June 2019
Hello and welcome (back) to the FEANTSA Flash!
This edition is packed with interesting news - catch up before you go on your well-deserved summer break. Look out for the brand new "partner news" section too!
If there is something you'd like to see included in the July-August issue, let us know by clicking the button below.
Read ahead:
- FEANTSA Events: What's coming up next?
- FEANTSA News: What's new at FEANTSA? Anything you missed?
- FEANTSA Publications: Latest reports and publications on all things homelessness
- Member News: With over 100 members fighting tirelessly against homelessness in almost 30 countries, you know that there is always something going on
- Partner news: News from FEANTSA partners
- Headlines: Homelessness in the media
- Employment: Recruitment and job offers in the sector
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14th research conference on homelessness
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Housing First Europe Hub at the International Festival of Social Housing
Lyon, June 2019 – the Housing First Europe Hub presented the Housing First for Youth pilot project in Scotland at a seminar in Lyon, and delivered a half-day introductory training session. A definition and an implementation hand-book on HF4Y will be published in English and French in the autumn. Please get in touch with Samara Jones if you are interested in more information in the meantime.
An Overview of Housing Exclusion in Europe
HSP event : Out-of-the-box Housing Solutions for the Locked out of Europe
European Exchange on Health and Homelessness
Brussels, June 24th - 25th - FEANTSA organized a 2-day Exchange on Integrated Approaches on Health and Homelessness. The event brought together homeless service providers, drug use related services, cities, and public health experts to discuss how integrated approaches can be established more widely as best practice in service provision, their added value for service users and how to make them work at local level. Workshops focused on specific themes – peer work and participation, outreach work, mental health and harm reduction in housing provision. More detailed information including presentations will soon be available on the project website.
FEANTSA invited by the European Commission’s Gender Equµality Unit to present the PIE4shelters project
Brussels, 26th June - FEANTSA was invited by the Gender Equality Unit (European Commission) to present the PIE4shelters project during a dedicated information and networking meeting attended by representatives of the Commission, policy makers, and other project representatives. The presentation focused on the impact of the local and European staff trainings and their substantial contribution to the improvement of support for women with experience of gender-based violence as well as on the lessons learned from organizational processes of transforming homeless services into Psychologically-Informed Environments (PIEs). More information will soon be available on the project website.
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Call for contributions - European Journal of Homelessness Volume 13.2
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Ireland: Employment Scheme for Homeless People
For 4 years, the Dublin Simon Community has been running their Community Employment Project, available to individuals over 18 who are or have recently been homeless. The core aim is to address their needs for stability and structure, and to provide them with support to overcome the trauma of homelessness in order for them to take the first steps towards employability. The wider reaching aim of the project is, eventually, to facilitate them in either a meaningful work placement, employment in the open labour market, or return to education. The project has had great outcomes, with 8 participants securing full-time jobs, 4 participants securing part-time jobs, and 10 participants moving out of homelessness into independent living. Please contact CE_Engagement@dubsimon.ie if you are interested in learning more.
Spain – HOME_EU Seminar & Housing First
Madrid, 19th June- Our member RAIS Fundación hosted the final seminar on the HOME_EU project, whose aim was to provide a comprehensive understanding of how European stakeholders perceive, tolerate and confront inequality. The project, led by 12 partners (including FEANTSA) is coming to a close. Find out more about the project and the results here.
Ireland: Congratulations to Peter McVerry Trust for their award
Dublin, 20th June - The Charities Institute of Ireland held their 2019 Charity Excellence Awards. Peter McVerry Trust was nominated in two categories: the communications team was nominated for the award for “Communications Campaign of the Year”, and CEO Pat Doyle, for “Excellence in Leadership 2019”, the latter ultimately winning the award. Congratulations to all involved!
Belgium - Les pots de l’îlot : launch of a social economy project
Brussels, 20th June – L'îlot, member of Fédération Bico Federatie, has launched an ambitious social economy project: Les Pots de l’îlot, which aims to create employment for people having experienced homelessness or extreme precarity. The concept is an on-demand catering service, which provides home-made, organic food for meetings and events. The employment opportunities this service offers are exclusively aimed at people experiencing, or having experienced, homelessness.
United Kingdom – Report on Homelessness among refugees
20th June - To coincide with World Refugee Day, NACCOM has launched its Mind the Gap – One Year On report, which builds on findings published in June 2018 that made a direct link between Home Office policy and the high prevalence of homelessness among refugees in the UK. Key data show that 36% of refugees using the night shelter services were known to have left their asylum accommodation in the previous six months. This is a higher proportion than in 2018 (21%). In addition, the number of refugees known to have left asylum accommodation within the previous 1-4 weeks has risen proportionally.
Italy – Urban Village of solidarity
Rome, 22nd June – Binario 95 a homeless services provider and member of fio.PSD, is promoting Villagio 95, an urban village of solidarity. Villagio 95 is one of the first "tiny house" projects in the city of Rome, where more than 7,000 homeless people live. fio.PSD took part in the launch event to promote housing rights and innovation, but also to recall that the real challenges will be permanent and affordable housing, community based approach and equal opportunity for all.
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World Habitat End street homelessness campaign
24th June - World Habitat has published the European End Street Homelessness Campaign’s first Impact Report. The Campaign was set up in 2015 to help cities end street homelessness. It is now a network of European city campaigns, mobilising thousands of local community members and challenging established ways of working that have previously failed people experiencing homelessness. From Bratislava to Barcelona and from Glasgow to Brussels, this Impact Report outlines the key outcomes from a campaign that is delivered across 12 very different campaign cities across Europe. Read the report here.
Homeless people’s meeting (“Wohnungslosentreffen”)
Bavaria, 21st July – 28th July - Selbstvertretung wohnungsloser Menschen (self-representation of homeless people) is organising the meeting in cooperation with Armutsnetzwerk e.V. (anti-poverty-network) and the European Network of Homeless people (HOPE). The program includes morning plenary sessions, working groups, presentations of initiatives and groups, cultural and leisure activities and more. Topics include survival on the street, tiny homes, strategies against displacement, and participation in institutions. Find out more about this event here.
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" “It’s a miracle” : Helsinki’s radical solution to homelessness "
UK, 3rd June – Finland is the only EU country where homelessness is falling. In this article, the Guardian investigates the not-so-secret “potion”. Read more here.
"Organisations are sounding the alarm on budget-cuts in some emergency accommodation shelters "
France, 25th June – In 2018, the French Government ruled to reduce the budget allocated to shelters and homeless services. French Homeless Services, amongst which the Red Cross and FEANTSA member Fédération des acteurs de la solidarité, ran a survey amongst more than 190 homeless services on the impact of the budget cuts. The results show disastrous consequences: less social workers, less or no more warm meals, and possibly having to turn away the most destitute. Full report by 20 Minutes here.
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Social Services Europe is seeking a Policy Assistant (intern)
Social Services Europe is recruiting a policy assistant for a paid 6-month internship (with the possibility of extension to 12 months) in Brussels. The successful candidate will contribute to the overall coordination of Social Services Europe work between its 8 different members, ensuring a successful and timely implementation of SSE projects and advocacy activities by supporting the implementation of the yearly work programme.
Deadline for applications is 7th July. Please refer to the full call for applications for more information.
Looking to recruit young apprentices/ trainees/ employees?
The European Solidarity Corps for Youth – ESC4Y - is part of the European Solidarity Corps – ESC – initiative and aims to offer 4.000 fixed term work placements to young Europeans across the EU in occupations with a solidarity dimension. If you are seeking to fill a position, ESC4Y will function as an intermediary to help you find a suitable candidate. More information on ESC4Y here.
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