs of the beneficiaries were considered in the process of budgeting, the majority of respondents (74%) indicated that their needs were fully or mostly neglected. It is noteworthy that 10% of respondents refused to answer the question and only 16% assessed positively the budgeting practice of the Khoni Municipality. Diagram 8

53 It is necessary to draw attention to one important fact that might slightly affect the results of questionnaire. The beneficiaries in the Khoni Municipality refrained from direct criticism of the Municipal Social Service and mostly avoided expressing critical comments. We did not have such a situation in any other municipality. It is also important that the Khoni municipality does not really have CSOs which are active in the field of social service provision and working on raising awareness of the public. These results show that some of the respondents were refusing to answer to the questions in the survey, despite the fact that they knew it was completely anonymous. Results of the Khoni Municipality differ. Beneficiaries more positively assess the current situation even though the Khoni Municipality is very poor in terms of municipal social programs and it represents the most vulnerable district among the target municipalities. While speaking about the needs, the beneficiaries mainly underlined problems such as: lack of employment opportunities, provision of the population with medicines, gaps in social assistance, etc. Shortfalls in healthcare programs - Most of the participants stated that they need benefits for drugs. It is one of the most painful issues for the elderly. It was also remarked that there was need for improved medical care as participants were not satisfied with current medical services and insurance. Frequently, examinations were free of charge but they could not afford to pay for expensive followup treatment. Social assistance - Like other target municipalities, the beneficiaries have concerns about social vulnerability status. The process is not clear to them. There are cases when poor families cannot receive social assistance while families with better economic conditions have no problems with taking assistance (for example, families which have a vehicle). It was also noted that, in the case of getting a one-time allowance from the municipality, there is a threat that social assistance may be lifted from the family.

54 Availability of different types of financial assistance Beneficiaries noted that there should be benefits for different target groups. For example: financial assistance to single mothers, one-time assistance for vulnerable groups, supplement to the retirement pension for the elderly, etc. Beneficiaries noted, as well, that the current system of social assistance deprives people of the motivation to seek employment. Citizens prefer to have stable social assistance rather than start work. This results in people getting lazier and fully dependent on social allowances. Generally, it is necessary to note that, in the Khoni municipality, beneficiaries attending the focus group discussions had troubles identifying needs and to differentiate the social programs and services run at national and municipal level. Chapter 4: Issues Related to IDPs 4.1. General overview of the situation Internally Displaced People represent one of the largest vulnerable group across the country. According to the 2015 report of the Ministry of Georgia of Internally Displaced Persons from the Occupied Territories, Accommodation and Refugees65, there were registered IDPs as of the end of By decree 489 of the Georgian Government issued on 30 July , an action plan on implementation of state strategy towards internally displaced persons-refugees was adopted. The plan is based upon priority directions identified through needs assessment jointly carried out by the United Nations and the World Bank. After the 2008 Russian military aggression, the action plan has been revised and by N 403 decree of the Government of 28 May an action plan for the implementation of the state strategy on IDPs during was approved. Congruent to an action plan for the implementation of the state strategy on IDPs during : The main goal of the State Strategy is to promote IDPs socio-economic integration and improve their living conditions. To reach this goal, the Action Plan strives to provide long term solutions to the accommodation needs of the IDPs, the reduction of their dependency on the State and the integration of the vulnerable IDPs into the national social assistance programs based on clear and transparent criteria until their return becomes possible. To meet the above-mentioned objective, the State Strategy foresees a number of activities focused on provision of adequate durable accommodation and integration measures. In addition, the document outlines the issues that deserve special attention in the course of implementing the Action Plan, particularly: voluntary and informed decision-making by IDPs, freedom of choice, dialogue with IDPs and their participation in report of the Ministry of Georgia of Internally Displaced Persons from the Occupied Territories, Accommodation and Refugees, available at: seen on: Decree 489 of the Georgian Government, available at: seen on: Decree 403 of the Georgian Government, available at: geo.pdf; seen on Action plan for the implementation of the state strategy on IDPs during , available at: seen on:

