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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

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The future of homeless services: an EU perspective

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  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

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