FROM STREET LOCKDOWN TO A ROOF OVER YOUR HEAD
JANUARY 2021 Covid-19 teaching cities valuable lessons about ending homelessness Liat Rogel | URBACT Lead Expert for the ROOF network.
Driving change for better cities FROM STREET LOCKDOWN TO A ROOF OVER YOUR HEAD Covid-19 teaching cities valuable lessons about ending homelessness
THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC HAS TAKEN also taught the 9 ROOF cities some valuable us all by surprise. In the blink of an eye, lessons, bringing about some unexpectedly dramatic change came and permeated all positive and surprising effects: homeless aspects of society. Our social systems had people being housed for the first time in small to adapt quickly. That was also the case temporary houses, rough sleepers finally for each of the 9 cities participating in the being housed after many years, use of non- European URBACT Action Planning network traditional infrastructure to house homeless ROOF* on ending homelessness through people, cross-stakeholder collaboration and housing solutions. It was all hands on deck a changing public opinion. After almost a to address the emergency situation of the year of emergency and extreme difficulty to most vulnerable people i.e. the homeless, manage street lockdown for the homeless, particularly the ‘rough sleepers’ and people we can now seize one specifically great living in shelters. opportunity: a chance to end homelessness Over time, the unwanted Covid-19 Pandemic by reinforcing Housing First strategies.
2 FROM STREET LOCKDOWN TO A ROOF OVER YOUR HEAD IT IS A UNIQUE SITUATION risked quickly increasing the when your government number of Covid-19 positives. asks you to stay home, an With the closing of some impossible situation when shelters on the one hand, and you don’t have a home to the job losses of thousands stay in. Rough sleepers of vulnerable people on the found themselves even more other, the reality and scope exposed than before, unable of homelessness was literally to follow these new rules. forced into the public eye The support services that in an unprecedented way. usually help people on the This new level of awareness streets, were unable to move became a catalyst for rapid around as freely as before change in how we handle and continue the same level homelessness. And while of assistance during this time some of these changes were of crisis. Traditional homeless negative, surprisingly many shelters failed to fit the rules changes were positive. of social distancing and
60cm 60cm During the early days of emergency, very little local and/or national support was dedicated directly to the homeless. To add to that, each city department was absorbed by its own emergency, leaving little space for integration and cooperation between departments.
Many social housing services closed their doors, being unable to immediately adapt to the new situation. People were not assigned to houses. Domestic violence rocketed during lockdown. Refugee camps became places of high and uncontrolled contagion.
4 FROM STREET LOCKDOWN TO A ROOF OVER YOUR HEAD OPPORTUNITIES WHEN RULES ARE CHANGING emergency shelters was medium term, increases day by day, there is no necessary in many cases, but the amount of people in real opportunity to create in the long term this practice inadequate living conditions. long-term solutions. As may create a stronger However, some actions the need and pressure for mindset for short-term actually opened doors to quick action builds, some solutions. Offering homeless new possibilities. The ROOF of these actions solve the people temporary structures network cities discovered immediate issues but come like tents or barracks, may valuable opportunities in this with a risk of investing in a allow them to isolate better, time of crisis. bad system. Creating more but it mainly serves to hide beds, or implementing new the problem and, on a
5 FROM STREET LOCKDOWN TO A ROOF OVER YOUR HEAD The opportunity to capitalize on the rise in knowledge and awareness
“For the first time, people due to the risk of disease themselves, sometimes for realized how fast anyone provided an opportunity to the very first time. When data can become homeless, they look at the homeless situation is more accurate, it is easier look differently at people on through a microscope. People to advocate for better, long- the streets” says Dominique in lesser known forms of term solutions. It is possible Fiévez of Toulouse Métropole. homelessness, like ‘couch to create more personalized “People who had been sleepers’, were forced to solutions and to make hidden sleeping on friends’ couches leave their couches and homelessness visible. “We for a long time had to leave become more clearly part of took the opportunity to get and found themselves on the definition. Some cities, to know the remaining rough the streets, sometimes like Ghent, even provided a sleepers better and finally, recognizing their homeless ‘passport’ to allow homeless after many years, managed status for the first time” says people to be recognized to bring them to accept our Patricia Vanderbauwhede by the police. Different social services assistance from the municipality of services, including health, and move out of the streets” Ghent Housing office and housing and social services (Jim Kearns, Municipality of project leader of ROOF. gathered much more accurate Glasgow). Having to move people data about the homeless quickly out of existing support community and began to services or away from streets share their data amongst
6 FROM STREET LOCKDOWN TO A ROOF OVER YOUR HEAD The opportunity to work in new integrated ways
