Feantsa Newsletter - Ottobre 2012

FEANTSA News

• Annual Conference on the Conditions of Homeless Migrants [26/10/2012]

FEANTSA will host its annual conference, “Existing in Limbo: the conditions of homeless migrants in the EU” on the 16th November, in Barcelona (Spain).  Around 300 participants are expected.  On the 15th November, there will be a presentation of the conference Barcelona City Council, which will be followed by a study visit.

• Call for Papers on Access to Housing for Homeless People [26/10/2012]

The Call for Papers for Volume 7, Issue 1 of the European Journal of Homelessness is now out.   The theme of this issue is “Access to Housing for Homeless People in Europe”.  To be considered for inclusion in this edition of the Journal, papers must be submitted to Dr. Eoin O’Sullivan ([email protected]) before the 18th January 2013.

• FEANTSA Signs Joint Press Release: Member States Urged to Support the Most Deprived in Europe [26/10/2012]

Eurodiaconia, Caritas Europa, Red Cross/EU Office, EAPN, the European Federation of Food Banks and FEANTSA call on EU Member States to show commitment to the Europe 2020 Strategy and fully support the European Commission’s proposal of a Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived.

• Joint Hearing on Health Inequalities, Mental Health and Homelessness [26/10/2012]

2013 will be the European Year of Citizens, and yet the programme of the year fails to acknowledge the deep inequalities still present in EU Member States and the exclusion of certain groups. Therefore, Mental Health Europe and FEANTSA will hold a European Parliament hearing on the 13th November on inclusive citizenship from the point of view of homeless people with mental health problems. Kinga Göncz MEP, the hearing host, has invited people through a video.

• Keep in Touch [26/10/2012]

 Follow FEANTSA on Facebook and Twitter to keep up-to-date with what we do and receive information about homeless news and initiatives across Europe and the world.

• Press Release: FEANTSA Calls on EU to Fund Home Starter Packs for Homeless People in Framework of FEAD [26/10/2012]

In a press release, FEANTSA congratulates the European Commission on its proposal for a Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived (FEAD) and welcomes the inclusion of homeless people as priority target group.  It considers that the fund could have a real impact and create a much-needed new dynamic around homelessness in several member states, if the proposed “EU policy guidance” is supported by concrete planning, including an EU homelessness strategy, which has been called for by numerous EU institutions.  Policy guidance is necessary to avoid ineffective “charity handouts” to homeless people.  The FEAD could and should be used to help homeless people move from shelters into independent or supported housing.  This would correspond with the emerging interest in many Member States for housing-led policies which want to move people quickly into stable housing with support and minimise the use of shelter and other temporary living solutions.  The emerging interest should be solidified in an EU strategy which could include policy guidance on how top best use the FEAD.

NEWS from the European Union

• #6Seconds Database Online [26/10/2012]

In September, Social Innovation Exchange (SIX), in partnership with FEANTSA, ran a campaign (#6Seconds Against Homelessness) to crowd-source socially innovative interventions in the area of homelessness. The results are now available in a database.  The results included Housing-First models, holistic approaches, mediation, consumer initiatives, reallocation of unused resources, tech-based interventions, organisational innovation and enterprise and capacity building.  It is still possible to add to the database - those who still wish to send in ideas can email SIX.

• Call for Proposals on Social Policy Experimentation [26/10/2012]

This call offers to applicants the possibility to develop social policy experiments according to the following two dimensions: design of a potentially relevant policy intervention and design of the evaluation method.

• CEMR Thematic Network on EU Integration Policies [26/10/2012]

Cities are the first concerned by the arrival of new migrants and their integration. The Council of European Municipalities and Regions plans to explore this subject more thoroughly through a thematic network that will enable local officials to learn from each others' experiences and have a bigger say in the development of EU policies in the area of integration, including addressing homelessness among migrants.

• Commission Proposes Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived - Homelessness Is In [26/10/2012]

The Commission’s proposal would establish a Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived to complement the existing instruments of the EU (social) cohesion policy and would help Member States provide non-financial assistance to the most deprived persons - addressing food deprivation, the consequences of homelessness and the material deprivation of children. In addition, it would help Member States support basic activation measures and enable an exchange of best-practice at EU level thus helping to improve national policies in this area.

