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European Homeless and Mobile Citizens Network
European Homeless and Mobile Citizens Network
Start date: Sep 1, 2014,
End date: Aug 31, 2016
PROJECT
FINISHED
In several major cities of North-Western EU countries, EU mobile citizens are amongst the most affected by homelessness and, although the main trend concerns people moving from Central and Eastern European countries to Western Europe, recent reports in the press refer to homeless people who have left Southern EU countries. According to a FEANTSA survey conducted in 2012, homeless services from 12 EU Member States report a growing proportion of immigrants among service users (On the Way Home, 2012). Sustainable and targeted solutions are needed and can be found only through a partnership between organisations working with homeless people both in the countries of origin and countries of destination - as at present there is some collaboration between organisations, but not in a structured thus effective way as a network could allow. This innovative project puts together sending (eastern, central and southern ) and receiving (western, northern - UK, Denmark) countries, where issues of emigration or immigration are topical and organisations with a lot of experience in the field of homelessness and migration.
The main objective is to address destitute EU mobiles citizens issues, with combined and exchanged knowledge and expertise to find possible solutions, to come up with new ideas and recommendations that could be shared in both local and international levels, and to create an informal network of organizations active in the field.
Eight organizations were participating the project. Sending countries were represented by: NGO VA Caritas which offers temporary accommodation, material support, welfare advice, job search and life skills training, leisure time activities and work-therapy, also training for its staff and volunteers. MONAR is a non-governmental organization that helps people in difficult life circumstances and who may be socially excluded, are homeless, living with AIDS or addicted to alcohol and drugs. Caritas Diecezji Kieleckiej s church charitable organization which takes many innovative projects for whole Poland as: family homes of help, protected accommodations, Activation Unemployed Office, center of social integration, center of crisis intervention, multiple sclerosis treatment (SM), rehabilitation centers, to limit scale of social exclusion poor and disabled people and many others valuable initiatives. The Casa Ioana Association, ‘Casa Ioana’ is a grassroots Romanian registered non-governmental organization providing service for homeless families and single women. PRAKSIS is an independent, non-profit, non-governmental organization, aiming to provide humanitarian focused support in a wide span of fields to socially vulnerable groups in need, through a number of programs. Receiving countries represented by : Homeless Unit of Copenhagen is a part of the Social Department in the Municipality of Copenhagen. The Homeless Unit works in general with homeless people in the city of Copenhagen - rough-sleepers, Homeless in shelters, prostitution, Women in shelters and foreign homeless people. The type of working is social advice, decision making, Street work, applications to accommodation and etc. Taff is a successful community-based Housing Association with over 1300 homes in the Canton, Fairwater, Grangetown, Riverside and Butetown areas of Cardiff, as well as specialist supported housing projects for young women in Roath and Canton.
FEANTSA, the European Federation of National Organisations working with the Homeless, Most of FEANTSA’s members are national or regional umbrella organisations of service providers that support homeless people with a wide range of services, including housing, health, employment and social support. This partner has the expertise in the field.
During the project partner organizations were visiting each other and sharing good experience, exploring the network of organizations in the country. All partner organizations prepared a report of their countries situation regarding destitute EU mobile citizens which were gathered and put in Country Case Study. Toolkit for professionals working with EU homeless migrants was prepared. Policy recommendation were developed which we believe will have an impact locally for organizations providing services for EU homeless migrants. This project also empowered partner organizations to create an international informal network, to strengthen the cooperation and communication between local stakeholders. One of the partner organizations VA Caritas opened an Occupational Center for homeless people where they can attain English language, computer literacy, personal budgeting and social skills development classes conducted by volunteers and workers.