55 decision-making processes, gender equality, protection of the rights of children and respect for other recognized human rights. It is noteworthy that Ministry of Refugees conducts a periodic census of IDPs. For example, such census was conducted in 2007 with the support of the United Nations. A mandatory registration was carried out in 2013 as well. Monitoring and evaluation is jointly performed by the Ministry, donor and international organizations jointly as well as by the Public Defender. If we look at the budget of the Ministry of Refugees over the last three years, we will see that it is characterized by growth dynamics. In 2014, the budget of the Ministry constituted 49,364,200 GEL. The budget was expanded in 2015 to 70 million GEL. The budget of the Ministry for the current year is 85 million GEL.69 The Gori and Zugdidi municipalities are interesting in terms of describing an approach towards IDPs as they represent borderline regions. Statistics on registered IDPs (as of )70 in target municipalities are as follows: Diagram 9 Statistics on registered IDPs in target municipalities Tkibuli Khoni Gori ,505 3,569 11,756 Zugdidi 14,607 45, ,000 10,000 15,000 20,000 25,000 30,000 35,000 40,000 45,000 50,000 Number of families Number of IDPs However, the official statistics of Social Service Agency as of June 2016 give a different picture on IDPs. The chart below shows the number of IDPs (by target municipalities) who are beneficiaries of IDP social allowances. See Diagram Georgian state budget allocations, available: ; seen on: Information available:

56 Number of IDPs in Target Municipalities Gori District Gori 5,325 4,756 Zugdidi District 22,134 Zugdidi 18,966 Khoni District Tkibuli District ,000 10,000 15,000 20,000 25,000 These two diagrams show how different sources describe, differently, the numbers of IDPs in target municipalities. It is noteworthy that IDPs are considered to be inhabitants of the municipality in which they are registered (addressed) and consequently, enjoy all of the social programs that are implemented by the respective municipality. Congruent to the article 16 of the law of Georgia on Internally Displaced Persons Refugees, the Ministry and other governmental agencies are helping IDPs in getting social and other types of assistance.71 Consequently, any social program, be it central or municipal, applies to IDPs as well IDP-related national social programs Durable accommodation program for IDPs Te dhurable accommodation program of IDPs is carried out in three phases: 1. The first phase applies to IDPs collective centers, who need long-term housing solutions. The state offers them actual places of residence. 2. The second phase includes IDPs who live in compact settlements, although the State does not offer current buildings to IDPs for long-term accommodation purposes (the building is damaged, rehabilitation is inappropriate, is of strategic importance, is private property). The given phase also applies to extremely vulnerable IDPs living in private sector and requiring long-term accommodation. 3. The third phase considers alternative possibilities of assistance for those IDPs who refuse to accept the State s long-term accommodation alternatives. The final phase considers assistance opportunities for those IDPs who do not need long-term housing. 71 Law of Georgia on Internally Displaced Persons Refugees available at: seen on:

57 Residential area apartments are transferred to ownership of internally displaced families for the symbolic price - 1 (one) GEL. There are two categories of living spaces that may be transferred to IDPs: State owned centers Center, that State acquires from private owners to offer to IDPs In order to accelerate the process of accommodation, the Ministry is simultaneously implementing several projects. These are: A) rehabilitation and construction B) large-scale new constructions C) project house in village D) purchase of flats from Hualing Group E) purchase of flats from developers F) Transfer of spaces from legal ownership to private ownership G) Redemption of mortgage-encumbered flats before January 2015 (pilot project) A) Rehabilitation and construction In 2015, 1269 IDP families were provided with living spaces in newly built apartment buildings. During , the Ministry acquired 18 properties from private owners and transferred them to IDPs free of charge. 721 families are residing there. Table 12 Rehabilitation and Construction City/Region Number of IDPs Tbilisi 553 Adjara, Samegrelo, Upper Svaneti 376 Imereti, Guria, Racha-Lechkhumi 217 Shida Kartli, Samtskhe-Javakheti 123 Total 1269 B) Large-scale new construction In 2015, large-scale construction works started in Kutaisi and Zugdidi. In Kutaisi, construction of storey apartments have started that will accommodate IDP families. In Zugdidi, 26 twelve-stored apartments have been built for 2016 IDP families. In addition, construction works have started in Gori where 480 families will receive flats. Table 13 Large-scale new constructions City Number of IDP Families Zugdidi 2016