• European Parliament Hearing on Social Services  [26/10/2012]

At an event hosted by Social Services Europe and the Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats on the 9th October 2012, Members of the European Parliament and key experts discussed how social services contribute to smart, sustainable and inclusive growth, as laid out in the Europe2020 strategy. The event drew attention to social services as key components of the European social model and important stabilisers in times of economic recession.  See the press release and the meeting report.  More at www.socialserviceseurope.eu

• Latest EU Council Meeting – Recommendations on Poverty [26/10/2012]

At its latest meeting, the EU Council concluded that EU Member States should step up efforts to tackle the social consequences of the crisis and to fight poverty and social exclusion in line with the objectives of the Europe 2020 Strategy.

• Towards EU Action Against All Forms of Bias Violence [26/10/2012]

A Social Platform Position Paper, to which FEANTSA contributed, presents recommendations to prevent and combat bias violence and to support victims of such violence, including violence against homeless people.

News from the Council of Europe

• "Building Europe through Human Rights: Acting Together against Extreme Poverty" [26/10/2012]

On the 17th October, International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, the Council of Europe held a Conference on eradicating poverty and the legal instruments that can be used in order to do so.  The aim of the conference was to build on the European and international achievements on poverty and to translate them into practical lines of action, in cooperation with all the stakeholders concerned: people living in poverty, representatives of public authorities and representatives of organised civil society.

News from our Members

• Austria: Petition for Austria to Guarantee the Right to Housing [26/10/2012]

BAWO has set up an online petition,“Schutz vor Armut, Ausgrenzung und Wohnungslosigkeit ist ein Grundrecht und muss auch in Österreich gelten!“ ("protection from poverty, exclusion and homelessness is a fundamental right and must be so in Austria!"), to encourage Austria to ratify articles 30 and 31 of the European Social Charter that guarantee protection against poverty and social exclusion and the right to housing.

• Denmark: Book Cafe Puts Spotlight on Homelessness and Vulnerability [26/10/2012]

projekt UDENFOR is beginning to focus on new and experimental ways to disseminate knowledge about homelessness and vulnerability.  In October, in cooperation with Blågårdens Library, they started a series of book cafes featuring readings and discussion about homelessness.  In total, six different writers will read from and talk about their books at six cafe evenings.  The authors' presentations and readings will be streamed and posted on the projekt UDENFOR and Blågårdens Library websites.

• France: FNARS Sounds the Alarm on Lack of Homeless Accommodation [26/10/2012]

Winter is on its way but only a quarter of homeless people who contact the national accommodation helpline are found a solution, warns the FNARS, based on their monitoring of the “115” helpline service.  The FNARS says this situation is caused by the chronic lack of spaces in emergency accommodation but is also a very clear effect of the economic crisis, especially because of evictions from rented accommodation and migratory flows.

• France: Rethinking Minimum Income [26/10/2012]

For the third year in a row, FNARS has carried out a survey into the RSA (Revenu de solidarité active (minimum wage)), interviewing the social workers in its network.  This survey sheds light on the fact that the RSA cannot reach the objective it set for itself, that of favouring the social inclusion of its recipients.  The impact it has on access to employment remains minimal: contrary to the idea behind setting-up this facility, people do not choose unemployment willingly.  A financial insentive alone does not lead to people rejoining the employment market. Rather, it must be accompanied by appropriate levels of support.

• Ireland: Almost 40% of People Fear Becoming Homeless [26/10/2012]

New figures from the Simon Community show that one in three Irish people are worried about becoming homeless, because of problems fulfilling payments or mortgages.  The figure is double what it was two years ago.  The research was published to mark the launch of Simon Week 2012, which ran from the 1st to the 7th October.

• Ireland: Charity Calls for Homeless Prevention Strategy [26/10/2012]

Focus Ireland says there has been an 18% increase in the numbers of people seeking help this year and the Irish Government therefore needs to focus on preventing homelessness as more people become at risk of it because of the recession.  It points to Scotland where the numbers homelessness has dropped by 19% thanks to a prevention strategy.

