Inventory of Successful Cooperation with Housing Companies Einführung in die Bestandsaufnahme
der erfolgreichen Zusammenarbeit mit Wohnungsunternehmen Inventaire des Succès de la collaboration
avec Les sociétés de logement
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Learning, lIving, wOrking for Neet-group 527488-LLP-1-2012-1-UK-GRUNDTVIG-GMP
With the support of the Lifelong Learning Programme of the European Union
This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication [communication] reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
Table of Contents
Introduction to inventory of successful cooperation
with housing companies 3
Sweden 4
Italy 10
Germany 14
United Kingdom 19
The Netherlands 21
France 24
Hungary 26
Recommendations 28
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This report is a description of some of the initiatives that exist in the seven partner countries in the LION Project, regarding the living and housing situation for young people at risk.
The partners, who live in Sweden, Italy, Germany, United King- dom, The Netherlands, France and Hungary are all active in the field of education and training for young people.
The target group are early school leavers with either a low level of qualifications or with no qualifications at all. In addition, their living situation often involves many challenges, such as low in- come, conflicts at home with parents/guardians, drug addiction, homelessness, etc.
Partners in the LION Project have gathered information on designated hostels , other residential solutions for adolescents and special actions of housing companies to assist young people in need, and the pedagogical setting of these initiatives. This has been carried out through interviews, study visits, and research.
This report contains descriptions of successful local and regional cooperation activities, and networking between second chance education or similar training initiatives and supervised/supported housing actions. Each of these initiatives (public, semi-public, and
private) offer the young people a structure and a way to access social and pedagogical support to improve their situation.
In this report, Hagagymnasiet, Norrköping in Sweden ex- plains how Swedish society in general helps young people with finding housing solutions and financing of studies. The focus is on the help young people in need of support receive. Financial aid to young people at risk is paid through public funds.
CESIE – Centro Studied Iniziative Europeo
Palermo in Italy has researched various initiatives for residential services for young people who cannot live with their families (Casa Familiga) and for young people who need special support for daily life (Casa Accolienza and Alloggi per l’autonomia).
WBK - Weiterbildungskolleg
Mönchengladbach in Germany gives a description of the structure of youth housing in Germany and the local situation in Mönchengladbach regarding cooperation between WBK and local housing institutions. In the report there is a description of the nationwide organisation Kolpinghaus that offers housing, education, training, and guidance to vulnerable young people.
Inventory of
Successful Cooperation with Housing Companies
5. 4.
Doncaster College
Doncaster in the United Kingdom cooperates with and provides information on Doncaster Housing for Young People (DHYP). This initiative provides accommodation and support to vulnerable and homeless young people between 16 and 25 years of age.
Euricon
in The Netherlands describes the widespread initiative Kamers met Kansen in general and two local examples in detail, one in Maastricht and the other in Horst aan de Maas. Kamers met Kansen’s mission is to prepare young people, over an eight- een month period, for an independent life, with a certificate or a job. The core of the Kamers met Kansen-initiatives are housing, education, work orientation and training.
E2C73 - 2nd chance school
in Chambery in France presents three establishments that ad- dress young people with fewer opportunities than others and who need some type of support. The initiatives are: Pensionnats d’excellence, Young workers’ hostels and Young adults’ hostels.
IFA - Iskolafejlesztési Alapítvány
Budapest in Hungary describes housing initiatives for young people under 18 and the complex and overarching housing problems in the country in general. Even those who deal with housing issues and try to find solutions have left out the young NEETs (Not in Employment, Education or Training) and their special needs.
At Y p. 28 there are recommendations for networking and cooperation, based on the research of the partners.
Sweden
Cooperation with companies for housing support in Sweden
General Student housing
Most students over 20 years of age are living in student apartments, which the municipality and/or the schools make available. This offers students the ability to live independently and begin ‘adult life’ in a positive way. The government agency CSN, Centrala studiestödsnämnden pays financial aid for studies, which students can apply for. This includes grants and loans and covers the rent and the costs of food, travel, and materials such as books, etc.
Living with parents
In Sweden the basic rule is that parents have the responsibility to take care of and financially support their children until they are 21 years of age. The vast majority of young people live with their parents until they have finished upper secondary school.
All students who are 16-20 years old receive a government grant of approximately 110 Euro/month for 10 months per year.
Reasons for Supported Housing
If the parents are not able to take responsibility for their children or if they themselves have problems with drugs, addiction, crime, etc., both the parents and/or the young person can turn to the municipal social services for help and support. The social services would then investigate the circumstances of the young person and the network around him/her and the existing resources
available within this network. The parents and the young person En normally must try to solve the situation together; however as a last resort, the social services will provide social support at vari- ous levels.
The measures may be social, educational or/and financial. To help, guide, and coach the young person at risk, a social worker is ap- pointed by the social services and he/she is responsible for ensur- ing that the young person has a meaningful and decent life and somewhere to live.The social worker will act as a link between existing housing initiatives for youth at risk, schools, training or other activities to support the personal development of the young person. Young vulnerable people might be offered regular counseling or supportive talks to bring order totheir lives. If they are not in education or employment, they may receive financial support for living expenses and housing. Then, they must agree to participate in an organised activity or look for jobs.
Various kinds of supported housing for young people at risk
ó Help in own family
ó Family home
ó Youth supported housing
ó Supported housing
ó HVB-hem, Home for care or housing
ó Special residential homes for young people Help in own family
Families with difficulties, who are not able to solve theirproblems on their own or with help from their own network,may receive
assistance from social services. The municipality’s aim is as far as possible to support young people in their own family. In these cases social workers will work together with the family in their home for a period of time. They will try to assist and help family members, so that daily life is easier for the young person and their family.
