Preventing and Tackling Homelessness in Denmark: Insights from Piotr Olech

1. Preventing and Tackling Homelessness Denmark 2005 Essence of Comment Paper – Piotr Olech, Poland

2. Terminology • ‘Skæve huse til skæve eksistenser’ • Several different translations used of the word ‘skæve’ – ‘weird’, ‘freak’, ‘alternative’, ‘unusual’. • Mr Henk Meert suggested that due to pejorative connotations of the remaining terms, the word ‘unusual’ should be used as the most adequately reflecting the meaning of the project’s title. • New translation - ‘skew’, which has been used in the Polish terminology so far. Hence the whole title of the project sounds ‘Skew houses for skew existences’ in Polish. • In the hereby survey I will be using interchangeably all the interpretations. Essence of Comment Paper – Piotr Olech, Poland

3. Foundation • Danish system • Really holistic approach based on a permanent and complex adjustment of help to the needs of the target group. In this way the support is provided continuously. • The system responds to the needs of the citizens, regardless of the evaluation of those needs. There are needs taken into account which are generally not accepted or which are perceived as destructive, e.g. extremely asocial attitudes. Essence of Comment Paper – Piotr Olech, Poland

4. Foundation • ‘The staircase of transition’ • Systems based on a hierarchisation of help (carrot and stick method) • Double exclusion - they lead to the exclusion of the people who, owing to various reasons, are not capable of fulfilling their requirements (e.g. alcohol problems). • More readily accepted by the public opinion due to a mechanism which functions according to the ‘something in return for something’ principle, namely: ‘if you obey the rules, we provide you with shelter’; or ‘nothing for free’. • Threat to such a system is that it is largely institutionalized and there is enough space for pretended activities (fulfill services needs not the needs of participants of our services) Essence of Comment Paper – Piotr Olech, Poland

5. ‘Skew houses for skew existences’ • Transition to polish reality • Barrier • Poorly developed activity in the sphere of social and occupational reintegration. • Difficulties in polish housing market • - access to housing market • - social housing has not developed enough in Poland • - substandard in Denmark – often standard in Poland • Public opinion • - stereotypes • - social unjust Essence of Comment Paper – Piotr Olech, Poland

6. „Barrack Project ” a skew house in the Polish reality Essence of Comment Paper – Piotr Olech, Poland

7. Essence of Comment Paper – Piotr Olech, Poland

8. Alternative places of stay for the elderly homeless • The project assumes that in case of elderly people the specificity of the homelessness issues and overlapping of many other social problems (addictions, mental diseases) requires separate structures capable of fulfilling the needs of this social group. • Population of the homeless is a population of ageing people. It is a reflection of the general tendency among European communities. • Establishing alternative care centers for the elderly, which would be adjusted to their specific needs, is a necessity for the Polish social policy, particularly in reference to people who objectively have problems with reintegration in the social sphere. At the same time Mr Meert’s opinion expressed in the report should be confirmed, namely that some of the homeless elderly will still have problems with adapting to living in such an institution. Essence of Comment Paper – Piotr Olech, Poland

9. The example of a social hostel – TPBA Przegalina Essence of Comment Paper – Piotr Olech, Poland

10. The example of a social hostel – TPBA Przegalina Essence of Comment Paper – Piotr Olech, Poland

11. Preventing and Tackling Homelessness Denmark 2005 Essence of Comment Paper – Piotr Olech, Poland