The December 2010 Flash newsletter is now online on www.feantsa.org.
“Homeless in Europe” Autumn/Winter Edition – Homelessness Among Children, Families and Young People [07/01/2011]
Call for Papers - European Journal of Homelessness Vol. 5 [07/01/2011]
The deadline for Volume 5, No. 1 of the European Journal of Homelessness has been extended to the 11th January 2011. The theme of this edition will be “Understanding Homelessness and Housing Exclusion in the New European Context”. More information is available from the Call for Papers.
FEANTSA Contributes to Hearing on "The Outcome of EY2010 and Future Action" [07/01/2011]
FEANTSA Director, Freek Spinnewijn, and Špela Razpotnik of Kings of the Street (FEANTSA member in Slovenia), presented the impact of the European Year 2010 and aspirations for its legacy from an NGO Perspective, with regards to homelessness, at a joint hearing between the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) and the NGO Coalition for 2010 on "The outcome of the European Year 2010 and future action". The hearing analysed the impact of initiatives taken during the year and focused on action that needs to be taken over the next 10 years to achieve the goals set and to remain ambitious in the commitment to reduce poverty across the EU.
Out Now - Volume 4 of the European Journal of Homelessness [07/01/2011]
Volume 4 of the European Journal of Homelessness is on “Homelessness, Poverty and Social Exclusion”. Read it online or order your copy from the FEANTSA secretariat.
A European Platform Against Poverty 2010-2020 [07/01/2011]
- As part of actions to develop social protection and access to essential services, the Commission will “Develop the Voluntary European Quality Framework on social services at sectoral level, including in the field of long-term care and homelessness.”
- As part of actions to promote social inclusion and tackle discrimination, the Commission states that “Developing appropriate and integrated responses, both to prevent and tackle homelessness shall remain an important element of the EU’s social inclusion strategy.” To this end, the Commission will “Identify methods and means to best continue the work it has started on homelessness and housing exclusion, taking into account the outcome of the consensus conference of December 2010.”
- The Commission will launch in 2011 an initiative to pool a range of European funds to promote evidence-based social innovation, including in the area of homelessness.
- The Commission wishes to promote a partnership approach by supporting « regular exchanges and partnerships between a wider set of stakeholders in specific priority areas, such as active inclusion, child poverty, Roma inclusion, homelessness and financial inclusion.”
This Communication paves the way for a genuine European framework on homelessness which will enable the wider community of experts on homelessness across Europe to promote innovative and effective solutions to homelessness, thereby contributing to the general reduction of poverty by 2020.
Adoption of Written Declaration on EU Homelessness Strategy [07/01/2011]
On the 16th December 2010, the European Parliament adopted a cross-party Written Declaration calling for an ambitious EU homelessness strategy and support to Member States in their efforts towards ending homelessness. The European Parliament, as the only directly elected body of the European Union, sent a strong political message that homelessness is an urgent issue and an unacceptable violation of fundamental human rights. The adoption of the Written Declaration coincided with the closing of the European Year for Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion. Read FEANTSA’s press release on the subject. Details of the Declaration are available on the European Parliament website. A list of signatories can be found in a footnote to the full text.
Citizens’ Agora on Poverty and Social Exclusion [07/01/2011]
On the 27th and 28th of January, a citizens’ “Agora” – a consultation process – will take place in the European Parliament. It should involve a consultation of civil society and other stakeholders on issues relating to poverty and social exclusion. The various parliamentary Committees will also present their work these issues. The focus will be on poverty and crisis and there will be three workshops: crisis and new forms of poverty; crisis and migration; crisis and access to decent life.