58 Kutaisi 2000 Gori 480 C) Project house in village Within a maximum amount of GEL , the State was offering IDPs rural houses with household plots of land but the problem was that houses found by the Ministy did not satisfy the IDPs. As a result, an IDP is personally involved in the process of searching and the house will be purchased by the Ministry in line with relevant criteria. The criteria have been modified and now the eligible amount is determined by the number of family members: GEL for a family consisting of 1-2 members, for 3-4 members, for 5-7 members, for 8 and more family members. Availability of a plot of land is a mandatory condition. Table 14 Project "House in Village" Region Number of houses Adjara, Samegrelo, Upper Svaneti 346 Imereti, Racha-Lechkhumi, Lower Svaneti 138 Kvemo Kartli, Mtskheta-Mtianeti, Kakheti 211 Shida Kartli, Samtskhe-Javakheti 63 D) Purchase of flats from Hualing Group Under the agreement with the Chinese company Hualing Group, the Ministry purchased 630 apartments; in 2015, 330 IDP families received living spaces while distribution of the remaining flats is planned for June In parallel with constructing residential buildings in the settlements of IDP families, schools, hospitals, police stations, fire stations and a commercial zone are being built. With the support of the Ministry, it will be possible to employ IDPs in the given facilities. E) Purchase of flats from developers The project of purchasing flats from developers is being successfully implemented. The Ministry bought 735 apartments in Tbilisi, Kutaisi and Marneuli. In 2015, living spaces were transferred to 35 families in Kutaisi, to 201 families in Tbilisi. Distribution of the remaining 499 apartments (Tbilisi, Kutaisi, Marneuli) is planned for Table 15 Number of flats purchased from developers City Number of flats purchased from developers Tbilisi 422 Kutaisi 263 Marneuli 50

59 F) Transfer of living spaces to private ownership In October 2014, the Government of Georgia adopted a project on the transfer of spaces to private ownership of Internally Displaced Persons refugees, which became effective on November 1, In 2015, the Government of Georgia issued orders on transfer of 6434 living sites to ownership of IDPs. Table 16 Statistics on transfer of living areas to private ownership Region/City Number of living areas Samegrelo, Adjara 1754 Imereti, Racha-Lechkhumi, Lower Svaneti, Guria 902 Shida Kartli, Samtskhe-Javakheti 846 Kvemo Kartli, Mtskheta-Mtianeti, Kakheti 1247 Tbilisi 1685 G) Redemption of mortgage-encumbered flats till January 2015 (pilot project) Under the given pilot project, the Ministry has already repaid mortgage loans for 49 IDP families. Monetary assistance is provided to the displaced families who have purchased living spaces before January 2015 and that is the only property of the family. For mortgage loan repayment, GEL is the maximum amount of financial assistance per IDP family. GEL was allocated from the budget for piloting the given project. The given direction has been suspended at this point.72 Apart from the durable accommodation program, socio-economic measures are applied for ensuring sustainable settlement of IDP problems. Socio-economic measures Socio-economic integration elements include the following activities: rehabilitation of infrastructure, ensuring access to health care as provided by the Georgian legislation, targeted social assistance, psychological care, access to education, livelihood and employment with consideration of gender equality. The primary goal of the action plan is to provide sustainable solutions to IDP problems. However, it also covers other activities for raising IDP awareness. In particular: hot line and open door meetings for beneficiaries, meetings with IDP groups for purposes of information sharing, consultation meetings, round table discussions, provision of information to the public through media channels, use of information technologies, etc. Social package 72 In-depth interview, Giorgi Gvazava, Deputy Head of Zugdidi Regional Office of the Ministry of Internally Displaced Persons from the Occupied Territories, Accommodation and Refugees, 21 June 2016