Family Home
In a Family Home, a ‘host’ family agrees to take care of and raise children or young peoplef for a specific amount of time, which can range from a short to a longer period of care. These types of homes are pre-approved by the social services before the young person is allowed to live with the host family. The reason for this kind of placement may be the young person’s parents’ inability to care for their child, or the young person’s own problems or difficulties in school, conflicts with parents, drugs etc.The young person lives with their foster family and attends school.They are encouraged to meet with their biological family, as the aim is that they will eventually be reunited with them, if possible.
There is another category of children in Sweden who are in need of a Family Home. These are usually unaccompanied refugee children/young people under the age of 18, who arrive alone in Sweden. They come from countries at war outsidet he European Union, such as Iraq, Syria,Somalia, etc. Without their parents or other adult relatives, they have fled to Sweden by themselves.
After a period in a refugee camp, they are placed, as soon as possible, with a foster family in a Family Home, where they will receive good care and a chance to be able to continue with their lives under calmer conditions.
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Youth Supported Housing in general
Swedish municipalities organise housing support for young people in need of help and support to cope with daily life.
It differs somewhat between municipalities, but the overarching principle is that Youth Supported Housing addresses young people at risk. The social services carry out an extensive inves- tigation regardingthe young peoples’ social, physical, psycho- logical, housing, economic and school-related situation. Based on this, they make a plan that shows the actions and measures needed to be taken. Following this, the YouthSupported Hous- ing can be granted as a social benefit. The costs for staff, office space, and management are paid by the municipalities as well as the economic aid to the young person and the rent for the apartments. In this way politicians and policy makers jointly govern the operations.
Youth Supported Housing is generally managed by the munici- pality. In addition, the municipality may purchase services from private Youth Supported Housing companies. In these cases, the social services draw up time-limited contracts with private companies. They commit to providing high quality accommoda- tion for the vulnerable youth group, to be responsible for social support, and to keep in contact with the young person’s network.
In order to obtain a renewed contract, the private companies must prove that they have met the quality standards set by the municipality.
Youth Supported Housing in Norrköping
Norrköping Youth Housing has 40 apartments for young people aged between 17-22 years. It is run by a staff of 10 people, who
are trained in the social field as social workers, social pedagogues, psychologists etc. The apartments are located in rental proper- ties in the various areas of the city. The local residents do not know that a particular apartment is linked to Youth Housing and the young person is seen and treated as any other tenant.
The apartments are approximately 36 square meters, divided in to one room with a kitchen and bathroom and in most cases a balcony as well. They are furnished and have basic kitchen equipment, such as utensils.
The property-owners are both municipal and private housing companies. Youth Housing staff have a good relationship with the owners. They know how the Youth Housing works and what help they can expect, should there be any problems with a young tenant. It is very important that Youth Housing staff react im- mediately if a youth is behaving inappropriately. The property- owners require such actions, in order to continue to lease the apartment to the Youth Housing organisation.
The staff’s duties include help, support, and control. Many young people who leave home to live on their own feel very lonely and alienated. It is good for them to know that they can call and talk with their support person at any time and perhaps be visited by them. The young people have to learn how to cook (three dishes), wash, clean, get to and from their jobs, make “difficult” phone calls, deal with “paperwork”, etc. They receive help with this and the aim is that they will eventually manage these tasks indepen- dently.
The contract of the apartment is held by the Norrköping Youth Housing, who pays the rent. The youth receive a grant from social
services of approximately 320 Euro per month, which is paid out by the Youth Housing staff once a week. As the young people show that they are able to manage the money, their weekly amounts will increase, with a longer lapse between payments.
The money is meant to cover food, clothing, hygiene, home insurance, and a radio and television license. The young person receives bus tickets and half the cost of a gym membership.
To manage their finances, they have their own bank account and they are taught to handle their banking transactions via the Internet. They have a mobile phone so they can always contact or be contacted by Youth Housing staff. The tenants are not permitted to use drugs at all or have alcohol in their home.
The Youth Housing has keys to all apartments and if there is suspicion that something is wrong; the staff will enter the apartment to investigate. Only the apartment holders are allowed to live in the apartments. If they want someone to sleepover temporarily, they would need to have a pre-arranged agreement with the Youth Housing staff.
All young people should participate in daily activities to gain structure, awareness, and knowledge. This may be through enrol- ment in the Second Chance School, courses in municipal adult education, work placements, or activities within the employment services or projects. In the Second Chance School, Hagagym- nasiet, there are students who live in the apartments provided by Norrköping Youth Housing. They are aware that their teachers at school and the staff at the Youth Housing know each other and have ongoing contact and face-to-face meetings to follow up and secure the social and educational development of the young person.
Sometimes the young person may need their support person to call every morning and perhaps come to them to make sure that they go to their daily activities. On Friday nights the young person can come to an activity apartment to eat, socialise and enjoy themselves. In Swedish it is called”fredagsmys”.
The support staff helps with healthcare related contacts such as psychologists, dentists, doctors,etc. They participate in various meetings regardingt he young peoples’ daily activities to explain their circumstances. Later the young person and the support person can talk about what has happened at school, at the work placement or in the project and together look for solutions to any problems. The Youth Housing invites the network around each young person to work together to help, support, and establish new contacts that might further assist the young person.
The 3 step programme of Norrköping Youth Housing
Step Ió Strong Support: Daily contact with the support person.
Visits 1-2 times every night from a mobile support team.
This period usually lasts for two weeks.
ó MediumSupport: Fewer contact occasions when the young person shows that he/she understands the conditions for independent living.
ó Light Support: Less contact occasions when the young person proves that he/she meets most requirements for independent living.
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Step II
ó New plan: The young person has proven to be able to live in their own apartment and manage his/her finances and is therefore considered ready to look for a private apartment.
ó The support person will help the young person to get a private contract for an apartment. That apartment will not be included in the youth housing organisation. Generally, young people live one or two years in Norrköping Youth Housing.
Step III
ó Private contract: The young person has obtained his/her own apartment with a private contract and will be responsible for paying the rent.
ó The young person can still turn to the support person for help and support for a further three months.