• Ireland: Housing for Homeless People Facing Crisis  [26/10/2012]

Initial findings of research into housing for people who are homeless in Ireland, conducted in cooperation with the Simon Communities of Ireland, indicates a "concerning trend" of demand exceeding availability of appropriate housing.  The research, that looks at access to long-term housing, housing-led responses to homelessness and the homelessness strategy in Ireland, shows that budget cuts to services and a lack of social or private rented accommodation could jeopardise the success of the housing-led approach.

• Italy: Homelessness and Research: Awareness, Understanding and Planning  [26/10/2012]

The conference “Homelessness and Research. Awareness, understanding and planning”, organised by Niccolò Rinaldi MEP and focusing on the recent research on homelessness in Italy, took place on 17th October in the European Parliament. The research provides a detailed picture of the socio-demographic profiles of homeless people and is the result of cooperation between the Italian Federation of Organisations working with Homeless People (fio.PSD), the Italian National Institute for Statistics (Istat), the Italian Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs and Caritas Italia. The conference presented the methodology used for this research – ETHOS – the main findings and some of the recommendations that it might be possible to implement at national as well as European level.

• Italy: Results of Homelessness Research Announced [26/10/2012]

The results of research into the numbers and profile of homeless people in Italy, the first Italian census of this population, carried out by fio.PSD, Istat (the Italian Institute for Statistics), the Ministry for Welfare and Caritas Italiana between 2011 and 2012, were presented at the Istat Headquarters on the 9th October, and at the European Parliament on the 17th October, the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty.  The results show that there are over 47,000 homeless people in Italy, 6.237 (13%) women and 41.411 (87%) men, which amounts to 0.2% of the resident population (more than 70% are rough sleepers), and that unemployment and family separation are among the main causes.  Just over 28% of homeless people are in employment, although this is usually on a fixed-term or irregular basis.  Only 6.7% of homeless people have never worked: it is jobs that are lacking, not skills or the will to work.  Foreigners made up 59.4% of the homeless population (28.323 people) and Italians are homelessness for an average of 3.9 years compared with 1.6 years for non-Italians.  The survey also found that the right to health is almost denied: only 54.7% of those interviewed had seen a doctor in the previous 12 months.

• Netherlands: A Quarter of Homeless People Have a Learning Disability [26/10/2012]

Federatie Opvang and MEE (an organisation supporting people with disabilities) have published estimations that show that 25% of the homeless population has a mild learning disability.  Both organisations encourage better recognition and acknowledgement of how many people in homeless services have disabilities, so that social workers can help them better.

• Netherlands: Don’t Keep Domestic Violence a Secret. Dare to Share! [26/10/2012]

Federatie Opvang has observed that domestic violence is still a taboo subject in the Netherlands, even though it affects hundreds of thousands of people.  Almost everyone knows someone who has been affected by it, but the issue remains “behind closed doors”.  Federatie Opvang’s women’s refuges want to break the taboo.  To do so, they organise an annual campaign.  This year’s campaign, “Maak van huselijk geweld geen geheim.  Durf te delen” (“Don’t keep domestic violence a secret.  Dare to share”) is supported by a website, a Facebook page and a music video by the singer, DO.  The Facebook page is the central platform for the campaign.  Visitors to the page can become “Krachtambassadeurs” (Strength Ambassadors) and sign a petition in favour of a national action plan “veilig thuis” (a safe home).  On the 17th October, the “Dag van het Delen” (Day of Sharing) took place.  On that day, the women’s refuges took the campaign outside and talked about domestic violence in 10 places around the Netherlands.

• Portugal: “Increasing Numbers of Users Makes It Harder for AMI Staff to Guarantee Minimum Levels of Quality in Support” [26/10/2012]

In an interview, the Director of AMI, Ana Martins, said that the number of people supported by AMI staff is “increasing at such a rate” that staff are unable to guarantee “minimum levels of quality in the support provided”.  Ms Martins clarified: numbers are increasing and people’s situations are getting worse and worse but AMI have the same number of or even fewer social workers to support people.  Ms Martins also spoke about tensions at work, because people are becoming exasperated and this can be psychologically and even physically dangerous to people who are working in the field: as they are first point of contact, social workers must bear the brunt of people’s anger, and people even consider social workers “responsible” if they lose their social support (cuts in school materials, cuts to minim income levels, etc.).

