Inclusion Through Employment for People Who Are Homeless
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Transcript of Inclusion Through Employment for People Who Are Homeless
Draft FEANTSA European Report 2007
Multiple barriers, Multiple Solutions: Inclusion into and through
Employment for People who are homeless
FEANTSA Annual European ConferenceZaragoza, 19 October 2007
Why employment?
The role of employment for the inclusion of people
Barriers to engagement and employment
Efforts to overcome barriers Challenges for the future
Preparation of the report
Questionnaire was sent out to all FEANTSA member organisations in the European Union
Received 16 national reports: www.feantsa.org
European Report provides overview about the main findings of the national reports
Employment profiles Majority of people are unemployed or
economically inactive
A significant proportion are working Spain: around 12 % have a job Netherlands: around 10 % have a paid job Finland: 4% of the people surveyed by the Social
Welfare Office of Helsinki were employed Austria: in the city of Vienna approximately 14%
had at least an occasional job at the entry to a homeless service
Where do people who are homeless work?
Mainstream labour market Restaurants, retail, construction
Social Economy Social cooperatives, social enterprises
Role of the Informal Economy If low levels of social benefits If “work does not pay”
Income generating activities
Working Conditions
High percentage of temporary and occasional work Can be a step into mainstream labour
market Risk of low income
Precarious employment Lack of social security Lack of continuity and move-on options
Barriers to Employment I
Lack of job opportunities Structural changes in the labour market Lack of low-skilled jobs for people who
are homeless Personal barriers
e.g. debt problems, domestic violence Question of cause and effect: are linked
with structural and societal barriers
Barriers to Employment II
Housing barriers and barriers to housing Lack of adequate and affordable housing Lack of access to housing Lack of supported housing/ move-on options
Health barriers Mental health, drug and alcohol addiction,
dual diagnosis
Barriers to Employment III
Barriers related to education Low levels of secondary education Lack of basic skills: literacy, numeracy
Discrimination and stigmatisation Ignorance about the living situations of
people who are homeless in the general population
Stigmatisation linked to physical appearance
Barriers to Employment IV
Barriers related to services Lack or inadequacy of services
Barriers related to transport Lack and costs of public transport
Barriers related to access to information Capacity to use Internet and telephone
with a view to access information about job or training opportunities
Gender specific barriers and barriers for migrants
Gender specific barriers Experience of domestic violence Lack of childcare services
Barriers for migrants Precarious legal status
Right to work and employment initiatives for people who are
homeless No justiciable right to work Employment policies for
disadvantaged groups Difficulties to integrate people who are
homeless Employment policies for people
experiencing homelessness
Programmes and projects
Variety of programmes and projects in most countries, quantity varies from one country to another
Important role of NGOs and social economy
More difficult in countries where no policy framework exist
Unemployment and social benefits
In general, people experiencing homelessness have the same rights to entitlements
Difference between earnings related benefits and minimum income
Disability benefits Housing benefits Other forms of social benefits
Problems regarding benefits I
Level of benefits Not high enough to ensure a decent
living
Structure of benefits Financially unattractive for people to
seek regular employment
Problems regarding benefits II
Conditions linked to benefits: (“willingness to work”) Risk to force people in jobs that are not
adapted to their needs Risk of social welfare dependency
Access to benefits Without an address = no access to benefits Difficulties to follow administrative
procedures
Employment services for people who are homeless
Advice and counselling: most common service Supported employment: very common Vocational training and education: often
mainstream but in some countries also specialised
Life-skills training and meaningful occupation: level varies from one country to another
In-work support: Crucial but often underdeveloped
Cooperation and funding Cooperation of different stakeholders
Partnerships exist Levels of cooperation differ significantly
Funding for employment services Need for stable, sufficient and long-term
funding
Indicators, data collection and research
Need for more qualitative indicators Need for more and better statistics on
homelessness in general, including employment profiles of people
Need for more research: some research on employment and homelessness
A holistic and personalised approach
Integration of employment dimension into homelessness strategies remains a challenge
Need for an holistic approach: Housing, health, employment, social
relations Need for a personalised approach
Initial and ongoing assessment of needs and aspirations of every individual
Development of a personalised action plan
Thank you!