Supported Housing
Vulnerable young people who rent a private apartment can receive help from support people. They make sure everything works and that the young people pay their rent on time and are aware of their rights and obligations as tenants.
HVB-hem, Home for Care or Residence
HVB-hem, Homes for Care or Residence, are treatment centres that are commissioned by the municipality to provide accom- modation for children and young people who cannot live with their families. The reason for a placement in this type of housing may be that they have been badly treated in their homes or that they have serious problems with aggression, crime or drugs. The Social Welfare Committee decides on the placement. It can be voluntary, in which the parents still have the legal responsibility
for their child, or compulsory under the LVU Act (Care of Young), at which time the Social Welfare Committee will have full responsibility for the young person.
HVB-homes are run by private providers, municipalities, and county councils. Staffs working with the young people are adequately trained for their work in treating young people.
The social services make efforts to find a HVB-home, which corresponds to the problems of the young person and therefore HVB home placements are made all over the country. These placements are very expensive for the municipality.
HVB homes vary in size. Small HVB homes have no school of their own and the young person will attend a nearby school.
Larger HVB homes with school activities are often specialised for those young people with specific drug or mental health related issues. The young people have meetings with their personal social worker from their home municipality once a month during the stay. The aim of the treatment is that the young person will be able to return to their home municipality as soon as possible.
Special Residential Homes for young People
The National Board of Institutional Care (Statens institutions- styrelse, SiS) is a Swedish government agency that runs Special Residential Homes for young people who require compulsory individual treatment and care due to psychosocial problems, drug abuse, and problems with crime. Before a young person under the age of 20 is admitted into a Special Residential Home,
they will have received various kinds of non-residential care, such as care in a foster home or care in a treatment centre (HVB-hem).
However these measures may have proved to be insufficient in helping to rehabilitate the young person. The placement in the Special Residential Home is made after investigations and appli- cation of the social services and after a decision by the Adminis- trative Court.
In Sweden there are 25 Special Residential Homes. The aim is that the young person’s circumstances shall be improved so they can integrate into society in order to obtain education and work. For some young people, their stay in a Special Residential Home lasts up to five months, while others may stay there for a much longer period.
Social workers and recreation youth teachers take care of the young people during the whole day for talks, support, guidance and practical help. School education is carried out by trained re- medial teachers. All staff work according to SiS ethical guidelines and have a joint approach towards the young people by helping them to achieve short-term goals. Additionally, there is always an adult nearby to help them cope with critical situations.
Housing and education are integrated and the teaching is com- pulsory. The young people go to school and follow the Education Act, which governs the education in Sweden and the recognised curricula. The teaching is individually tailored because most have had inadequate schooling and perhaps also have learning difficulties.
A Special Residential Home in the countryside
In a beautiful region a few miles outside a small town a Special Residential Home is situated. It consists of a number of houses located off of a mansion-like main building. There are separate housing blocks for girls and boys.Each young person has a single room with a toilet and shower. There is also a school house and as ports hall in the surrounding area. During leisure time and holidays various activities are organised. Young people with an interest in horses can enjoy riding in the nearby stables.
The young people may receive controlled visits by parents, close relatives and social workers. Mobile phones and computers may be used only under staff supervision.
Building forming part of a Special Residential Home
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During the final period of the treatment the young person lives in a villa in the area together with a member of staff for 1 - 4 months. The young person needs to learn how to take responsibility for living, cooking, cleaning, laundry and purchas- ing basic necessities. Most young people want to move back to their home municipality, but they do not want to live with their parents. This places great demands on the municipality to arrange supported housing for the returning young people, including a tailored education, training or other activities.
Italy
Housing Companies in Italy and Sicily:
Various Responses and
a Wide Range of Evolving Housing Solutions
Existing housing structures responding to NEETs or vulnerable young peoples’ needsIn Italy, young vulnerable people have the possibility to go to three kinds of facilities, which differ depending on their target groups.
ó “Casa Famiglia” - Family House
ó “Casa di Accoglienza” - Host House
ó “Alloggi per l’autonomia” - Accommodation for independence
— Casa Famiglia
Target group: Young people under 18 years of age
Specific action: Support for young people with a troubled family background (including violence, addictions, etc.)
The “Casa Famiglia” is a residential service for young people under 18 years of age who are under the protection of social services due to their family background (drugs or alcohol troubles, vio- lence or abuse, etc.). This facility is regulated by a decree from the Ministry of Work and Social Policies. They are private entities and they need the authorisation from their local City Council, within the department of “Social and Family Policies”. The City Council can either partly or fully fund these organisations in order to help them achieve their aims.
The “Casa Famiglia” homes are generally managed by a couple with or without children who have decided to care for young people in their own home. The family has to support the child in his/her development at different levels (educational, emotional, professional etc.). These homes are under the supervision of so- cial services (city and state) which means that educators are also there to help the young person to define his/her family project, which may be to either getting adopted by a family or return- ing to his biological family. This facility is a transition for young people to be prepared for independent life. There are approxi- mately 1.800 “Casa Famiglia” in Italy, most of which are largely autonomous.
Each family is in regular contact with a pedagogical team of psy- chologists, educators and educational psychologists, as well as with the different social services that support the young people.
The house must be in an area that is close to all public services (school, health centre, etc.). The “Casa Famiglia” homes receive financial support from the region or municipality, in addition to private funds from banks or foundations.
— Casa di Accoglienza
Target group: People facing social or economic difficulties, re- gardless of age or background
Specific action: Support for people in need of temporary help regarding daily life.
The “Casa di Accoglienza” or “Comunità di Accoglienza” are educational centres. Some of these centres are geared towards
young people less than 18 years of age, others for adults, or women and children with different social backgrounds (violence, drug, alcohol, food, gambling, etc.). It is available to anyone who is in need of special support for everyday life.
