Date post: | 09-Jul-2015 |
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(NGO No Fixed Abode)
Project Own Keys
A Person experienced homelessness
is the best expert in the very matters
concerning homelessness
Homelessness is not a question of an
individual quality, it’s a question
of circumstances that can be changed
No Fixed Abode NGO
The association No Fixed
Abode was founded by
homeless themselves in 1986
Low threshold grassroot work,
advocacy and case
management among those
hardest to accommodate
(disconnectedness and social
exclusion, problems with trust
of other people and services,
trauma, substance abuse,
criminal issues)
No Fixed Abode – Vailla Vakinaista Asuntoa NGO Finland
IMPACTING ON
SOCIETY
Informing public and
media, Asukki-
Magazine, The
Homeless’ Night
yearly 17.10.,
campaigns, events,
happenings
COOPERATION
with municipalities, authorities,
regional work in Finland, inter-
organizational relationships,
international cooperation, FEANTSA,
Finnish Government program to
reduce and end long-term
homelessness; No shelters!
No Fixed Abode
ACTIVITIES
Member
activities,
coordination of
volunteers’ work,
instruction of
practicants
(social welfare
& health),
increasing
participation
PROJECTS
Experimental projects
based on the needs and
experiences of the
homeless themselves, Own
Keys project
PLACES OF VARIOUS
FUNCTIONS
Principles: easy-to-
access, openness
• Kalkkers Night Café,
• Vepa Center of peer
support, Volunteers,
• Night bus • Office
GRASSROOT basis: direct contact with the homeless’ everyday life
HOUSING FIRST
UNIT
Sällikoti
Community Home
Expertise by Experiment
27 years of participation in No Fixed Abode
Ideas and initiatives of the homeless
carried into practice E.g.
• Asukki Magazine 1987
• Renovating a property rented 1989
from the City of Helsinki
• “Night of the Homeless” from 1999
• Outreach work at night time 2006
• Center of Peer Support VEPA 2008
• 2. place in the Housing Concept Competition 2009
(competition announced by the city of Helsinki: planning
of a housing unit and services with homeless people)
• Café Lagoon - renovation of a
bus, information on wheels 2010
• HoPe European network of
homeless 2011
• “Name on the Door” 2010-2012
(No Fixed Abode had a special
focus on promoting participation
and empowerment of homeless
people. The group of people who
had experienced homelessness
created The Suggestions for
Participation)
Every idea and initiative
concerns, alcohol abuse is not
an obstacle
Tools for improved
communication,
comprehensibility of
information concerning
homeless themselves
Cooperation between
municipalities and the
association Vva, expertise of
NGO > Vva as a bridge builder
between different operational
culture levels
Project Own Keys
Own Keys is an innovative participation project (2012-2015)
by the association No Fixed Abode (in Finnish “Vailla
vakinaista asuntoa ry”, Vva ry for short).
The project is developed as an extension of the Finnish
Government’s program to reduce and eliminate long-term
homelessness, its second period PAAVO II, to support and
aid it. PAAVO II = to get rid of the shelters -> housing first -
people are provided with adequate and appropriate support in
their homes.
The project is based on the work by experts by
experience.
The project is funded by Finland’s Slot Machine Association.
In the project Own Keys the voice of the
homeless will be heard in planning of
supported housing and services.
Participation in planning will be carried out in
all steps of the planning process.
The project is targeted to participate in
planning services from the very beginning in
four cooperating towns (Lahti, Kuopio,
Jyväskylä, Tampere).
Setting up a frame of a network of
influential participants (national
network of homeless people).
Processing the work can be used
in similar projects for planning and
producing services.
In the project both those presently experiencing homelessness and those who have experienced homelessness will be involved.
Each town has a detailed plan concerning e.g. housing, support, crisis accommodation or a day centre. Pro-user patterns are considered when planning these services.
Experts by experience gather in the cooperating towns the views of homeless people. People with experience in homelessness to be used in all planning concerning homeless services.
Building a trust-based relationship with homeless or formerly homeless > grassroot surveys and interviews > snowballeffect Peer support (e.g. community meetings, outdoor activities, a trip together to homelessness fair, eating together) Opportunity to influence on matters concerning housing, support, services for homeless etc.
Challenges, surprises
• Professionals’ work was strained by co-workers who
are settled against to expertise by experience practice
• Description of his/her own story
• Slow progress and difficulty to see products of work
• Coping with “strange” professional terms
• Health service expenses in the
project bigger than expected
• ”Do they really ask our opinion” >
“We do have something to give”
• Important for coping at work: good atmosphere, firm support
from foremen and willingness to help
Conclusions and results
Project workers are members of the steering
group in each town
Regular meetings with architects and builders
and other specialists related to building
Cooperation between municipalities and
Association Vva, expertise of the NGO
Own Keys works as a link to a wider strategy
of social policies and sustainment
Services: holistic approach to homelessness,
centered on the homeless’ needs
Finding ways to help people to
help themselves
Right to have your voice heard,
hearing also the voices of the
unheard
Project workers prefer calling
themselves ”experts on
homelessness” instead of
”experts by experience”
After the project: continuity by
setting up a frame of a network
of influential participants
(national network of homeless
people)
Feedback from the Own Keys project partners
• “It's great to embrace a new way of working”
• “Experts by Experience play a key role, they are not statists in
the background”
• Homeless’ experiences and point of view have become
particularly evident / heard
• Training and supervising of the new local Experts by Experience
has been very good
• Improved networking at the local level
• Project worker is “street-wise”, speaks directly and has ideas
• New perspectives and being on the cutting edge; stimulating
debate
• Expert by Exp. has been open in meetings and have received
good feedback from residents of the housing unit
• The Expert by Experience has been an eagerly awaited guest
Sanna Tiivola, Executive Manager Association No Fixed Abode, Finland [email protected] Vailla vakinaista asuntoa ry (No Fixed Abode) Kinaporinkatu 2 D 3.floor FI-00500 Helsinki, Finland www.vvary.fi For more information about the project Own Keys: [email protected] [email protected]