“It is in periods like these collaboratively”. avoid overloading services that you can recognize what After the first wave, in that were already at capacity works good and where the which many departments and unable to host more cracks are”, says Tom Rønning and services each tried people. New emergency from the City of Odense. working out a solution on centers opened, offering “We had to solve problems their own, it became clear a combination of health together, even between that integrated work was and social services, like in departments that usually look necessary, especially when Thessaloniki and Braga. “We after different aspects. The faced with the threat of are collaborating better challenge in our city was not a second or third wave. In with the police, informing so much the users (homeless many cases the health, social the homeless about the people) but the networking and housing departments available services for food or between the health and collaborated for the very first accommodation” (Andreas the social department as time. For example, housing Karadakis, Municipality of well as the police. We are companies reviewed their Thessaloniki). more prepared now to work rent and eviction policies to
7 FROM STREET LOCKDOWN TO A ROOF OVER YOUR HEAD The opportunity to capitalize on community involvement
In many cities, average whenever possible. In Liège and Timisoara both citizens showed enormous some services, as it got shared how people often solidarity and activism in more difficult to guarantee may be upset about giving helping others. Initiatives hygiene, homeless people homeless people a home were created to bring themselves were involved when also other people are groceries to the elderly in turns, helping to keep in need. Homeless people or offer food to those in needed spaces and services are often seen as lazy or need. For homeless people, up and running. helpless, dependent on offers arrived both on the Direct community involvement drugs and alcohol. Bringing housing market (as mentioned is key to change perception. people closer may help in above) and on volunteering When people hear the stories advocating for long-term to prepare food or check first hand they become more housing solutions. on high-risk individuals open to different solutions.
8 FROM STREET LOCKDOWN TO A ROOF OVER YOUR HEAD The opportunity to use non-conventional spaces
The crisis came at a heavy The same also goes for re-orientated: “We realized cost for tourism, leaving private, short-term rental it wasn’t possible to open entire hotels and other apartment owners. In our large winter shelter, recreational structures some of the cities, like in as in previous years, as we completely empty. Lacking Thessaloniki, the offer of couldn’t guarantee social beds and enough space such services became a distance and health control for safety, some cities, like threat to affordable housing in it. The municipality had Glasgow and Ghent, began in general, not only for the some unused mobile houses renting rooms from hotels homeless population. During that were supposed to and using them instead to this pandemic period, it be used at schools, with host homeless people. This became easier to reach out schools now closed, they humane solution has allowed to these private owners and gave us the opportunity to to quickly make sure that ask if they would rent their house the homeless. For people are safe, but has also apartments for affordable the first time we used small opened up the idea of using prices, with a generally units, for 2-3 people. This services and spaces that positive response. Some may be a good beginning are not often used beyond private owners even, like in to adopt permanent the Covid-19 pandemic. Liège, spontaneously called housing solutions’’. (Angela The private sector’s mindset the city council themselves Ciupa-Rad, Municipality of may change after their first to offer their apartment to Timisoara) experience collaborating people in need. with social services. Other resources were
9 FROM STREET LOCKDOWN TO A ROOF OVER YOUR HEAD The opportunity to promote long-term solutions, based on housing
The ROOF cities that had housing services to the (City of Ghent), tells how already adopted long-term homeless and make sure they created a 24h care solutions, and in particular people have their private hostel and housed 15 people Housing First, perceived spaces and the support that got temporary housing the emergency in very needed. with social support. “The different ways. Odense for The urgency to take people interesting thing is that example, actually required off the streets helped we gave a solution to the very little changes in its to develop quick and most vulnerable among service offering, especially dedicated solutions: “A the homeless, people with concerning their support couple (approached by complex problems that were system. In Glasgow, the social services) said they not willing to be housed already reduced number would go to the shelter only before this moment. We of homeless people still on if they could be together (our learned that we can create the streets finally became a shelter is usually separated temporary solutions quickly matter of the past. Passing between male and female) but we also have good through hotel rooms first, to so we created a special hope that this will lead to then enter social housing. room for them” (Ana Ferreira, reinforcing and speeding It is a great opportunity to Municipality of Braga). up the process towards promote more permanent Steven Vanden Broucke structural housing”.