The house must provide a peaceful and stable environment, allowing the residents to deal with their troubles effectively and increase their self-development. They are supported by a specific social team, which normally includes psychologists, educators, project coordinators, etc.
In a context of strong social involvement of religious structures in Italy, these organisations are mostly managed by the Catholic Church, although they are also supported by the regional councils and often also by the cities.
— Alloggi per l’autonomia
Target group: Young people over 18 years of age
Specific action: Housing support aimed at the transition towards autonomy
In some regions in Italy, there is a new kind of hosting accom- modation especially targeting young people, called “Alloggi per l’autonomia”, which means “Accommodation for independence”.
These are either individual or shared flats for people over 18 years of age, coming from “Casa Famiglia” or “Casa di Accoglienza”, and who have not yet found a way to return to their family, become adopted, or to find independent accommodation. As is the case with the other types of housing support, these facilities are for young people who have family troubles and therefore need to
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live far from their biological family. These situations have result- ed in young people who have certain special needs, particularly regarding their social integration and socialisation with others.
Here again, these structures are created by private initiatives and require an official authorisation from social services (city and state). The funding can be private (church, foundations) or public (local, provincial and regional councils, Ministry of Labour and Social Policies).
Specific Initiatives: Providing more than Housing
— The “cohousing project”
The Family Agency and the Department of Youth Policies proposed an idea for a new kind of accommodation for young people from different social backgrounds in order to support their independence and was developed in the Trento region.
Twenty five young people between 18 and 29 years old, who had not been working continuously for the last three years and who are no longer students, have the opportunity to share a flat with two or three other young people in the same situation. This type of housing is the first experience of this kind in Italy. At the same time, the young people have to define their personal and profes- sional project in order to become fully independent. All of the projects will be funded by the region.
In Arese, in the province of Milano, an association called PRIMI PASSI decided to develop this kind of accommodation in 2008.
The objective of the organisation is to offer a concrete solution to young people who are not under the responsibility of a family
and who need some support to be independent and to succeed in their community. The organisation offers a shared flat for young people from 18 to 21 years of age who come from “Casa Famiglia” or “Casa di Accoglienza” and who have no concrete plans in terms of an independent and sustainable living situa- tion. The young people have to learn to manage their daily life at home by themselves; however there is an educator who regularly visits to provide advice and guidance. The role of the educator is to support the young people to manage their money, their free time, and also to enter the labour market. The young people are expected to go through a process of transition and transforma- tion in order to move into a full independent life. According to their circumstances, the young people may have to give a finan- cial contribution for their stay in the flat. The organisation also receives support from private foundations to pay the fees.
PRIMI PASSI’s accommodation
— “Autonomous housing for young people”
In the Trento region (North of Italy), there is also the possibility to go to a “Domicilio autonomo per giovani”, which is an inde- pendent residence for young people. It is also for the group of young people who have turned 18 and are still living in unstable conditions. They have to sign a contract with a social worker about the mutual commitment they are taking to work towards independence. Each young person, with the support of the edu- cator, must define his/her personal and professional plan.
This project is funded by the regional council and the young people may contribute, depending on their financial situation.
Inventing New Forms of Housing Support
— Other kinds of support in housing young people There are also further housing initiatives in Italy, such as in the Region of Tuscany, where special support is provided to young people who need assistance in leaving an unstable family home and gaining independent accommodation. This initiative is financial support given to young people from 18 -34 years of age.
In this way, they can live in an environment that facilitates their social and professional integration, especially if they come from a family with social and economic problems.
— Partnership with Other Social and Educative Entities In the aforementioned housing support initiatives and facilities there is no specific type of partnership between the accommoda- tion and educational institutions. However, in all of them, there is support offered by the social services. Indeed there are always educators who are there to follow the evaluation of the young
people and help them grow up and succeed in their personal and professional development.
— Focus on a Sicilian Initiative:
The “Comunità Blog Project”
This project aims at supporting young people coming from “Casa di Famiglia” or “Casa di Accoglienza”, who have just turned 18.
The purpose is to develop a network that can help them achieve the process of independence both at a professional and personal level.
“The Comunità Blog Project”, meeting between young people, educators, professionals and a Sicilian company partner of the project.
The project is a partnership between the Palermo Municipality (social services) and ApritiCuore, Jus Vitae and Conform, which are training institutions and new technology firms. Together they offer a program for 40 young people from the community ac- commodation to do a period of training on new technologies, after which they can undertake a work placement at the compa- ny. With this network, the objective is to allow most of the young people to get a job in one of the partner companies. The selection of participants to this program is organised by the Municipality and the other partners.
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Germany
Cooperation with Housing Companies in Germany
Situation in GermanyThe following information is based on a research and practice de- velopment project “leben.lernen.chancen nutzen”, funded by the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth (BMFSFJ). The project analysed the field of youth housing in Germany. Many representatives from business, the academic world, politics, associations, and from youth work have been identified under the heading of ‘Youth Living and Support’.
The essential task of the project was a detailed evaluation of the current situation of youth housing in Germany, to create a solid data base and to examine possible solutions.
The evaluation includes:
ó Inventory of the supply structure for youth living
ó Impact analysis of the offers of the youth living
ó Differentiated description of the target groups
The Youth Housing in Germany is traditionally an offer that responds to the need of those young people whose vocational training is outside the residential area in which their families live. In addition, it is an option for young people with individual impairments and for socially disadvantaged young people, who rely on social support to successfully complete their education.
For these individuals, the Youth Housing opportunities addition- ally offer pedagogical support. The actors in the field are mostly owners of a church or an institution linked to a church.
The researchers of this project highlighted, that the needs of mo- bility for young people is increasing in Germany and indeed and all over Europe, because many young people have to leave their home area for trainee positions, work or studies elsewhere. This means that the pedagogical support will become more and more a necessary addition.
In 2007, there were 558 housing offers in Germany for young peo- ple with a total of 60.000 beds. During that year these accom- modations were used by about 200.000 young people.
