A proposed social and crisis center for homeless people and drug users, set to open on Nádražní Street in Anděl, has been officially abandoned by the Prague City Council following public resistance and internal disagreement.

The decision came Tuesday after Deputy Mayor Alexandra Udženija confirmed the city would no longer pursue the project, citing a lack of consensus—not only among officials but also within the community.

“We held many discussions, reviewed expert materials, but we couldn’t agree. It’s unfortunate,” Udženija said. “I hope we’ll eventually get to a place where these efforts are seen as responsible, not emotional.”

The project would have transformed a residential building near the Anděl metro into a multi-purpose facility, including crisis accommodation, psychological care, basic medical help, and a police station.

But residents of Smíchov, where a smaller drug contact center already exists, pushed back—arguing the area was already under pressure from drug-related activity.

The Prague Police supported residents’ concerns with data showing 50 serious drug-related crimes, 300 alcohol-related offenses, and more than 500 cases of drug possession recorded in just ten months. In short, things are already tense.

Residents were particularly outraged by two things. First, they said no one asked for their input before the project was announced. Second, they were disturbed by the CZK 225 million price tag for the property—a building bought just a year earlier for CZK 166 million.

An expert valuation put the current value at CZK 193 million, raising eyebrows about whether public funds were being spent wisely.

“They tell us it’s for our safety. But we already have syringes in our parks, fights in our courtyards, and no one to call when it gets ugly,” said one resident during a tense neighborhood meeting.

Politically, the project was shaky from the beginning. There was no clear support across the city coalition, and with elections always on the horizon, few wanted to risk backing a plan so unpopular in such a visible neighborhood.

With the plan now shelved, no alternative location has been announced, and officials have not commented on what will happen to the budget that had been set aside for the project.

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