Closing Event 2010 European Year [07/01/2011]
The closing event of the 2010 European Year for Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion took place on the 16th and 17th December in Brussels. A delegation of persons experiencing poverty delivered messages to the Heads of State present, examples of good practice in terms of combating poverty were demonstrated, and key moments of the year were highlighted. Heads of State and Government adopted a declaration to mark the event, entitled “The European Year for Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion: Working together to fight poverty in 2010 and beyond”, which represents a commitment from Member States to fighting poverty in Europe and lists homelessness among its priorities. In adopting the declaration, ministers argued for further development of the legacy of the European Year through the flagship initiative "European Platform against Poverty" and called upon the EU and its member states to continue their work together in the fight against poverty. The 2010 Coalition of Social NGOs also issued a document evaluating the European Year, which notes the progress made on homelessness during the year, amongst other successes.EPSCO Council Conclusion on an EU Voluntary European Quality Framework for Social Services [07/01/2011]
On the 6th December, the EPSCO Council of Ministers (Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs) was dedicated to social issues. The Council adopted conclusions on social services of general interest (SSGIs). They aim at acknowledging the voluntary quality framework developed by organisations working on SSGIs and at continuing exchanges of good practices on the subject. The council invited the European Commission to continue its work on the key legal concepts for SSGIs, such as State aid, government contracts and the problems connected with the free movement of services. The Council Conclusions, “Social Services of General Interest: at the heart of the European social model”, can be downloaded from the Council website. The Social Protection Committee will continue its work in the area of SSGIs, collaborating with other European institutions like the European Parliament and other stakeholders. It will also be responsible for preparing the next forum and therefore for making it an ongoing event. It was agreed that the 15 Recommendations that emerged from the 3rd Forum on SSGIs must be taken into account. The recommendations call for a new European legislative framework to protect the role of SSGIs and member states' competence and for the creation of a permanent, inter-institutional working structure that would continue to address the issue of SSGIs. What’s more, the Belgian EU Presidency, NGOs and MEPs have stressed that consideration needs to be given to the specific nature of social services of general interest (SSGI) by ensuring their legal certainty with respect to internal market and competition rules.European Consensus Conference on Homelessness a Success [07/01/2011]
The very well attended and well received European Consensus Conference on Homelessness, the first consensus conference on a social issue at European level, took place on the 9th and 10th December 2010. An initiative of the Belgian Presidency of the EU Council, was co-organised with the European Commission, FEANTSA and the French Government. The consensus conference addressed six key questions about homelessness selected by a Preparatory Committee comprised of diverse stakeholders in the area of homelessness. A range of experts provided responses to each key question. Based on these inputs, an independent jury of experts in the social domain established a consensus on the questions, which will be published as a report in January. This report will provide a basis for future policy development on at European level. László Andor, Commissioner responsible for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, made a video statement, in which he assured that the European Commission would address homelessness as a priority within the Europe 2020 strategy. During the closing session, stakeholders from different European bodies reiterated their support for action on homelessness, among them Karima Delli MEP, who also supported the recently adopted Written Declaration on an EU Homeless Strategy and Flo Clucas, representing the Committee of the Regions, which recently adopted an own initiative opinion calling for an EU homelessness strategy.HABITACT e-bulletin Online [07/01/2011]
Issue 5 of the HABITACT e-bulletin is now online. The e-bulletin aims to provide regular updates on news, initiatives, projects and trends relating to homelessness at local level in Europe. The “Focus” section of the new issue looks at ICT and homelessness.
Hungary at the Head of the EU [07/01/2011]
Hungary will follow on from Spain and Belgium as head of the Council of the European Union on 1st January 2011. With regards to social issues, Hungary will work to develop an EU strategy to promote the integration of Roma people. Their standard of living could be improved by using EU funds more efficiently.
Peer Review of Finnish Homelessness Strategy [07/01/2011]
A PROGRESS Programme-supported Peer Review on the Finnish National Programme to Reduce Long-Term Homelessness took place in December in Helsinki. The Programme under review is based on the “housing first” principle, which considers that appropriate accommodation is a prerequisite for solving other social and health problems, and includes a goal to convert all traditional short-term shelters into supported housing units that facilitate independent living. Freek Spinnewijn, FEANTSA Director, compiled a discussion document on the programme.
SPC and Commission: Increased Demand for Emergency Shelter [07/01/2011]
In their assessement of the social impact of the economic crisis and of policy responses to it, the Social Protection Committee (SPC) and the European Commission (EC) have recognised that there is an increased demand for emergency services such as shelters because of the crisis. The document is available on the SPC webpage (under “Related Links”).
Hungary: BMSZKI Building 100 Years Old [07/01/2011]
FEANTSA members in Hungary, BMSZKI (the Budapest Methodological Centre of Social Policy), are marking the 100th birthday of their main building, the Dózsa hostel, with a year-long series of events. The opening ceremony, on the 17th December, included presentations on historical and present-day perspectives on homelessness and other social policy issues. The Dózsa hostel has kept its original function – providing cheap but decent housing to low income people – all through its existence. Sadly, it is still one of the most sought-after establishments providing this service in the city today, and the only one offering individual bedrooms to homeless men and women. Read more about the hostel and the events running until February 2012, in the promotional flyer.