• Sweden: Homeless EU Migrants - A National Challenge: Launch of “Homeless 2012” Report [26/10/2012]

This year’s edition of Stockholm City Mission's annual homelessness survey has detected the presence of many EU citizens who come to Sweden, hoping to find work, and end up homeless and using homeless services.  In order to break this trend and give people from all over the EU a chance for a brighter future in Sweden, says the City Mission, homelessness should be linked to key policy areas.  For example, because it is primarily the structure of the labor and housing markets that excludes EU migrants, the issue requires national ownership.  To draw attention to homelessness in Sweden and discuss which solutions are required, a seminar entitled "EU migrants in homelessness - a national challenge" took place on the 18th October, in the presence of MPs.  The report, "Hemlös 2012" (Homeless 2012), where the previous year's policy initiatives to combat homelessness are described and reviewed, was launched.

• UK: ‘Homelessness Kills’ Campaign [26/10/2012]

Crisis has launched a campaign based on new research hat has shown that homeless people die 30 years before the national average in the UK.  They demand reforms to the health system so that it may take homeless people’s health needs seriously.

• UK: United Against Austerity Plans  [26/10/2012]

Ten of Northern Ireland's leading community organisations, including FEANTSA members Council for the Homeless Northern Ireland, have joined together to voice their concerns about welfare reform.  The groups, representing individuals across society, from families to single tenants, people with disabilities and offenders, are Simon Community NI, Northern Ireland Anti Poverty Network, Mencap, Council for the Homeless NI, Northern Ireland Association for the Care and Resettlement of Offenders, Chartered Institute of Housing, the Law Centre, NI Federation of Housing Associations, Housing Rights Service and SmartMove.  They predict proposed welfare reform will have a "detrimental" impact in Northern Ireland, including a potential rise in homelessness, a "vicious cycle of poor mental health", and society's most vulnerable bearing the brunt of cuts.

Homelessness in the Headlines

• Austria: Housing First Project Wins Social Innovation Prize – Startup Costs [26/10/2012]

The Essl Social Prize is awarded to people who have already achieved outstanding social improvements, and intends to help them implement social innovation projects. The 2012 Prize Winner is Father Wolfgang Pucher, whose achievement through his numerous social projects in the St. Vincent’s Parish in Graz, Austria, including a service providing meals for homeless people, a long-term hostel for the chronically homeless and other projects, will now be rewarded with a donation to allow the setting-up of a "Housing First" project.  The prizewinning project, the first "Housing First" project in Austria, intends to enable independent living for homeless people in Salzburg within three years.  The prize money is to be used to absorb the extra costs incurred in setting-up the project, but not to finance the regular costs of supported housing.  In June 2012, the government of Salzburg therefore agreed to start this project in the city of Salzburg and to finance its regular costs the project.  The Housing First concept has thus been developed in Salzburg over the past few months in cooperation with a large number of experts, including BAWO representatives, and in dialogue with the province and city of Salzburg, housing cooperatives and many other social organisations active in Salzburg.  The project was launched with ten flats; after three years there should be around 50.  If the pilot project in Salzburg is successful, the Housing First concept is to be implemented in other large cities in Austria as well.

• France: Social Housing Allocation System to Be Changed [26/10/2012]

The way in which social housing in Paris is allocated is to change, with the intention of dealing with the 1.7 million individuals and families on the waiting list at the moment and avoiding arbitrary allocation of social housing.  By 2014, the current system, according to which many different actors get a say in who is allocated accommodation, a process that is criticised for being untransparent and that has led to suspicions of people jumping the queue, will have been replaced by a points system which sends priority cases, according to how many of a set of criteria they fulfil, to the top of the pile.  In the current system, two-thirds of requests are allocated according to revenue, whereas other factors, such as family situation or how long they have been waiting, are not always considered.  The current system does give priority to homeless people and people experiencing other forms of social and housing exclusion, however.  The points system already exists in some French cities and in other countries such as the Netherlands and the UK.

