Transcript EU strategy/action plan on homelessness

EU context
Potential for enhancing transnational cooperation
Brussels – 27 June 2011
Background
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Joint Report EPSCO Council 2010
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« Integrated strategies to address homelessness have an important role to play in postcrisis policies »
Guidelines
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Proper governance
Evidence-base
Targets
Comprehensive & Multi-dimensional
Housing-led
Written Declarations EP
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End street homelessness 2008
EU homelessness strategy 2010
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End homelessnessness
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Rough sleeping
Social emergencies
Integration
Young homeless
Discharge
EY2010 Final Declaration European Council 2010
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Challenges ahead
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“Particular attention should be given to vulnerable groups such as migrants, the Roma and other
ethnic minorities and to extreme forms of poverty such as homelessness. No one should be
left behind”
Background (2)
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CoR Own Initiative Report 2010
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The basis for discussion must be that the EU Member States are facing a shared
problem. Homelessness afflicts individuals … and it occurs in all the EU Member States.
We therefore need joint measures (at EU level) to prevent and reduce
homelessness
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EESC Own Initiative Report (forthcoming)
SPC activities
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Light Year on homelessness 2009
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« It is essential that homelessness be considered an integral part of the Social OMC and be
consolidated and continued post 2010 »
EU Housing Ministers Meeting call 2010
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Country reports
EU Independent expert network research
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EU Agency
« Homelessness and housing exclusion should be taken into account fully within
European Union social inclusion strategy in order to allow significant progress on these
issues » 2008
« That the results of the forthcoming Consensus Conference on Homelessness
(December 2010) should be integrated within the European Union social inclusion
strategy « 2010
Commissioner Andor support
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Public interventions
Tweet last week
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« EU must deal with rising #homelessness & invest in #social #innovation. «
EU 2020 Agenda
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EU Programme 2010-2020
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Centered on economic growth and employment
EC Communication endorsed by Council (June 2010)
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In the framework of the EPAP member states will need to « Define and
implement measures addressing the specific circumstances of groups
at particular risk (such as one-parent families, elderly women,
minorities, Roma, people with a disability and the homeless) »
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Limited nr of target groups
Council conclusions on the employment guidelines (Oct 2010)
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Benefit systems should focus on ensuring income security during
transitions and reducing poverty, in particular among groups most at
risk from social exclusion, such as one-parent families, minorities
including the Roma, people with disabilities, children and young
people, elderly women and men, legal migrants and the homeless.
Member States should also actively promote the social economy and
social innovation in support of the most vulnerable
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Limited nr of target groups
EU 2020 Agenda (2)
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National Reform Programmes
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Replace NAPs
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12 countries mention homelessness as a specific problem that requires EU policy
intervention.
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Very little space for social inclusion
But important for agenda setting
some refer to the need for a specific strategy (France, Luxembourg, Finland, Bulgaria,
Portugal, and Belgium);
some consider homeless people as a specific target of their employment and/or housing
policies (UK, Spain, Poland)
some see homeless people as specific target group of social inclusion policies (Ireland,
Romania, Greece).
some raise the need for targeting and the need to focus on the most excluded/extreme
poverty (such as Slovenia, Italy).
few countries don't mention homelessness but policies are also aimed at homeless and/or
target groups mentioned overlap and are increasingly supported by homeless sector - ex
Roma (such as Slovakia, Hungary, and Czech Republic).
some have hardly anything on social inclusion and therefore also nothing on homelessness
(such as Germany and Netherlands).
some have nothing on homelessness in spite of their good policies and transnational work
on homelessness (Sweden, Austria, and Denmark).
No targets related to homelessness
EC country specific recommendations
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Nothing substantial on on poverty
EPAP – what is in it for homelessnesss?
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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.
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Develop the Voluntary European Quality Framework on social services at sectoral level, including in the field of longterm care and homelessness.
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Funding for FEANTSA secured?!
Give all necessary technical support and guidance to Member States to implement the amendments to the ERDF
regulation adopted in May 2010 to support housing interventions in favour of marginalised communities, and
promote the implementation of the new regulation with dedicated seminars.
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Funding base for Ministries Forum ?!
Promote the sustainable involvement of civil society through the PROGRESS programme by providing support to
key EU wide networks as well as through 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
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To guide EU funding from Structural Funds?!
The Commission will support through the PROGRESS programme 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
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EU Strategy?!
Access to Structural Funds ?!
Develop cross-sectoral approaches that articulate actions in several related policy fields such as employment,
education, health, youth, housing, migration and social protection that have the potential to lead to social innovation.
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Promotion of Housing-led approaches for homelessness?!
EPAP – some reactions of EU bodies
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SPC
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« The SPC will continue work on homelessness and
housing exclusion, also taking into account the
outcome of the European Consensus conference on
homelessness
EC
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Limited strategic progress on implementation
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No progress (yet) towards EU strategy/action plan on
homelessness
Ad hoc events
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Structural Funds & Innovation
Leader – DG EMPL
Lobbying goes on …
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EU STRATEGY ON HOMELESSNESS
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Basis
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EC
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Meeting Commissioner Laszlo Andor - VDB/FEANTSA 24th of June
MS
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French Minister of Housing
PermReps
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Ministries Forum?!
Individual Ministries
EP
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Common meeting to present CC recommendations (under preparation)
More
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EPAP
CC
Oral question with debate & resolution (under preparation)
EU Presidency
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Poland?!
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Annual Convention Social Inclusion…
Denmark
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Demand for EU homelessness strategy?!
Homeless strategy – who?
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Governance
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High-Level Steering Group
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CC recommendation
Membership?!
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Role of Ministries Forum
Develop structures for delivery of results
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Research
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Local authorities
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Housing, Health, Employment
Homeless persons
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Housing Rights Watch
Thematic networks
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Ministries Forum
Legal experts
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Habitact
National and/or Regional Ministries
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European Observatory on Homelessness
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HOPE
Homeless strategy – What?
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Focus
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(1) Monitoring progress of MS
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Role of Ministries Forum (& FEANTSA)…
Link with SPC
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Annual progress report?!
Cooperation with OECD
(2) Research
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OBS
Gaps in knowlegde
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CC
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Data collection
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Migration
Others …
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(3) Innovation
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Housing First
Innovation Union Flagship & Social experimentation
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Social experimentation project
Access to Structural Funds?!
Homeless strategy --- What? (2)
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Focus (cont)
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4) Service provision - Quality of services
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EU quality framework for homeless services
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Staff training
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EU-funded quality project ?!
Cedefop
Access Structural Funds ...
(5) Transnational exchanges & mutual learning
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Own agenda
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Priorities of Ministries
EC agenda
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Break into other DG’s
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Health, Migration, Urban development
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Thank you for listening