Ireland: Focus Ireland Campaign [07/01/2011]
A new Focus Ireland campaign aims to keep homelessness firmly on the public and political agenda. The leading charity has warned the Irish government that any Budget cuts to existing funding for homeless services will cause a further deepening of the homeless problem and act to keep people trapped in emergency accommodation. Focus Ireland said there are also many thousands of families and single people nationwide who are struggling to keep a roof over their heads and are at risk of losing their homes. They also emphasise that despite the fact that thousands of surplus houses were built in recent years, up to 5,000 people are still homeless because of a lack of social housing. The campaign also seeks to highlight the fact that the charity has witnessed an increase in the number of people coming looking for support who are homeless as they lost their jobs due to the recession.Italy: FioPSD Calls for Structural Changes to Combat Homelessness [07/01/2011]
In the wake of the European Consensus Conference on Homelessness and the Italian conclusions on the European Year for Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion, FEANTSA member FioPSD has warned that homelessness could increase in Italy if the current “emergency”-centered, homeless management approach is maintained. They call for structural changes which instead of only increasing the number of spaces in emergency accommodation.
Portugal: “Poverty is Illegal” Petition to Go to Parliament
[07/01/2011]
Portuguese FEANTSA member, CAIS, aim to collect 4000 signatures for a petition on their project “Poverty is Illegal” – the idea is that attenuating or alleviating poverty in a context of tolerance, apathy or resignation will not work to eradicate it, rather making it illegal is the only way to end poverty. The project has already appeared in the national press and CAIS’s next move is to take the petition to the Portuguese Parliament, where they hope it will be debated and perhaps integrated into Portuguese law.
Romania: Presentation of Samusocial din Romania [07/01/2011]
FEANTSA member in Romania, Samusocial din Romania, and its medical, social and psychiatric services to homeless people are presented in an article outlining its work towards rebuilding homeless people’s self esteem, the relative success of collaborating with other social services to find solutions for homeless women (an ever-increasing service-user group) using Samusocial din Romania’s its services, as well as the experiences of homeless people over 50 years of age, often newly homeless because of the economic and financial crisis.
Spain: Caritas Homelessness Campaign [07/01/2011]
A national campaign, coordinated by Caritas Spain, FACIAM (FEANTSA members) and FEPSH, and running from 2010-2015, began last year in conjunction with the FEANTSA Ending Homelessness campaign. The Spanish campaign “Nadie sin derechos. Nadie sin hogar” (Noone without rights, noone without a home) includes an annual day for raising awareness on homelessness, in November, and extensive awareness-raising and educational material, some of which is available in English. The campaign will continue this year, as will FEANTSA’s “Ending Homelessness” campaign.
Belgium: Asylum Policy Criticised for Creating Homelessness [07/01/2011]
Belgian asylum policy has recently been criticized by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, and Brussels social services. The SAMU Social de Bruxelles, a public homelessness service in Brussels, reports that it is inundated with requests from asylum-seekers who are homeless as they have not been assisted by the state asylum service, Fedasil. Two homeless asylum seekers have died in Brussels in the cold weather and between 6 and 7,000 are waiting for a place in reception centres.
Cold Weather Raising Awareness About Homelessness – But That’s Not All [07/01/2011]
Several countries witnessed an increase in public and governmental attention to homelessness as temperatures decreased this winter. However, NGOs have stressed that homelessness is not just a question of weather. In Northern Ireland, Homeless Awareness Week, run by homelessness organizations, helped to emphasise the fact that the effects of the crisis have been making their job harder. In France, the lack of appropriate accommodation has been criticized for restricting NGOs’ ability to respond to people’s needs. In Italy, the president of FioPSD, the national Federation of organisations working with homeless people made a statement urging structural changes instead of an emergency-based response to homelessness. A programme on French national radio also discussed the limitations of an emergency-based response and analysed housing-first and other sustainable responses.
Czech Republic: Police Response and City Hall to Homelessness During Prague Winter [07/01/2011]
With reports that at least one homeless person has died as a result of freezing cold weather in Prague, Prague municipal police have increased patrols of places frequented by homeless people. Prague City Hall is also discussing homeless policy during the wave of frosty weather. Its social policy committee met, and discussed “a number of alternatives for providing makeshift accommodation for homeless people if the frosts continue”.
Estonia: Homelessness Hits Families [07/01/2011]
In the Estonian capital, Tallinn, the recession has caused homelessness among families with children. The country has been hard hit, with many becoming unemployed and people previously unaffected by homelessness are making use of homelessness services. Some have access to social housing but this supply is said to be limited and lacking energy efficiency, so residents may struggle to pay high heating costs.
France: Prime Minister Wants Transparency in Social Housing [07/01/2011]
The French Prime Minister has called for greater transparency in the allocation of social housing, with the objective of facilitating access for homeless and poorly housed people to the country’s social housing units. He stressed, in a circular sent to local authorities, that social housing must be allocated according to need and priority, adding that access to appropriate housing is the goal of governmental intervention in housing policy, and that it reflected a housing first approach. He said that local authorities that did not comply with this need-based approach (the reference is to the scandal of “rich families” living in social housing units in France) would be punished.