• France: Emergency Plan to House Homeless People  [26/10/2012]

The French Prime Minister has announced the creation of an emergency fund which should create more space in homeless accommodation in the Paris region, where many families are forced to live on the street because of a lack of homeless services.  The situation is difficult in other cities too.  The fund will be used first and foremost to prevent evictions, the Housing Minister has said, which should see an intervention from social services from the very first month that tenants fail to pay their rent, and eviction prevention will be linked to regional debt-management committees.  150 more spaces will be created for specific users (families, single women, etc).  The fund should also be used to house homeless people, with support, according to the ‘Housing First’ principle.  Some commentators have expressed concerns about the effectiveness of the plan.

• France: Roma Left Homeless in Forced Eviction Near Paris [26/10/2012]

Around 150 Roma people have been forcibly evicted from an informal settlement in Noisy-le-Grand, an eastern suburb of Paris.  “Scores of families including young children have again been rendered homeless because the local authorities failed to provide alternative housing”, said an Amnesty International (AI) spokesperson.  The forced eviction is the latest in a series of similar operations in Roma settlements across France in recent months.  “The French authorities must ensure that evictions they carry out are in compliance with the French government’s international human rights obligations. Families should not be left homeless following evictions.” said the AI spokesperson.

• Hungary: Large-Scale Shelter and Mounted Police Force for Budapest’s Homeless People [26/10/2012]

The city of Budapest has opened a large-scale homeless shelter in its 13th district.  The Mayor said 800 places would be available in Budapest by November as part of the "heated street" programme, which offers night-time shelter and daytime facilities during the winter.

A mounted police patrol has also been put in place to deal with “anti-social behaviour” in Budapest.  Homeless people are considered to be among the targets of this police squad.  

FEANTSA and homeless services in Budapest have already opposed the criminalisation of homelessness in Hungary, as well as recommending housing-led solutions to homelessness rather than large-scale shelters.

• UK: Lifeline to Prevent Runaways Becoming Homeless  [26/10/2012]

A NEW “lifeline” service aimed at preventing young runaways from becoming homeless when they are older has been launched in Scotland.  Shelter Scotland and Relationships Scotland will run the Safe and Sound initiative.  Studies show they are not only at risk when they run away but, in the longer term, they are more likely to become homeless: more than four fifths of homeless people under the age of 25 ran away before they were 16, compared with just 11% of the young adult population as a whole.

In related news, mental health problems among young homeless people have been described as “worryingly high” by a study into the issue by Cardiff University.  The research, which worked in partnership with Llamau, a charity working with young homeless people in South Wales, found that youngsters living on the street are a particularly vulnerable in terms of mental health conditions.  They also found many showed symptoms of more than one psychiatric disorder.

• UK: More and More Families in Temporary Accommodation [26/10/2012]

A sharp increase in the number of homeless families is forcing UK councils to place them in temporary accommodation.  However, these councils may be acting unlawfully by using so-called ‘bed-and-breakfasts’ (B&Bs) unless they are for short-term emergencies.  Otherwise, they are in breach of public health standards: accommodating families in this way exposes them to overcrowding and unsanitary living conditions.  The National Housing Federation found that between January and March 2011 there were 2,750 families nationwide living in B&Bs.  In the same period in 2012 this had risen to 3,960, a 44% increase.

Announcements

• Cooperation Sought: Research on Energy Poverty [26/10/2012]

The Departments for Migration and Globalization and Management and Economics at The Danube University Krems, Austria are currently establishing a joint research project focused on energy poverty-related issues such as the dimensions and definitions of energy poverty, modelling future developments with regards to energy efficiency in buildings and fuel prices and the societal implications of these developments, and are looking for cooperation at European level, aiming at participation in joint EU projects.  Those interested in cooperating please contact DI Dr.Tania Berger, Department für Migration und Globalisierung Donau-Universität Krems, Dr.-Karl-Dorrek-Straße 30, A-3500 Krems, Austria, +43 (0) 2732 893 2422 Mobile +43 (0) 664 834 00 40.

