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Homeless in Europe Summer 2015 The Magazine of FEANTSA - The European Federation of National Organisations Working with the Homeless AISBL Homeless in Europe Summer 2015 Achieving Goals: Strategies to End Homelessness Editorial IN THIS ISSUE Achieving Goals: Strategies to End Homelessness 2 Editorial By Ruth Owen, Policy Coordinator, FEANTSA 4 From PAAVO to AUNE – A Coordinated Strategy Based Strategy involves setting goals, determining actions Some common elements of homelessness strate- on Housing First Brings Results to achieve these goals, and mobilizing resources gies include targets; defined actions to reach these Juha Kaakinen to implement the actions. If, as FEANTSA believes targets; governance mechanisms; monitoring and it should be, the goal of public policy is to reduce data collection; the role of central/regional govern- 6 How Can We Learn from Each and ultimately end homelessness, then a strategy ment in providing an enabling framework for the Other? Lessons Learned from is required. local level. There is an emerging body of knowledge the HABITACT Peer Review in about what makes strategies work. FEANTSA’s Odense 2015 Strategies to address homelessness exist at different Toolkit3 for developing an integrated strategy to Tom Rønning levels. As competence for providing homeless tackle homelessness identifies 10 key approaches 8 Towards a Flemish services is often at local level, local strategies play for effective integrated strategies: evidence-based; Homelessness Strategy a key role in structuring how homelessness is dealt comprehensive; multi-dimensional; rights-based; Caroline Beyers with in a given city or local area. National and/or participatory; statutory; sustainable; needs-based; regional governments can also play an important bottom-up. In Canada and the US, Federal level 10 Towards an Integrated role by providing an overarching framework, which guidance has been published to support commu- Approach – the Brussels ideally will enable and support local authorities to nities in developing 10 year plans to end home- Homeless Assistance tackle homelessness. National and regional home- lessness. The use of a systems approach in this Sector Adapting to Recent lessness strategies can determine shared policy context is interesting. During its campaign ‘Ending Challenges goals, create a legal framework, provide access to Homelessness is Possible!’ FEANTSA developed Martin Wagener resources, and support and guide local policy imple- a handbook on ending homelessness, providing mentation. guidance on what goals homelessness strategies Driving Action to End 13 should address in order to reduce, and ultimately Homelessness; the Role With the Social Investment Package,1 the European end, homelessness rather than “manage” it.4 of National and Regional Commission has called on European Union Member Strategies and Grassroots States to develop integrated national strategies on Developing effective strategies is not easy. Indeed, Campaigns homelessness as part of efforts to address poverty. homelessness continues to increase in most Samara Jones and Tom Archer About half of Member States (MS) have done so.2 Member States. Whilst some strategies have proved 15 National Strategy for Many MS report on their progress on/towards a genuine motors for change, others have remained Homeless People: homelessness strategy in the framework of EU in practice more of a “paper strategy”, insufficiently An Overview and Experience social policy coordination, e.g. through the Euro- backed by proper governance, a legal framework, on the Ground pean Semester National Reform Programmes and/ resources or accountability. Some strategies are Ana Ferreira Martins and or through the Social OMC. In several MS where regularly renewed to maintain progress over time. Ricardo Ferreira there are not yet official strategies, stakeholders are Others take a restrictive approach to what home- working to lay the foundations. Overall, the dynamic lessness is, failing to get to grips with complex 17 Challenges for Developing around national and regional strategies in the EU realities over time and thus to support action across a Strategic Response to appears to be growing. Several MS, including the prevention, emergency intervention and reintegra- Homelessness in Greece in the Czech Republic, Italy, Luxembourg and Spain have tion. Some strategies have lapsed, slipped off the Current Economic and Political announced new or forthcoming strategies over the agenda, or been downgraded in terms of resources Context past few years. Some Member States with a well- or scope. The current context of austerity and the Ioanna Pertsinidou and established tradition of strategies, like Finland, are impact of the financial and economic crisis has only Dimitra Soulele in a process of review and