60 The Ministry pays attention to the implementation of the social package. During 2015, more than GEL was expensed in the form of one-time financial assistance and rent payment.73 Table 17 Social assistance provided to IDPs Year Utilities GEL 200 One-time assistance allowances Rent ,042,032 4,555, , , ,043,918 4,388, , , , ,500 Improved living conditions for IDPs Within the budget allocations, the Ministry carries out reconstruction works in various types of compact settlements (renovation of floors and roofs, rehabilitation of water and sewerage systems, gasification, etc.). In privatized IDP settlements, the given activities are performed with co-funding of local municipalities Actors involved in settlement of IDP issues Steering Committee on IDP Issues Overall coordination of IDP-related issues is performed by the Steering Committee whose members include: the Ministry of Internally Displaced Persons from the Occupied Territories, Accommodation and Refugees of Georgia, the Ministry of Labour, Health and Social Affairs, the Ministry of Regional Development and Infrastructure, Ministry of Agriculture, LEPL Municipal Development Fund of Georgia, the European Commission, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Georgia, the U.S. Agency for International Development, the World Bank, the Swedish International Development Agency, the German Development Bank (KFW). In addition, two representatives of non-governmental sector (one local, one international) are members with the right to vote. One of them is Charity Humanitarian Center Apkhazeti. Activities of the Steering Committee are aimed at promoting the socio-economic integration of IDPs, improving their living conditions, providing IDPs with long-term and durable accommodation solutions, reducing their dependence on the state, integrating socially vulnerable IDPs in national social programs. Government of the Autonomous Republic of Abkhazia The Government of Abkhazia is implementing a number of programs intended for IDPs. In addition, it should be noted that by resolution of the Government of A/R of Abkhazia around 20% of annually allocated funds (GEL ) are directed towards the persons remaining beyond coverage of social programs: report of the Ministry of Georgia of Internally Displaced Persons from the Occupied Territories, Accommodation and Refugees, available at: seen on:

61 On-site delivery of health services For providing medical services to IDPs in compact settlements, the Government of A/R of Abkhazia has signed a memorandum with several medical institutions of Tbilisi. Highly qualified doctors arrive in IDP settlements with their own equipment and medicines, provide on-site consultations to the population. The given program is highly effective as IDPs no longer have to travel and spend money on transportation, stand in long queues, etc. During 2015, 20 such visits were paid. In 2016, 6 visits were carried out, including Senaki and Marneuli. One-time financial assistance The Government of A/R of Abkhazia has a fund from which one-time financial allowances are allocated to IDPs. This program is intended for the families that do not belong to any category of social assistance. Repair work - A special commission studies specific cases, identifies families with urgent needs and allocates up to GEL 500 for repair works. In 2015, GEL was allocated for repair work in IDP compact settlements. It is noteworthy that the Government of Abkhazia has a sophisticated and comprehensive database74 in which IDPs are registered. The database contains specific and detailed data. They have access to the databases of all agencies and have various information on IDPs, allowed by the law. In the process of budgeting, they and their regional representatives are guided by the given databases and as a result it becomes easier to deliver well-adapted services to IDPs. LEPL IDP Livelihood Agency The Ministry of Refugees is changing its approach towards the settlement of IDP socio-economic problems. Accommodation of IDPs remains the top priority but greater focus is put on IDP employment, vocational training and implementation of business projects. To this end, by initiative of the Ministry and by Presidential decree 367 of 31 May 2013, a legal entity of public law the IDP Livelihood Agency has been set up. The main goal of the Agency is to promote the socio-economic integration of IDPs by providing them with livelihood sources. The Ministry has developed and the Government of Georgia has approved the IDP livelihood strategy which outlines the main directions in IDP livelihood support as well as priorities and ways of their implementation. International donor organizations The Ministry actively cooperates with international donor organizations. With their support and participation, a number of activities are carried out to assist IDPs, refugees, migrants and other beneficiaries of the Ministry. A 2015 report of the Ministry of Internally Displaced Persons from the Occupied Territories, Accommodation and Refugees of Georgia 75 presents the following activities jointly implemented with donors: European Union (EU) 74 Remark: representative of CSO was not informed about the given fact; it may may be a sign of poor communication and coordination report of the Ministry of Internally Displaced Persons fro the Occupied Territories, Accommodation and IDPs of Georgia, available at ; seen on:

