The Municipality of Gjilan with support from the Municipal Spatial Planning Support Programme in Kosovo (MuSPP) funded by Swedish Development Cooperation and implemented by UN-Habitat, is currently drafting a pilot Municipal Housing Profile (MHP) for Gjilan. The drafting process has been initiated by the Municipal Housing Group, consisting of officials from departments of Public Services, Urban Planning, Property and Cadastre. 

An important element of the drafting process is consultation and involvement of stakeholders, therefore a Housing Focus Group Meeting was organized on 14^th October 2014 by Municipality of Gjilan with UN-Habitat support. The discussion focus around housing sector challenges, examining the housing market and how it operates - principally looking at the dynamic between supply and demand, also identification of current and future housing needs.

The Focus Group gathered numerous participants, representatives from the Local Housing Construction Companies (Housing Developers), representatives from the Banking sector, Local Estate Agents, Women NGO's, Municipal officials (Municipal Housing Group) and representatives from central institutions MESP (Department of Housing)

The Focus Group consisted of 2 sessions: first session was the introductory session, and a brief outlining   the content of the focus group in terms of approach, which followed by a presentation on the importance of the Housing Sector and the Municipal Housing Profile, the second session provided the opportunity for in-depth discussions and defining the main issues and challenges of the housing sector, including current housing prices, anticipated needs and affordability.

The Focus Group meeting resulted in a meaningful debate and discussion among all parties and the results captured will form part of the MHP. At the end of the session, there was a genuine feeling among the participants that such discussions should continue in the future with similar set-up of stakeholders.