Identified target groups for Youth Housing:
ó 20% were trainees, of which 60% were under 18 years.
ó 40% were participants in vocational training, of which 50%
were under 18.
ó 30% were young people with disabilities.
ó 10% were disadvantaged young people. This is the smallest group, yet requires the most amount of support. Additionally, the size of this group is increasing. 50% of them are under 18 years.
Structure of Youth Housing
ó Generally, the available places in youth housing institutions are filled by young people from each of the above 4 categories at any one time.
ó Social law offers funding for youth housing, however only 5%
of the places were paid through this means.
ó The key partners for the Youth Housing organisations are vocational training centres and enterprises.
ó More than 50% of the available places are located only in 4 out of the 16 German federal states.
ó In general, there is no structure of cooperation with local government.
ó Social workers are part of the staff in houses where disadvantaged young people reside. They use their professional knowledge in guiding these young people.
Potential Impacts of Youth Housing
ó Youth Housing is an addition to other services and it can act to help young people to find housing in other regions.
ó Youth Housing can be regarded as a prototype for the connection of informal, non-formal and formal educational settings in the transition from family to peer group, school or vocational training.
ó Youth Housing can be a holistic and inclusive offer at the interface of different areas of social benefits and provide necessary support for a young person at every stage of his/her life.
ó To gain these impacts, local/regional cooperation between different sectors is needed.
The local situation in Mönchengladbach
Housing under the frame of social lawIn Mönchengladbach there are a few smaller institutions with a few places for housing young people whose parents are no longer able to support and guide them. However, this type of support generally ends when the young person turns 18. The access to these institutions is regulated under the frame of social law.
Second Chance education at WBK (Weiterbildungskolleg) co- operates with all these smaller institutions. WBK holds regular discussions with the social counsellors of the institutions and the young people to develop a pathway to achieve each young person’s individual goals, in relation to the educational possibili- ties offered through WBK. In particularly critical situations, the students’ tutors at WBK will request such discussions with the social workers.
Unfortunately there is no special housing offer similar to a student hostel for disadvantaged young people in Mönchengladbach.
Youth Housing offer in Mönchengladbach – 6 places
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Other opportunities
Renting one’s first apartment, for most young people, often brings up a range of new issues, experiences, emotions, and new things to learn. Before leaving the family home, there are several points for the young person to consider: Which apartment do I want? What are the costs and does it fit into my budget? What are my rights and responsibilities as a tenant? Etc.
Trainees of the Municipality of Mönchengladbach and two municipal housing companies have dealt with all of these issues around the theme “First Apartment”. They jointly developed a handbook called “Mieter Navi” - “Tenant Navigator”, which is a guide for young tenants and offers valuable information, advice, checklists and tips. It covers answers to FAQs for young people who rent an apartment for the first time.
Topics treated in the handbook are:
ó Apartment search –Apartment choice
ó House tour – What you have to take into account
ó Rental agreement -Parts - Special arrangements
ó Costs and charges- Calculating your spending
ó Authorities –Telephone – Internet - etc.
ó Rights and duties -– Insurance - Pets – etc.
ó Housing owners should have a personal contact with the social support network.
ó When a young person wants to rent an apartment, the owner of a housing company should ask for the young person’s contacts within the social support network for youth.
ó If there is social support for a young person who wants to rent an apartment and the housing company knows about it, the social counsellor and the housing company can make a plan how possible problems with the young tenant can be prevented.
ó When a young person has dedicated support, then the apart- ment lease is more likely to be signed, as the owner of the housing company will feel better about the young person being in their building.
Following this guidance, it is possible that young people at risk can also successfully find their first apartment.
Kolpinghaus
Kolpinghaus is a nationwide organisation based on Christian values, offering accommodation for young people between 14 and 27 years of age. The Kolpinghäuser offer young persons in training accommodation, food, and educational support. The offer is aimed at young people, who meet at least one of the fol- lowing conditions:
ó Are attending school
ó Are in training
ó Are studying
ó Are working
ó Cannot live at home or don’t want to
The nearest offer to young people in Mönchengladbach is Kolp- inghaus Neuss, which 25 km away from the city.
Kolpinghaus Neuss – typical housing offer
Often these Kolpinghäuser cooperate with institutions of the Kolping Training Work to enable young people with fewer training opportunities to enter the labor market.
— Heterogeneity in training
As part of the pilot project “Heterogeneity in training” (2011- 2014), the Kolping houses have developed a standard for the
En Here you can find the handbook in a German version:
http://www.gwsg.de/index.php?kat=mieternavi
The handbook s designed to help young people take the first and most important steps to independence, with as few complications and pitfalls as possible.
Cooperation with housing companies
At a LION meeting in Mönchengladbach, among other experts, there was a manager of a housing company in attendance. He highlighted that property-owners have business interests to consider and therefore have reasons to avoid signing apartment leases with young people at risk. His experience is that such young people cause problematic issues in the neighborhood and that his opportunities to respond to these problems are limited.
This statement is an example of the barriers young people face, when they are searching for a home or an apartment.
As the deputy head of the Youth Office was also present at this meeting, as were social workers who work with young people at risk, some tips were developed that should make it easier for young people at risk, as well as the owners of housing companies.
— Recommendations on cooperation
between the owner of a housing company and social support network for young people in Mönchengladbach
ó The owner of a housing company should familiarise
him/herself with the social support networkf or young people in the city.
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support of young people. Within the context of the LION project, the following standards are of interest:
ó “The career orientation in youth living” is part of t he training preparation and refers to the personal history of the career choices of young people.
ó “The learning support in the youth living”, is the support young people get to cope with the practical issues of everyday life and the help they get to access external services.
ó “Conflict management in youth living” is about the prevention and management of conflicts that may threaten the success of a training program. It gives the youth hostel, which is the link between school, work, family and leisure, a central role in the perception of conflict and conflict management.