62 EUR 2 million has been allocated to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (UN FAO), which implemented agricultural projects with the involvement of IDPs. EUR 2 million etechnical Assistance program started in 2014 and ran for 2 years. The purpose of the given project is to build the capacities of the Ministry for effective implementation of IDP assistance measures. U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Durable accommodation of internally displaced persons On 28 September 2012, based on amendment agreement between Georgia and the U.S. Agency for International Development, USD was allocated for accommodation of IDPs. The given funds were used for construction works to offer longterm and durable accommodation solution to IDPs. The budget of currently ongoing work amounts to 6.8 million U.S. dollars; in 2013, USAID completed rehabilitation of 10 sites for 400 families in Imereti region. Currently, rehabilitation of 8 sites is underway to accommodate around 200 displaced families. The partial rehabilitation of 35 collective centers is in progress as well. USAID also offer support to housing communities and funds livelihood projects under new economic initiatives (NEO). To this end, a Memorandum of Understanding has been signed between USAID and the Ministry. The organization provides grants to IDPs for starting business or for other activities which will bring income for housing community maintenance activities. Professional trainings are conducted for IDPs to promote their employment opportunities. It applies to professions such as: tailors, hairdressers, cooks, bakers and car mechanics. In order to improve access to credit, with help of CHCA, NEO continues to provide assistance to internally displaced persons and vulnerable beneficiaries for improving access to business-related trainings and interest-free loans under the Income Generation and Business Support Initiative (IGBSI) project. As of September 2015, 342 interest-free loans were disbursed in the amount of GEL. German Development Bank (KFW) The construction of houses for IDPs is underway in Zugdidi and is funded by the German Credit Bank for Reconstruction and Development. 8 blocks of flat have been built already and around 320 IDP families received apartments. Construction was completed in October From the funds allocated for the project, EUR remained unspent and they will be invested in House in Village project Current situation in target municipalities Gori Municipality Apart from the national programs in the Gori Municipality, the following programs are implemented specifically for IDPs:

63 The Gori municipality allocates funds for reimbursing funeral expenses of IDPs (250 GEL)76; In borderline village settlements as well as in Kurta, Eredvi, Tighvi, Akhalgori and Azhara communities, IDP youth are provided with reimbursement of tuition fees in accredited institutions. Rehabilitation of flats owned by IDPs. For example, last year, together with the Kurta, Eredvi and Tighvi municipalities, the Ministry allocated funds to repair fully-amortized floors in cottages built after the 2008 war. The given program also envisaged replacement of roofs. In Agara, the Municipality and the Ministry jointly repaired drainage channels, etc. In the Gori Municipality, an EU-funded project is starting for single parents and people with disabilities. The FAO (World Food Organization) is also involved in the project which is aimed at supporting small businesses of the given groups. Right now, identification of the program s target groups is underway. Around 300 such families are identified in the Shida Kartli and Samtskhe Javakheti regions. Humanitarian assistance: with the help of the United Nations, humanitarian aid was provided to oldconflict IDPs recently77 - mattresses, blankets, beds, kitchen sets and other tools. The Ministry has a group of partners, who help it carry out periodic examinations for IDPs. Operations are being funded. As example, the project One-room Principle implemented by Gormedi, Charity Humanitarian Center Abkhazeti, the Red Cross and the Ministry helped to improve living conditions for IDPs (60). It is noteworthy that there is a special assistance package for IDPs in the Kurta, Tighvi, Eredvi and Akhalgori communities, regardless of their place of registration. As example: the Khashuri Municipality provided food packages to all IDPs living in its territory (old and new IDPs, IDPs from Abkhazia). The Tighvi Municipality did the same and gave extra aid to IDPs from Tighvi. Naturally, the given aid was not received by IDPs from Tskhinvali and Kurta, as only beneficiaries of the respective territorial unit were eligible for the Tigvi community assistance Zugdidi Municipality In the Zugdidi Municipality, the situation is nearly identical though there are other programs as well. For example: The Danish Refugee Council implemented a project which envisaged building houses on plots of land owned by IDPs. This project ended as the Danish Refugee Council focused on Ukraine and the developments there. However, they left behind some projects, mainly related to trainings. The Municipality takes care of improving the living conditions in compact IDP settlements (communal problems, house renovation). In previous years, similar activities were performed by the Ministry, although the given function has been delegated to the Municipality. 76 Remark: it applied to old IDPs; in case of 2008 IDPs, funeral expenses in Kurta, Tighvi, Eredvi and Akhalgori communities are reimbursed as well in the amount of GEL Remark: Focus group conducted in Gori Municipality showed that similar assistance was provided to IDPs affected by the first conflict of Tskhinvali; beneficiaries think that the assistance was ineffective;