• Greek Mental Health Units Face Closure [26/10/2012]

Many Greek mental health units, funded by the Ministry of Health, are faced with closure as a result of the consequences of the economic and financial crisis in Greece.  One service, Babel, is among the mental health units facing immediate closure. Their five-year project, responding to the mental health needs of migrants living in the country, is thus in danger of coming to an end Babel is the only mental health unit operating specifically in this field. Babel is also active in networking with other services which come into contact with migrants, provides on-the-job training for professionals and supports local schools. To ensure the continued existence of Babel and the services it provides, you can e-mail the Department of Mental Health of the Ministry of Health and Social Solidarity, ([email protected]), the Deputy Minister of Health Professor Skopouli ([email protected]) and/or the Minister of Health Mr. Lykourentzos ([email protected]) to express your solidarity. Disseminating this information and mobilising others to do so is another important form of support.  More information, and a description of the situation in general.

Publications

• Homelessness Trajectories - Stories from the Streets of Paris, Lisbon and London  [26/10/2012]

In this book, "Percursos sem-abrigo - histórias das ruas de Paris, Lisboa e Londres" (Homelessness Trajectories - Stories from the Streets of Paris, Lisbon and London) the author, Filipa Meneses, explores the trajectories of homeless people in three European cities from the perspectives of the homeless people and of social service providers. She highlights the common features of some of the structural causes of the phenomenon, and also some similar trends in the perceptions of social service providers regarding homeless people. She uses the concept of "risk" and "risk dynamics" in her analysis of homelessness trajectories and of homelessness perceptions in order to understand how those risk concepts are applied to social support practices.

• Promoting the Dignity, Autonomy and Self-Determination of Homelessness Women and Families  [26/10/2012]

This study builds upon the findings of several recent participatory projects in which women facing homelessness in Canada have taken the lead and voiced their knowledge about the causes and consequences of, and the solutions to, homelessness. Through those projects, women experiencing homelessness shared their insights about services, and about their own strengths.  The results of the study can be used to assist services to adopt good practices by providing models and tools that are relevant to different service contexts.

• Sobriety as an Admission Criterion for Transitional Housing  [26/10/2012]

This study examined whether homeless clients enrolled in transitional housing programmes that required sobriety (SR) as an admission criterion have outcomes comparable to clients enrolled in programmes that did not require sobriety (NSR) as an admission criterion. Participants in SR programmes reported more days housed and better psychosocial outcomes than participants in NSR programmes, although the differences were small and there were no differences in ratings of their social climate. Both participants in SR and NSR programmes showed improvements on most outcomes after discharge from transitional housing. There were no significant differences in outcomes between participants actively using substances at programme entry compared to those who were not.

• Social Participation of Homeless People and People at Risk of Homelessness [26/10/2012]

This research presents best-practice projects that allow people in vulnerable situations to realise their abilities and skills, such as homeless people who can regain their space in the community, and recover their self esteem.  The publication also presents German and European networks that work with homeless people (rather than for them) to decide on a life plan for them.  Pioneering publications on 'Social Participation of Homeless People and People at Risk of Homelessness' are also presented.

• Starting Again: Chronic and Unprecedented Levels of Poverty – Ways Out in Times of Crisis [26/10/2012]

The 2012 Caritas Italiana report on poverty and social exclusion, entitled "I ripartenti. Povertà croniche e inedite. Percorsi di risalita nella stagione della crisi" (Starting Again: Chronic and Unprecedented Levels of Poverty – Ways Out in Times of Crisis), is now available.

• The Use of Medical Evidence in Homelessness Cases  [26/10/2012]

This study examines the use of medical evidence in homelessness applications in England by examining the decision-making practices in three different local authorities.  The existing evidence on decision-making by local authorities on homelessness suggests that there are competing priorities and normative systems including the administrative, financial and the political as well as the legal. However, there had been no studies to date which looked at how medical evidence is used in decisions on vulnerability and the effect of how such evidence weighs in the decision-making processes of homelessness officers.  This study sought to provide a rigorous, theoretically informed account of the basis on which homelessness officers make decisions on vulnerability of applicants where medical evidence is involved.