1 / 8

The future of homeless services: an EU perspective

The future of homeless services: an EU perspective . Contribution FEANTSA SAD Conference – 18 SEPT – Prague . Some key principles. Supporting people getting out of homelessness Too many people stuck/ circulating in shelters system Empowering Too many rules

chandler
Download Presentation

The future of homeless services: an EU perspective

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript


  1. The future of homeless services: an EU perspective Contribution FEANTSA SAD Conference – 18 SEPT – Prague

  2. Some key principles • Supporting people getting out of homelessness • Too many people stuck/circulating in shelters system • Empowering • Too many rules • Too little opportunities to participate • In line with human rights • Too many shelters with no privacy, little possibility to have a family life/social relations… • Too many shelters with little respect for users – unsave, dirty… • Evidence-based • Too many services have no proof/info about their longer-term impact • Accessible • Too many shelters unaffordable • Too many conditions • Deserving – undeserving poor

  3. Some Key Problems • No policy or wrong policy framework • Ending vs managing of homelessness • Solving vs criminalising homelessnes • No or not sufficient funding • Common understanding of demand and quality • Comprehensive cost-benefit • Not enough spaces in homeless services • Large unserved / invisible audience • Focus on emergency support • Night shelters • No room for integration • Too few professionals / professionalism • Too dependent on volunteers • No social work training on homelessness • Dominance of charitable/confessional organisations • Actual aim?! • Concentration of services in urban areas • Under-estimation of scale of rural homelessness

  4. Some key trends • Diversification • Target groups • Couples, Pets, Wet shelters,… • Ladder of integration / continuum of care • Short stay, Integration hostels, half-way houses… • Increasing quality • Quality guarantee schemes • Single rooms • More staff / Professionalisation of staff • Beyond hostel/shelter • Training, employment, health, culture • Trans-sectoral cooperation • Tendering • Positive and negative impact • Institutional support  Individual support • Time limits • Housing First

  5. Housing First • Questions role of hostels in reintegration process • Care is no condition to access housing • Supported housing immediately • Social support adapted to needs • ACT, CTI, ICM • Impact • 80-100% success rate • Housing stability • Well-being • Most vulnerable • Cost-effective • Esp when hostel system is expensive • No Housing First in East Europe!! • Origin USA

  6. service development over time • Inevitable development?! • Small basic homeless service sector • Increasing demand • More beds in basic homeless sector • Changing profile • Diversification of the sector / more providers • Demand more complex • Increasing quality / more services • Ever growing homeless sector with limited outflow and high cost • Public investment required impossible • More attention to prevention and more effective policies/services • Is a focus on Housing First & Prevention possible in underdevelopped homeless service sector • Political courage • Expertise/knowledge

  7. Some eu opportunities • EU quality framework for social services • Sectoral framework homelessness • Housing First Europe project • Evidence • Toolkits • ERDF – ESF • Infrastructure and social support • Deinstitutionalisation • EIB • Housing First investment

  8. Thanks for listening ` • Freek.Spinnewijn@feantsa.org

More Related