renewal to define new compounded these difficulties. At the same time, strategic goals and actions in order to make further this context has thrown into sharp relief the need to 19 France, An Unbreakable progress on reducing homelessness. address homelessness effectively rather than allow Glass Ceiling Over Housing it (and its societal costs) to spiral. Exclusion? Not all strategic public policies to address home- Marc Uhry lessness are called ‘strategies’. They may be Given the challenges outlined above, now is a vital 21 How to Cause Homelessness presented as, for example, programmes, laws, time for exchange and shared reflection on what Nicholas Pleace action plans and so forth. Whatever the name, a makes strategies deliver. Hopefully, the excel- strategy is a plan with goals, actions and resources lent articles in this magazine can support mutual attached to it. learning and joint reflection at EU-level. 1 See http://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=89&langId=en&newsId=1807&moreDocuments=yes&tableName=news 2 Including Belgium (Flanders), Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany (certain regions including North Rhine Westphalia), Ireland, Italy (forthcoming national Guidelines on homelessness), Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain (forthcoming), Sweden and the UK. See FEANTSA website for a non-comprehensive list of published strategies: http://www.feantsa.org/spip.php?rubrique143&lang=en 3 FEANTSA Toolkit for Developing an Integrated Homelessness Strategy http://feantsa.org/spip.php?article630&lang=en 4 FEANTSA Campaign http://feantsa.org/spip.php?article171&lang=en The articles in Homeless in Europe do not necessarily reflect the views of FEANTSA. Extracts from this publication can be 2 Homeless in Europe quoted as long as the sources are acknowledged. This edition of Homeless in Europe starts with a Samara Jones, FEANTSA and Tom Archer, BSHF, reflection on Finland’s transition from “PAAVO”, UK then take a critical look at the track record the current programme to end long term homeless- of national strategies in the EU as a whole. They ness to “AUNE”, its successor planned for 2016- explore how grassroots campaigns might support 2020. Juha Kaakinen at Y Foundation explores what better progress towards strategic goals. In particular, made PAAVO deliver its impressive outcomes, and they suggest that European cities learn from the the process of review leading to plans for AUNE. experience of the 100,000 Homes campaign in the He remarks that there is still “a lot of work to do US that encouraged working together to mobilise on the road to tackling homelessness”. The article action and achieve impact. shows the balance that sustainable policies must strike between targeting specific needs and taking Ana Martins and Ricardo Ferreira, AMI, review a comprehensive approach. Mutual trust between progress on “The National Strategy for the Inte- stakeholders, commitment, accountability and the gration of Homeless People 2009-2015 – Preven- allocation of significant resources emerge as central tion, Intervention and Attendance” launched by to implementation. the Portuguese Government in March 2009. This was the first National Strategy pertaining to home- In a second Scandinavian contribution, Tom less people in southern Europe. The article shows Rønning, Odense Municipality, presents two that the strategy has been an important force for elements of Odense’s recent experience in tack- galvanising local action, and that local coalitions ling homelessness. Firstly, he explores how the are highly active in implementation. However, local strategy has achieved impressive progress in at national level the strategy lacks legal value, tackling homelessness through Housing First, in resources and political commitment, meaning that the context of the Danish national strategy. Key many vital aspects of implementation have not elements of success include working together, progressed. AMI and others continue to push for use of technology and a broader ‘inclusive city’ this to be addressed. approach. Secondly, he highlights how European exchange in the context of the HABITACT forum on Ioanna Pertsinidou and Dimitra Soulele provide a local homeless strategies has impacted positively on snapshot of the current challenges for developing policy development in Odense and partner cities. a strategic response to homelessness in Greece, particularly focusing on the extreme economic, Caroline Beyers from the Flemish Government political and financial context of the crisis. describes how progress has been made towards a regional strategy on homelessness as part of the Marc Uhry, Fondation Abbé Pierre, poses the tricky broader anti-poverty strategy. Key milestones have question of whether there is an “unbreakable glass included
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