64 Imereti Region In the Imereti region78, local municipal programs differ by districts and they depend on the local municipal budget. The best situation is found in Tskaltubo. In the first quarter of 2016, the Municipality allocated onetime assistance to 500 IDP families, ranging from 150 to 200 GEL. In Khoni and Tkibuli, municipal budgets are modest though some assistance is still available. In Khoni, there are 1477 IDPs (500 families) and in Tkibuli IDPs (150 families). The Ministry of Refugees keeps track of IDPs. The Government of A/R Abkhazia adjusts the database once a month on the basis of IDP application and sends data to the Ministry. In the Imereti region, IDPs are provided with the following services by the Ministry: One-time financial assistance for I group invalids (100 GEL) Assistance for World War II veterans (100 GEL) Assistance for persons without breadwinner (100 GEL) Orphan child care (100 GEL) Assistance to the elderly aged 100 years (100 GEL) Assistance to disabled children, invalids from childhood (100 GEL) Assistance to families with four and more children (100 GEL) 4.5. Problems and challenges with respect to IDPs The 2015 report of the Ministry of Internally Displaced Persons, Refugees and Accommodation states that in spite of numerous activities and programs carried out by the Government with respect to IDPs, the number of registered IDPs keeps growing, requiring greater resources and efforts on the part of the Government.79 Despite the availability of several social services, some IDPs still remain beyond coverage of social programs. It can be said that the challenges encountered in the IDP social security sector are the same as the ones of the general public. However, the provision of IDPs with living spaces still remains the main problem for IDPs. Housing problems - IDPs are living in damaged buildings and it is necessary to provide them with alternative accommodation facilities, which is a complicated process. Although many such buildings have been emptied, the needs of IDPs still remain unaddressed. The State provides IDPs with a housing solution but as young families fail to collect sufficient points, they are forced to stay in larger families. Granting IDP status IDP status is transferred from parent to children, causing artificial growth in the number of IDPs in case one of the parents is an IDP, a child is registered as an IDP regardless of whether there is such need. In recent years, people obtained IDP status through various fraudulent manipulations. This status has been cancelled to hundreds of such IDPs. 78 Remark: In order to analyze IDP situation in Tkibuli and Khoni municipalities, in-depth interview was conducted with representative of Imereti Regional Office, which covers Tkibuli and Khoni districts. The research is based on information obtained from this interview report of the Ministry of Internally Displaced Persons, Accommodation and Refugees of Georgia, available at seen on:

65 There are problems with the criteria used to assign other statuses to IDP population. For example, to be eligible for the status of a person living alone should not have family members or relatives. In fact, a person may have relatives but still be living alone, having no one to help him/her. Employment problems - In all of the target municipalities, employment is considered to be the most acute problem. Respondents note that one-time aid is not enough to improve their situations. Although there are different employment programs in place, often, starting capital is required. In addition, there are cases when IDPs decline job opportunities or refrain from concluding an agreement with the employer in order to not lose social assistance. Employers frequently take advantage of the given fact and do not give compensation to IDPs for their performance. In general, the current social system results in people becoming lazier and more dependent on state assistance. Social vulnerability status - IDPs who are living in someone else s houses do not satisfy the rating system criteria when filling in declaration forms. They fail to accumulate sufficient points and therefore, cannot enjoy social assistance. While describing living conditions, social agents do not mention that the house does not belong to the IDP. Also, it is important to note that in the previous years there was a special coefficient for IDPs in the evaluation of households but now it is omitted from the decree.80 The current social security system does not take the Georgian context and reality into account and therefore, it is ineffective. Criteria for one-time cash assistance - As the research showed, there are no specific criteria that would regulate allocation of one-time allowances. The budget is limited and, therefore, priority is given to applications that are submitted first. The needs of IDPs are not accounted for. Lack of qualified staff There is lack of staff in regional offices of the Ministry of Internally Displaced Persons and Refugees. There is too much work and employees cannot cope with the workload.81 Ineffective monitoring of current programs - Although monitoring is carried out, no none checks whether services are well customized to the needs of IDPs or whether the quality of services is satisfactory. In addition, there are no indicators that would serve as a basis for the monitoring. Therefore, the effectiveness of the process is in doubt. Overall, Georgia s policy framework supporting IDPs compares relatively well to those of other countries and is based on the UN Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement. Georgia is party to almost all major human rights and humanitarian law international treaties as well as the Rome Statute. The legal reform process in line with these commitments is advanced and the Government has enacted IDP specific laws and policies. More than 200 legislative acts with provisions concerning IDPs have been adopted since 1992, demonstrating an active policy concern with regard to internally displaced persons. The government is actively seeking opportunities for further improvement. But while the IDP policy framework is strong, policy implementation has been challenging. On one hand, limited resources have prevented the provision of faster and more adequate housing support. On the other hand, inter-agency coordination and institutional capacity to provide 80 Government Resolution #758, of vulnerable families (households) socio-economic status assessment methodology approval, December 31, 2014, Tbilisi 81 In-depth interview, Tamaz Gvimradze, Head of Shida Kartli and Samtskhe-Javakheti Territoial Body of the Ministry of Internally Displaced Persons, Accommodation and Refugees of Georgia, 14 June 2016

