In October 2001, local authorities destroyed eleven Romani houses in the Trakajna neighbourhood of Strumica, a town in south-eastern Macedonia. Before the demolition, the local self-government promised the Romani families whose houses were to be destroyed that they would be moved to new prefabricated houses, according to the field research conducted by the association on November 14, 2001. On several occasions, the community appealed to the local mayor, who reportedly only replied that nothing could be done for the families. A further visit by the association on November 24, 2001, including medical personnel, established that all of the homeless Romani children had colds and that some of the adults suffered from pneumonia, apparently as a consequence of their harsh living conditions. The association subsequently informed the Macedonian Ombudsman's office about these developments, and on March 7, 2002, they received a response informing them that an investigation had been launched. However, the letter from the Ombudman's office states that local authorities in Strumica deny responsibility, claiming that the houses were built without legal permission, and that the Roma were warned of the demolition in advance. The Ombudsman's office has also requested the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy to find a solution for the Roma in question, through programmes for socially vulnerable persons. [2]

Residents have received not official information about the eviction (in fact, they never received a formal notice). The municipality has been planning to partly relocate the community (currently segregated near the cemetery) who will be getting container houses. However, this has never been implemented, an older man told the researcher [1] that this plan has been existing for more than 40 years [1].

The settlement has running water and electricity, but there is no sewerage which adversely impact the health of Roma children in particular [1][2]. Under heavy raining, the community is therefore exposed to flooding; it was reported that most of the houses were flooded eight times so far. As sewage overflows, it create mould in houses along with strong smells, which affect the health of the residents by causing infections, mostly affecting children [1].

Moreover, the community has no garbage containers, while non-Roma has garbage containers. Waste management is being organized twice per week [1].