ó “The cultural support in the youth housing”, provides assistance in the field of migration and culture.
Auswärts zuhause
In 2005, 500 accommodation institutions for young people in Germany have formed a community of interest. Under the label
“Auswärts zuhause” (away at home) they promote their offers.
See: http://www.auswaerts-zuhause.de/ Youth Housing opportunities in Kolpinghäuser in Germany
United Kingdom
Housing for young people at risk in Doncaster, UK
Doncaster Housing for Young People (DHYP) Doncaster Housing for Young People (DHYP) provides accom- modation and support to vulnerable and homeless young people between 16 and 25 years of age. It has four core services.ó Assertive Outreach
ó The Supported Lodgings Service
ó The Floating Support Service
ó The Drop-In Service Assertive Outreach
Assertive Outreach is the first port of call for vulnerably housed or homeless young people aged 16 - 25 years old in need of sup- port to find a home, access benefits and re-engage in learning.
This project is funded by the Big Lottery Reaching Communities’
fund. A Key Worker would be allocated to work in the community to support young people with an action plan.
Support can include:
ó Assistance to find, to set up, and to maintain safe, affordable accommodation.
ó Benefits advice and information.
ó Housing advice and information.
ó Developing life skills learning (for example, budgeting, cooking )
ó Accessing other services.
ó Access to education, employment, and training opportunities.
The Supported Lodgings Service
The Supported Lodgings Service provides a stepping stone to independence by placing young people with Host families in the community. They are supported by staffs who work alongside the Host families and the young person, to work on their own tailor-made support plan, with the ultimate aim of independ- ent living. The support package may be comprised of, life-skills such as learning to cook, cleaning a home, budgeting finances, learning to deal with their own administration, joining in with informal and formal learning opportunities etc. This project is funded by Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council’s Supporting People Programme.
The Supported Lodgings Service opens the way to independent living, for young people aged 16 – 25 years old, within a family environment and provides:
ó Practical and emotional support from householders in the community who offer a room within their homes.
ó Placements that have trained hosts that are supported by DHYP staff.
ó The young people receive practical and emotional support from DHYP staff.
ó Assistance to look for move-on accommodation.
ó A safe and affordable place to live for up to 2 years.
The Floating Support Service
The Floating Support Service provides tenancy related support once a young person has secured his or her own accommodation.
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Support can include all those mentioned above as well as setting up and maintaining their tenancy, dealing with utilities, parent- ing etc. This project is also funded by Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council’s Supporting People Programme.
The Floating Support Service offers support to young people from the ages of 16 to 25 within their own homes to sustain independence. It provides all aspects of housing related support that a young person feels they may require. The support can include; budgeting, benefits, life skills, form filling, advocacy, access to education, employment and training opportunities and referrals to other agencies (for example mental health, drug programs).
The Drop-In Service
The Drop-In Service is a hub for young people to access every Thursday for housing advice, access to other services and a free hot meal, all without the need to make an appointment. This project is funded by the Brelms Trust and will be expanding an extra day in the week from April 2014, funded by the John Wil- liam Chapman Charitable Trust.
The Drop in Cafe Service runs on Thursdays from 12.00 p.m. to 2.30 pm at St Peter in Chains Church Hall serving hot food from 1pm to 2pm. The hot food is free of charge. Young people aged 16 to 25 can discuss housing needs, receive assistance and get information relating to housing, welfare benefits and other issues. The Drop-in Cafe also offers the opportunity to get involved in various creative activities.
Organisation of DHYP
(Doncaster Housing for Young People)
DHYP was formed in 1993 and aims to provide:“A user led service which offers good quality accommodation and appropriate support services to homeless or vulnerably housed young people aged 16 to 25, enabling those young people to fulfill their own unique potential.” DHYP is an independent voluntary charity run and managed by a Board of Trustees whose members include representatives from a number of statutory and voluntary agencies. It is a registered Charity and Company Limited by Guarantee and is governed by a Board of Trustees who holds overall responsibility for the organisation. While DHYP is its own decision maker, it is still bound by its contracts with the Big Lottery and the Local Authority.
DHYP employs 8 paid staff; Operations manager, deputy operations manager, finance officer, apprentice administrator and 4 Project Workers. 10 volunteers work for DHYP.
DHYP’s shared values are:
ó Every individual should have equality of opportunity, a safe place to live - with support if needed and freedom of expres- sion and action, where it does not conflict with the rights of others.
ó Every individual is treated with dignity and respect and no young person should be discriminated against on the grounds of race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, beliefs, age or disability.
ó Difference and diversity is celebrated and valued and all activities ensure openness, equality and justice.
ó Young people’s participation is valued and they have equal opportunity to participate. Their participation is supported in DHYP by effective policies and systems.
ó Young people are supported to realise their own unique potential. They are treated with respect and are listened to and have the right to an advocate.
DHYP works to ensure the best possible lives for all of Doncaster’s young people.
Young people can expect:
ó To be treated with respect, have their opinion listened to and valued and to be encouraged and supported to make their own decisions and choices and to have staff behave in an appropriate and professional way.
ó To be informed of accommodation options and services DHYP and other places provide and to be given explanations if it is felt that DHYP cannot offer you a service for any reason.
ó To be offered support to get and keep accommodation and in dealing with outside agencies and to have the right to complain and your complaint be taken seriously.
Local partnership
DHYP sub-contracts to the local college to provide accredited learning opportunities through City and Guilds on Employment and Personal Development. These are delivered in alternative teaching settings in the young people’s homes and out in the community rather than classroom based and more suited to their own particular needs. This partnership has been running success- fully since September 2008.