France: Right to Housing “Not Universally Guaranteed” [07/01/2011]
The law that obliges the French state to house every homeless and poorly-housed person or be fined if it does not do so, passed in 2008, came under review at the end of 2009. The conclusions are that the right to housing still is not universally guaranteed – only 30,000 of the 144,000 households requiring accommodation have been housed. Housing budget cuts leading to a lack of accommodation and a backlog in dealing with applications have been blamed for the discrepancy.
Hope in Stations: Train Stations Working Together to End Homelessness [07/01/2011]
Several European train stations (Belgium, France, Italy, Luxembourg, Poland) have signed a Charter supporting the development of services for homeless people in stations. It should contribute to better coordination of the way stations and homeless services in cities work to the benefit of homeless people. Station staff should be able to connect homeless people with organizations that can give them access to accommodation, healthcare and nutrition, and other support structures, taking homeless people’s rights into account.
Hungary: Government Committed to Reducing Poverty, Says Minister [07/01/2011]
The Hungarian government is committed to reducing poverty, the Minister of National Resources has said. Reducing poverty, he said, was the most important precondition for economic growth and expanding employment, and the situation would change only through focused and harmonised measures. Noting that the Europe 2020 strategy prioritises fighting poverty, he said focusing on young people, ethnic minorities, migrants, people with disabilities and homeless people was of particular importance.
Ireland: Number of Rough Sleepers Increasing [07/01/2011]
The number of people sleeping rough in Dublin has increased despite a Government pledge to end the need for homeless people to sleep on the streets of the capital by the end of the 2010. The Homeless Agency’s annual street count for rough sleepers, conducted in November, found 70 people sleeping rough in Dublin, up from the 60 people in 2009.
UK: Many Homeless People Have Committed a Crime to Get Off the Streets [07/01/2011]
“Hidden Homelessness”, a survey commissioned by UK FEANTSA member Crisis, has found that a fifth of homeless people in the UK have committed "imprisonable offences" to spend a night in a gaol cell to avoid sleeping rough. Nearly 30% of the 400 people surveyed admitted to committing a "minor crime such as shoplifting or anti-social behaviour" in the hope of being taken into custody for the night. Furthermore, it was found that many rough sleepers had consented to sleeping at the houses of unwanted sexual partners in order to secure a place to stay. Part of the difficulty, the report identifies, is that people were not getting appropriate help. The result is "hidden homelessness" where people sleep on friends' floors, in squats or on the streets. Crisis warned that these trends will become more pronounced as planned government cuts hit homelessness services.
Call for Proposals – Cooperation in Favour of Social Inclusion and Integration into the Labour Market [07/01/2011]
A new Pilot Project on “All-Inclusive Cooperation between Public Authorities, Companies and Social Enterprises in Favour of Social Inclusion and Integration into the Labour Market” aims to promote new models for cooperation between public institutions, companies and social enterprises; to foster greater awareness of corporate social responsibility (CSR); to propose effective solutions to socio-economic problems faced by each of the partners; to generate measurable results in terms of the integration of vulnerable groups (especially school-leavers and unemployed youth). A call for proposals has been issued for projects that address at least one of the following themes – innovative approaches and promotion of high-quality services; improved cooperation between actors; assessment frameworks for the social impact of social economy activities; access to credit, including micro-credit and tax relief; regulatory/legislative framework for social economy enterprises. The deadline for proposals is the 3rd March 2011.
European Youth Forum Policy Paper On Young People and Poverty [07/01/2011]
In its Policy Paper on Young People and Poverty the European Youth Forum addresses youth poverty not only as a matter of resources but also as a matter of lack of opportunities. This Policy Paper focuses on the poverty situation in Europe and on certain especially vulnerable periods of a young person's life, linked to the transitional character of youth: the transition from childhood to adulthood, from education to the labour market, from living with the family to running a household on their own. The policy paper includes many references to disadvantage in housing experienced by young people. Therefore the European Youth Forum hereby suggests tackling youth poverty and social exclusion more efficiently by investing notably more efforts and policy responses into targeting this vulnerable transition phase.
Partner Search - European Youth Exchange Initiative [07/01/2011]
The UK-based charity Barnardos, whose work focuses on young homeless people aged 16-25, is seeking partners for developing a European Youth Exchange initiative. The initiative would allow young homeless/formerly homeless people to explore how other countries in the EU address youth homelessness and to get involved in campaigning work. This kind of experience would aim to enhance young peoples’ skill development and raise their self-esteem. Barnardos is searching for European partners (NGOs, local authorities) to set up this project with. If you are interested and would like to learn more about the initiative, please contact Malcom Stone or the HABITACT coordination unit.