66 services for IDPs at the local level needs to be strengthened to correspond to the commitments made in the national legislation and the national Government s Strategy on IDPs.82 Overall, we can say that currently available services are not really satisfying the needs of IDPs. There are two major problems regarding IDPs that Georgian Government is facing - homelessness and unemployment. Therefore, it is difficult to focus on the other needs of IDPs. 82 GSU03, Europe and Central Asia, Report No: ACS 16557, Georgia Transitioning from Status to Needs Based Assistance for IDPs, A Poverty and Social Impact Analysis, February, 2016

67 Annexes Annex List of interviews Full name position 1 Vakhtang Megrelishvili Politician; Former Deputy Minister of Health, Labor and Social Affairs 2 Gia Kakachia Partnership for Social Welfare - PSW director, former Head of the Social Department at the Ministry of Health, Labor and Social Affairs 3 Nino Danelia World Vision, senior social worker 4 Iulia Kharashvili Association of IDP Women "Accord" - director Central level 5 Mari Tsereteli Chairman of Social Care and Programs Department of the Social Service Agency 6 Kote Kutchukhidze Head of IDP Affairs Department of A/R Abkhazia 7 Giorgi Buliskiria Deputy Head of IDP Affairs Department of A/R Abkhazia 8 Nino Chighladze 9 Zaza Chachava Head of Imereti Regional Center of the Social Service Agency Representative of the Government of A/R Abkhazia in Imereti region Imereti Region 10 Neli Kareli Head of Social Service of Tkibuli Municipality Gamgeoba 11 Ramaz Gabriadze Regional representative of Social Service Agency in Tkibuli Tkibuli 12 Zaza Gochelashvili Head of Tkibuli District Development Fund

68 13 Giga Sopromadze CSO Step Tkibuli 14 Leila Tsirekidze Representative of socially vulnerable group 15 Leila Kintsurashvili Khoni Municipality, Head of Gamgeoba Service for Labor, Health and Social Affairs, Veterans, Refugees and IDPs 16 Jemal Gorduladze Acting Head of Khoni Regional Center of the Social Service Agency; Khoni 17 Levan Kutateladze Senior Specialist at Khoni Department of the Social Service Agency; 18 Ala Gamakharia Fund Sokhumi director 19 David Chikhradze Head of Health and Social Care Service of Gori Municipality Gamgeoba 20 Tamaz Gvimradze Head of Shida Kartli and Samtskhe-Javakheti Territorial Unit of the Ministry of Internally Displaced Persons from the Occupied Territories, Accommodation and Refugees of Georgia Gori 21 Tea Tedeluri Head of Shida Kartli Regional Center of the Social Service Agency 22 Marta Bibilashvili Charity Humanitarian Center Abkhazeti, manager 23 Gogi Revia Zugdidi Municipality Gabgeoba, Head of Social Department 24 Giorgi Gvazava Deputy Head of Zugdidi Unit of the Ministry of Internally Displaced Persons from the Occupied Territories, Accommodation and Refugees of Georgia Zugdidi 25 Kakhaber Kacharava Deputy Head of Samegrelo-Upper Svaneti Regional Center of the Social Service Agency 26 Khatuna Bechvaia Humanitarian Center Tanaziari

69 1.2. Photo of H- Tool