History, 20.th Century, Czechoslovakia, residential care, social care, social work, Ostrava

Housing policy has been and still is an important part of social policy. The intervention instruments of housing policy maintain a balance between the housing market and the financial affordability of adequate housing even for those with the lowest income. This article aims to analyse the involvement of social workers in addressing housing issues in the city of Ostrava in the context of the housing policy of the former Czechoslovakia. In terms of time, the project was focused mainly on the period of the first half of the 20th century, which is associated with the professionalization of social work in Czechoslovakia. Social work has been actively involved in the practical application of housing policy measures since residential care was made part of the work of social workers. The housing issue and seeking solutions to it in Ostrava more or less followed the progress of the country as a whole. The emphasis on the readiness of future professional social workers in the performance of residential care under the respective departments in state institutions in Ostrava was already incorporated into their training. The social work methods applied in Ostrava included social casework. Ostrava based companies, in particular Vítkovice Ironworks have made contributions to housing construction and residential care. Based on studies of archival resources it can be concluded that social work as a practical activity was actively involved in addressing housing issues during the reporting period.