10 FROM STREET LOCKDOWN TO A ROOF OVER YOUR HEAD How to seize the momentum?
MANY OF THE ROOF CITIES believe, is our basic function: Ending Homelessness. are still in emergency mode, to develop alternatives to Each of our cities acts with basic functions of the existing policies, to keep and advocates today that system trying to stand tall. them alive and available it is time for all actors There is a common challenge until the politically impossible (politicians, civil servants in making sure that some of becomes the politically of different departments, the emergency solutions inevitable.” community, public opinion, do not become permanent, The ROOF network aims private housing market, while turning good examples to think long term and act service workers, homeless into a motor for change. quickly now that we know community) to rethink social Milton Friedman, 1976 Nobel more and are more aware, policies now, shifting from Memorial Prize in Economic as data collection becomes sheltering to more structural Sciences, said: “Only a more accurate and as hidden solutions like Housing First, crisis - actual or perceived forms of homelessness and creatively or directly - produces real change. become visible. The ROOF find the resources towards When that crisis occurs, network will grasp the affordable housing for the the actions that are taken opportunity and the push different homeless groups. depend on the ideas that given by this crisis and will are lying around. That, I continue to work towards
11 FROM STREET LOCKDOWN TO A ROOF OVER YOUR HEAD IT IS TIME TO
Recognize different Evaluate the types of homeless community around people and not just us as a valuable look at the tip of the resource, including iceberg. the homeless community.
Work together, with Creatively or directly unprecedented find the resources collaboration between towards affordable the health, housing, housing. social and economic departments.
Rethink social Implement national policies, shifting from and European policies sheltering to a more pushing towards structural solution ending homelessness. like Housing First.
12 FROM STREET LOCKDOWN TO A ROOF OVER YOUR HEAD This article was written based on constant exchange and dedicated interviews with 9 European municipalities, participating in the URBACT ROOF network.
*ROOF aims to end homelessness through innovative housing solutions at city level. It is about making the shift from managing homelessness to actually ending it through Housing First/Led and about gathering accurate data. It is an URBACT project, running from 2019 to 2022, co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund. As a network of 9 European cities, ROOF develops integrated local action plans to promote and achieve the strategic goal of Functional Zero (no structural homelessness).
ROOF network cities: Ghent (Belgium - Lead Partner), Thessaloniki (Greece), Toulouse Métropole (France), Braga (Portugal), Timisoara (Romania), Glasgow (United Kingdom), Liège (Belgium), Poznan (Poland), Odense (Denmark).
Liat Rogel is the URBACT Lead Expert for the ROOF network. She is a service designer focused on social innovation, collaborative housing and community design.
Interviews conducted by: Euan McGlynn, Hannelore Bonami, Luiza Braga Campos, Renae Elkassih Editing: Renae Elkassih, Patricia Vanderbauwhede Illustrations and graphic design: Luiza Braga Campos
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