The Netherlands
Cooperation with housing companies in The Netherlands
Introduction NL
In the Netherlands, there are several initiatives focusing on the housing, living and welfare situation of young people with fewer opportunities. Sometimes these initiatives are part of general citizen or neighborhood initiatives, which are executed in cooperation with public (local, regional and national gov- ernments), semi-public (vocational and continuous education organisations, housing associations) and private initiatives (e.g. welfare organisations). For example the Dutch organisation Landelijk Samenwerkingsverband Aandachtswijken (LSA) is a national initiative in which (local) grassroots projects are devel- oped to empower citizens in mastering their own environment and living situation: similarities are present with the CanDo- initiatives in the UK.
For the analysis of Dutch “living” initiatives a desk research was held and two interviews executed: an interview with Hassan Najja (manager regional housing association Wonen Limburg) and an interview with Ingrid van Ommen (coordinator Kamers met Kansen-initiative on behalf of welfare organisation Trajekt).
As the Kamers met Kansen-initiative is the most directly aligned to the network based, multi-angle approach as foreseen in the LION project, this initiative is described in detail. First, a general impression of the (national) initiative and its background and
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target setting is given. Second, two local initiatives in the Dutch province of Limburg are analysed.
Kamers met Kansen general
— Background and history
Dating back to 1995, visits were made by local authorities to foyer projects – first via SEV in France and later in England – to explore initiatives in Europe relevant for young people with fewer oppor- tunities. Based on successful formulas in England and France, ini- tiatives were introduced in The Netherlands and the first projects appeared in Vlissingen, Leiden, The Hague and Dordrecht.
The current distribution of Kamers met Kansen-initiatives is shown in the picture to the right.
Starting in 2005, Aedes (the Dutch federation of housing asso- ciations) set up a broad network including housing associations, educational and welfare institutions, business and government.
The intention was to offer a solid basis for living and education for disadvantaged youth. Or as put by Aedes: “Young people who cannot make it on their own and for whom a preventive approach can help save them from dropping out of school, long-term job- lessness and social exclusion”. In Spring 2008 the non-profit NGO
“Kamers met Kansen Nederland” was established, providing support to the sustainable development of local Kamers met Kansen-initiatives.
— Objectives and concept
Kamers met Kansen’s mission is to prepare young people within eighteen months for an independent life, with a certificate or a
job. Therefore Kamers met Kansen offers young people between 18 and 25 years old the opportunity to grow into independent adults. The initiative provides a stepping stone from living at home to being fully independent with an interim step at a Foyer:
“Foyer literally means ‘hearth’ and that is exactly what Kamers met Kansen are: a place by the hearth where young people can work out their newly independent lives.”
Distribution Kamers met Kansen initiatives NL
There are currently 40 existing projects (providing nearly 1.000 units) in The Netherlands and several initiatives have been devel- oped. In the international cooperation area, contacts have been established with the English Foyer Federation, French UNHAJ and the German KJSW. In this perspective internal/European exchange of ideas took place within two international meetings in Paris and Rotterdam.
Housing, education, work orientation and training are the core of the Kamers met Kansen-initiatives:
Housing
In Dordrecht, near Rotterdam, housing opportunities arise by merging and re-arranging blocks of flats. Young people from dif- ferent backgrounds live together with their peers and jointly use the facilities. Safety and affordability are essential.
Education
The young people have not always had a stimulating and reward- ing environment. Kamers met Kansen stimulates young people to attend the most appropriate and interesting education based on their own talents and interests.
Work education
Young people are encouraged to have a job, an internship or to become a volunteer. Kamers met Kansen supports young people to be in touch with different employers and Kamers met Kansen coaches’ can also advise employers about the best candidate.
Training/coaching
Learning to cook for your family, shopping, consideration for others, building a good daily routine. The most basic things of everyday life for young people are “taught” under one roof of Kamers met Kansen-initiatives.
— Kamers met Kansen - a hub
Especially due to the diverse and highly specialised environment, Kamers met Kansen acts as a hub between the following organi- sations:
ó Housing organisations providing knowledge and expertise to develop new or existing real estate projects.
ó Youth services, school social work and social support providing experience in guiding young people and understanding the needs of young people.
ó Local government developing policies and projects in the field of social affairs, education, rehabilitation, youth and housing which need to be aligned.
ó Business providing financial support and internship/training;
ó ROC’s providing training, education and coaching.
ó Sponsors like municipality, metropolitan areas and business (SMEs).
Kamers met Kansen local examples
As indicated in The Netherlands, many Kamers met Kansen-initi- atives exist. The examples in Maastricht (urban area) and Horst aan de Maas (rural area) are described in detail.
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— Initiative Maastricht – Maris Stella
After a major renovation, Maris Stella opened its doors in late 2009. In this former community centre the Kamers met Kansen- initiative was set up in a partnership with Servatius (housing association) Gemeente Maastricht (local government), Trajekt (welfare organisation) and Xonar (youth care).
The Kamers met Kansen-initiative Maris Stella is home to ten young people between the ages of 18-25. Young people get the chance to learn to live independently. There is also extra attention to study, work and leisure in relation to the neigh bourhood. Kamers met Kansen-initiative Maris Stella is executed in conjunction with the Dream Youth project.
Dream Youth is a project of Trajekt and Leeuwenborgh (voca- tional training institute) to realise dreams of underprivileged youth by offering challenging and exciting projects. In this way drop-outs and the unemployed are challenged, to avoid young people at risk become dropouts or jobless
— Initiative Horst aan de Maas
Kamers met Kansen in Horst aan de Maas is a joint project of Synthese (welfare organisation), Wonen Limburg (housing association) and gemeente Horst aan de Maas (local govern- ment). Young students who come from a problematic situation at home are offered a chance to live independently. Accompanied by social workers of Synthese, they are familiarised with inde- pendent living. In Horst in 2012 three young people involved in the Kamers met Kansen received the keys to their new home.
France
Three kinds of “housing companies” in France
In France there are three kinds of “housing companies”:
ó Pensionnats d’excellence
ó Young workers’ hostels
ó Young adults’ hostels
These establishments address young people who have fewer opportunities than others and need some type of support.
