"First steps towards the setting up of a Housing First project in Brussels »

1. Insert your logo here "First steps towards the setting up of a Housing First project in Brussels » • Lucie Martin & • Sébastien Alexandre • SMES-B European Research Conference Access to Housing for Homeless People in Europe York, 21st September 2012

2. Plan • Historic overview and partners • Objectives & Methodology • Brussels and Homelessness • Towards a micro experimental project • Conclusions • Follow up : applications European Research Conference Access to Housing for Homeless People in Europe York, 21st September 2012

3. Brussels & Homelessness • Context: paradox: rich city and high level of poverty (growing inequalities, unemployment, housing crisis, increasing homelessness) • Homeless Sector: • Real mosaic, fragmented and diverse, institutional complexity • Cross-cutting (criteria = « lack of housing ») • Crossed by different philosophies of social work • Politicized & surprisingly neglected by politics? • Mainly organized according to the « scale approach » • General idea: « not ready for housing », « care first » • However: internal and external criticism (various reports denounce paradoxes and necessity to change the orientation of actions) European Research Conference Access to Housing for Homeless People in Europe York, 21st September 2012

4. Brussels: Growing interest vs. generalized unawareness • No national plan to tackle homelessness, contrary to a national plan to combat poverty • No “housing first programme” • Very small-scale but actual projects working on access from the street to permanent housing (often understood as housing first) (less than 10 % of the budget) • BUT • Critics on scale approaches • Growing use of and interest in the concept BUT political & associative unawareness and misinterpretation • Examples: comments on reports, wrong use, « dignity first » European Research Conference Access to Housing for Homeless People in Europe York, 21st September 2012

5. Action & Research? • Historic review of the project: • - From 8 studios of a social housing company • - Interest for housing first model and knowledge • - Towards a short exploratory action research • Partners : active in housing and homelessness sectors • Foyer Schaerbeekois • SMES-B (Cellule d’appui) • Fami-Hôme • SASLS • Diogènes • Puerto • Les Petits Riens European Research Conference Access to Housing for Homeless People in Europe York, 21st September 2012

6. Objectives • Understanding and sharing the concept of housing first (philosophy, ambitions, fundamental principles) • Evaluate the relevance of a housing oriented policy in Brussels to tackle homelessness • Identify existing resources • Evaluate the feasibility and design its realisation • Identify key questions, points of consensus and dissensus, raise scenarios, suggest perspectives • Towards the setting up of a micro experimental project or more… European Research Conference Access to Housing for Homeless People in Europe York, 21st September 2012

7. Towards a micro experimantal project? • Objectives: • Make field experience emerge (on public care, housing support etc.) • Discuss ambitions, shared precepts on the creation of a housing first project • Discuss possible applications and technical matters (resources and philosophy etc.) • Identify points of dissensus and consensus European Research Conference Access to Housing for Homeless People in Europe York, 21st September 2012

8. Methodology • 4 phases: • Exploratory meeting with partners • Collective meeting and work on proposals • Writing • Concrete follow-up of the « research » • Bottom-up approach : discuss Brussels reality and share expertise, state of affairs, issues at stake • Action oriented approach: for a follow-up of the work • Very limited time: part-time for 2 months • Local and concrete perspective • From field to literature & vice versa European Research Conference Access to Housing for Homeless People in Europe York, 21st September 2012

9. Expertise – experience returns • Housing : a necessary condition, not a solution • From street to home : flexible, continuous support, always re-negociated • Support does not stop once housed • Loneliness: a cause of return to street • Importance of environment • Networking and activation of existing resources • Clarity and transparency of stakeholders and rules • Framing and supervision of workers European Research Conference Access to Housing for Homeless People in Europe York, 21st September 2012

10. Action research? Identifying controversies • Level of action: • Regional context for global change or • a micro experimental project from existing resources? • Fundamental questions: • Public concerned: General or specialized? • Type of support: ACT or ICM? • Teams involved: multidisciplinary or monodisciplinary? • What selection? • What conditions? European Research Conference Access to Housing for Homeless People in Europe York, 21st September 2012

11. Conclusions of the research • Change of paradigm needed • Micro experimental project as a way to promote and test new model • Necessity to carry on reflection at regional level • Need for more research • Integration & adequation to Brussels specificity : articulation with existing resources • Learning from abroad • Nothing without prevention: on consistency of the whole. • Consideration on evaluation European Research Conference Access to Housing for Homeless People in Europe York, 21st September 2012

12. Follow-up through 3 projects • Micro-project of Housing First in Brussels • Setting-up of a debate on the Housing First in Brussels • Updating of the National Plan against Poverty >>> implementation of the Housing First in 5 cities • Federal research aiming to evaluate its implementation. European Research Conference Access to Housing for Homeless People in Europe York, 21st September 2012

13. Microproject of Housing First • Very micro: only 6 appartments. • However, the first step to win others over! • Various partners (social housing, social care, mental health, medical care, addiction, etc.) • Working in network, around two full-time psychosocial professionals hired by the project. • >>> ICM. • Project defined in August. • Funding: in preparation • Setting-up: January 2013???

14. Conference • In 2013 • Partners coming from the homelessness and poverty sector but also more broadly from the health and social fields • Aiming to encourage the partners to debate on the housing access • One of the subjects will be the Housing First • Outcome: broader sharing of what is the Housing First, how accurate it is to the situation in Brussels, and how it can be implemented.

15. National Plan Poverty: update • Previous National Plan: 2008 • Update in 2012 with opportunity for the field to make proposals • Our proposal has been accepted: 5 Housing First in 5 cities + Federal Research on its implementation. • Follow-up through work on the implementation in Brussels + on the Federal Research.

16. Conclusions • The research has been an oppurtunity to investigate the question of the Housing First in Brussels with several partners • The follow-up has been more concrete, through the setting-up of a pilot project. • In order to reinforce this project, we seized the opportunity • to evaluate and comparen with federal partners • to make this project known and to discuss it with the broader fields that could be involved. • However, surprise can always appear...