The Roma community is one of the most socially disadvantaged groups living in the Republic of Slovenia. Because of the different way of living, lower education levels, high unemployment and difficult housing conditions, social transfers are their main source of livelihood. In the paper, we analysed the social transfers of the Roma people living in the Ljubljana area, more specifically in Roje. With the data analysis, we tried to determine which are the most frequently received family and social benefits of the Roma people, the amount they receive, the problems they deal with in receiving the social transfers, and we also wanted to know if the social transfers help improve their social situation. We used the description, analysis and observation methods. Based on the results of our research, we determined that all Roma families living in Roje depend on social transfers, which are their main source of livelihood. The key problem is the exploitation of these benefits, for example, families conceal the real number of family members in order to receive higher social support and family allowance and do not provide proof on how they spend the financial support they received. The dependency on social transfers in the community can be seen in the high unemployment level in low motivation for job search. Some Roma people are only registered at the local employment agency in order to be entitled to social transfers and not because they are actively searching for a job. In many ways the social security system in the Republic of Slovenia is flawed and the system urgently requires some changes. Among the most important is the need for better oversight of social transfer allocation and spending.
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