Transcript European Cities Combatting Poverty

Combating Poverty and Social
Exclusion
Homelessness A Targeted Approach
Olmedo, Sardinia, 9th March 2011
Damien O’Mahony
Cork City Council
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Low educational attainment
 Lone parents
 Unemployment
 Family Breakdown
 Loss of partner/spouse/parent/s
 Addictions
 Disability – physical and mental
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Access to education compromised
 Access to employment comprimised
 Social Housing – pool of disadvantage concentrations may cause difficulties
 Poor health – mortality rate higher for
cancer, heart disease, mental illness
 Less participation through marginalisation –
voting; volunteering; church attendance
(indication of diminished social capital)
Paths to Homelessness
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Poverty and lack of housing options
Mental ill health
Addiction
Weak family supports
Experience of institutional care,
Eviction
Relationship breakdown
But protective factors must be mentioned i.e.
significant positive relationship; engagement in
work or training, even where the underlying
causes and risk factors are present
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Homeless community not homogenous but common
characteristics exist
High levels of mental ill health,
Psychological, behavioural and personality disorders
Intellectual and learning difficulties and addiction
problems.
Across the developed world, the majority of homeless
people are single men.
Homelessness is not a random process and as such
allows for the development of targeted interventions
to address homelessness and to prevent it from
occurring in the first place.
 The Celtic Tiger
 Reduced poverty but unemployment now up
to 13.7% (almost 20% in 1980s)
 Relative poverty (on or below 60% of
national income EU definition)
 Consistent poverty (with added indicators of
disadvantage – e.g. lone parent;
unemployed; disabled)–
11% (inc. working poor)
Breakout Sessions
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Systems - Latvia
 Value for Money - Greece
 Integration - Romania
 Prevention - Spain
Methodology
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Record findings
 Nominate spokesperson
 General application
 Not confined by individual funding
constraints
Homeless Action Planning in
Cork
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Homeless Forum established 1991
 Plans founded on detailed consultation
process with stakeholders – local
government; health services; police;
voluntary agencies
Achievements to date
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Elimination of need to sleep rough
 Accommodation standards raised
 Provision of transitional housing
 Multi-disiplinary Teams established
 Gateway Project (wet shelter)
 Cork Foyer
Achievements to date, contd.
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Strong working partnerships between the
key local stakeholders
 The development of discharge protocols for
those at risk of homelessness leaving
psychiatric or acute hospitals.
 Critical local interventions stimulated via
local homeless action plans.
The Way Home 2008-2013
Strategic Aims
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Preventing Homelessness
 Eliminate Need to Sleep Rough
 Eliminate Long Term Homelessness
 Meet Long Term Housing Needs
 Ensure Effective Services for Homeless
People
 Better Coordinated Funding arrangements
A New Focus – More Detail
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The development of longer term accommodation options
through the provision of additional social housing, greater
use of the private sector and the development of long term
supported accommodation with on site specialist care.
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The improvement of the coordination of funding between
the Department of Environment, Heritage and Local
Government and the Department of Health so that capital
and revenue funding works in tandem, with the
development of more formal funding mechanisms, more
transparent selection of projects and improved monitoring
across the country.
A New Focus – More Detail
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The development of a case management approach to
addressing the needs of homeless people, based on
key workers linking to core services and specialist
health services which can be accessed, depending on
individual needs.
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The development of preventative strategies focused on
at risk groups in addition to individuals leaving prison,
acute hospitals and psychiatric hospitals.
Eliminate Long Term
Homelessness
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By end 2011 no one should be in emergency
accommodation longer than six months.
Achieved by the adequate supply of long term
housing in each local area to address current and
projected needs
Adequate community support services for
households vulnerable to homelessness
Accessible mental health and addiction services
Effective interventions by homeless services.
Meeting long term housing needs
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Adequate supply of housing, esp. for single persons
 Greater utilisation of existing housing stock and the
provision of additional units by local authorities
 Greater use of the private and voluntary and cooperative housing sectors.
 Settlement services and tenancy sustainment for
formerly homeless people necessary in some cases.
Ensure effective services for homeless
people
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Services well organised, co-ordinated and
integrated
 focused on moving them out of homelessness
as quickly as possible, into long term
sustainable housing.
 a national quality standards framework for
homeless services, including arrangements for
monitoring compliance.
Ensure effective services for
homeless people
Services include:
 street outreach
 temporary accommodation
 Settlement
 post settlement
 tenancy sustainment and advice
 information and day centres
 specialised homeless services.
Health services
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Vital component of services for homeless people.
 roll-out of primary care teams and primary and
social care networks.
 Homeless people will access primary care through
these new teams and networks
 not intended that a separate and parallel health
system will exist for homeless people.
Prevention Strategies
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Adult Offenders
 Young Offenders
 Mental Health Residential Facilities
 Acute Hospitals
 Young Persons Leaving Care
 Education and Homeless Persons
 Monitoring
Prevention Strategies
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Intervention by wider social welfare agencies
including the establishment of indicators that act
as an early warning system and ensure that
supports are offered while the potentially
homeless individual remains in the family home.
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New immigrants
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Victims of Domestic Violence
Managing Change
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Practices long established with wide public
support
Paradigm shift required in approach
Significant change to structures on the part of
service providers both financial and human
resource
Change from reactive to proactive attitude on the
part of commissioning agents (i.e. state bodies
who fund the service)
Inclusion and consultation
Thank You