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!

silke.paasche@feantsa.orgwww.feantsa.org