Partner Search – Project on Women with Children Living on the Street and Victims of Violence Against Women [07/01/2011]
A French association, Asmae-La Chrysalide (a member of FNARS ), is looking for partners as part of a Grundtvig learning partnership to develop an exchange of practice on supporting roofless women with children and women victims of violence. The project description exists in French and English. For more information, please contact Sabine Pirrovani.
World Homeless Day [07/01/2011]
October 10, 2010 (10/10/10) marked the first annual World Homeless Day. There were participants and events in over 50 countries around the world. (More information can be obtained from the website: www.worldhomelessday.org) Ukraine had its first World Homeless Day Events in October, 2010. All three of the Narodna Dopomoha [Народна Допомога] sites in Western and Central Ukraine engaged in a project to bring visibility to the plight of the homeless population and to rough-sleepers in particular.
“Social Human Rights of Europe” – Matti Mikkola [07/01/2011]
Matti Mikkola, Professor of Labour Law at the University of Helsinki and member of the Jury for the European Consensus Conference on Homelessness, has published a book called Social Human Rights of Europe, which studies common European social rights and analyses how states comply with the standards provided in the key European human rights treaties. It includes a section on Housing Rights as Human Rights, information on the right to social services and health, and a section on poverty and social exclusion. Ordering information is available from the Council of Europe.
Austria: Study on Poverty and Care [07/01/2011]
Austrian public assistance organisation and member of BAWO, FEANTSA’s member organization in Austria, Volkshilfe Wien, have produced a study on the links between poverty and care. The study concludes that people experiencing poverty often have higher care needs but are the least able to access care the care they need, because of problems of affordability, with homeless people, women, unemployed people, people with a migrant background and asylum seekers being the worst affected. The study also includes includes examples of best practice with regards to caring for elderly homeless people, a particularly vulnerable group.
Europe 2020: Towards a More Social EU? [07/01/2011]
This book is the first attempt to answer the question of how Europe 2020, the EU's new strategy for “smart, sustainable and inclusive growth”, can lead to a stronger Social EU with less poverty and greater social cohesion. The volume was written by an interdisciplinary team of experts, and results from a collaboration with Eric Marlier (CEPS/INSTEAD Research Institute) in the context of the European Social Observatory’s scientific activity underpinning the Belgian Presidency of the EU.
France: Exclusion and Mental Health [07/01/2011]
French FEANTSA member FNARS have published a guide for mental health practitioners working with socially excluded people. The guide gives examples of good practice and a list of resources available in France. A copy of the guide can be downloaded or ordered from the FNARS website.
Homelessness and Asylum in Poland: Results of a Research Pilot [07/01/2011]
A new research pilot entitled „Bezdomność uchodzców w Polsce. Wyniki badania pilotażowego” (Homelessness and Asylum in Poland: Results of a Research Pilot) gives and account of the living conditions of asylum seekers, recognised refugees and people covered by subsidiary protection across Poland. The research team has conducted thorough fieldwork in reception centres to measure the compliance of the existing accommodation conditions with the minimum reception conditions stipulated in the European Union Directives. An English translation of the research will be available soon.
Housing Statistics in the European Union 2010 [07/01/2011]
New data on European housing statistics have been published.
Implementing a Quality Management System in a Non-Profit Organisation [07/01/2011]
Non-profit organisations are experiencing cuts in funding and donations in the context of the economic and financial crisis, coupled with increased demand to demonstrate value for money in return for State funding. The non-profit sector is thus increasingly implementing for-profit style, business models to increase their effectiveness and enhance their value for money capabilities in order to satisfy the demands of public and private funders. One such model is a Quality Management System (QMS). A new study explores the experience of a non-profit organisation in implementing a QMS through a case study undertaken in a Dublin homeless charity (FEANTSA member Dublin Simon Community), identifying key steps and challenges. A summary of the research is available. For more details, please contact the author (details in summary).International Street Work Guide [07/01/2011]
The International Network of Social Street Workers has produced a practical guide to street work.
UK: Participation of Young Homeless People [07/01/2011]
A new research report by Barnardo’s, a UK children’s charity, "Homeless not voiceless", studies the active participation of socially excluded young people aged between 16-25 with experience of homelessness in decisions that affect them, and identifies how policy and practice might be developed to address the practical, social, emotional and psychological needs of homeless young people. Barnardo’s has also produced a video about youth homelessness.
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