Pensionnats d’excellence
The “Pensionnats d’excellence” belongs to the French Education Authority. Young people under 18 years old, with social and family difficulties, are chosen for their motivation and academic potential. The objective is to help them to improve their academic results. The students mainly attend schools far away from their homes in order to have a quiet environment and not to be dis- turbed by their families. They are also taught life skills and how to behave themselves in a group environment. In the courses the teachers deal with small groups of about 10 students who are at the same level. Educators are in charge of teaching life skills and interpersonal skills. Most of these “pensionnats” - boarding schools - are “lycée” “sixth form colleges” and the final objective is to enable students to pass the baccalauréat. There is no com- petition between these special boarding schools and Second Chance schools.
Running parallel to “pensionnats d’excellence” are 2 different types of “housing companies”: Young workers’ hostels and Young adults’ hostels.
Young workers’ Hostels
Young workers’ hostels provide young people in employment or training with accommodation. In these establishments, educators supervise the beginning and the end of each day in order to develop life skills and interpersonal skills. They are particularly attentive to the way each young person manages his/her money and his/her diet.
When a young person has lost his home, Second Chance schools can work very easily with YWH. Homeless young people are regarded as emergency cases and can apply to be considered by entrance commission very quickly. YWH educators and the Second Chance school trainers work in a close relationship to share information about the young people and to define a common behavioral strategy to support them as a “duo”.
Young adults’ hostels
Young adults’ hostels provide accommodation for young people between 16 and 18 or young adults under legal protection. In France the “conseil général” administration of a particular region is in charge of the protection of minors. They may be wards of the court, who acts as their legal guardian. Each young person has his/her educator who manages his/her money and coordi- nates with the school. Educators are also in charge of involving young people in daily domestic tasks. E2C is informed at the beginning of a training session that a young person is living in a YAH, so the educator and the trainer can get to know each other and jointly monitor the young person.
Cooperation between 2nd chance school – E2C73 and
“housing companies”
The Second Chance school – E2C73 – does not work with “pen- sionnats d’excellence”. However, it works with both kinds of hostels. 40% of the trainees of the school live in these hostels.
Each Second Chance school trainer must be in regular contact with each educator in the hostels to share the main informa- tion about the trainees. At each step of the Second Chance path, E2C73 sets up an official interview with the trainee and the edu- cator to review progress and set new objectives. If need be, for example in the case of a behavioural problem, an informal inter- view is set up including the educator, to try to solve the problem.
More generally E2C73 chooses to be in close contact with social services and educational services, because it is a key to succeed in helping young people in a wide-ranging way. E2C73 actually works regularly with educators of hostels but also with people who are working “in the streets”. The purpose is to share infor- mation about how the young person behaves at school and outside school, about problems of violence or drugs, about problems with home and family. In the same way, E2C73 works with judiciary educators for young people, who have just left jail or those, who have electronic bracelets or care/work obligations.
Finally, E2C73 are familiar with working with “missions locales”, which are organisations that regularly receive young people with school failures or with social difficulties. These “missions locales”
send young people to E2C73 for an interview, which either results in admission to E2C73 or not. 90% of the young people in E2C73
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come on the recommendation of the “missions locales”. After the start of school, each trainee is taken care of by his trainer and by his “missions locales” advisers, who can help in giving money in case of emergency or in helping resolve arguments arising when the young person seeks entry to a Hostel.
Various organisation of housing among 2nd chance schools in France
E2C73 chooses to have one trainer in charge of all the aspects of a young person and to rely on their partners, the “missions locales” educators, to help with the tasks. They believe that that having a type of social assistant located directing within the school could have adverse effects. They want to concentrate their work on “working and learning” and to work in partnership on “living”.
Not every Second Chance school in France is organised in the same way as E2C73 regarding housing support. Some have a “special post” dedicated to this kind of social relations and trainers are not involved in this coordination. In others those links are just not made.
Hungary
NEETs’ housing difficulties in Hungary
Housing below the age of 18
— Dormitories for Secondary School Pupils
Dormitories are provided for lower and upper secondary school pupils whose family lives in a different village/city than their school. The parents can chose if their child commutes every day or stays in the dormitory and goes home only for weekends and holidays. Special dormitories and schools are also provided for those children who live with severe disability. There are a few schools in the country for very talented children in special fields (for example ballet, music etc.) which offer dormitory facilities as well.
— Housing under Child Protection Act
There are also some housing solutions for children and young people under age 18 by the Child Protection Act. The objective of primary child welfare services is to provide services for children and their families in their homes, which prevents the develop- ment of risks, assists in the elimination of existing risks, and supports the physical, mental, emotional and moral development and welfare of children and their education, within families.
The child protection system has a dual function. On the one hand, through the primary child welfare services to be arranged for by local governments, it assists the development of children
in families and prevention and treatment of risky situations in life. On the other hand, it provides a family-replacing-family service model for children, who cannot be raised in their own families due to some reason, which guarantees the education of the child in accordance with his age and creates a basis for the social integration of the child.
One of the most effective forms of child protection care is foster parent care. The number of children placed with foster parents has been slowly but gradually increasing since 1995.
The development of the foster parent network is an important objective, with special consideration to professional foster parent services, in order to find a placement for children struggling with various problems needing special services and, who join the system at an older age.
Development of a special children’s home network at county and national level is also a very important task especially for children with special needs, serious behaviour problems, anti- social symptoms, physiological disturbances or use of psycho- active substances. A process started in which children’s homes caring for many children are turned into homes to place children who cannot be placed with foster parents, and do not require any special services.
— Age group 14-18 years
Managing the integration, behavioural and socialisation problems of children in the age bracket of 14-18 years, is an important chal- lenge for both primary and specialist care. Within the current child protection system, such appropriate services are not available for
this age group. If children join the system at an older age, it is En very likely that the problems, which have not been solved in their families for a long time, will remain unresolved. Compounding the difficulty of finding a solution for the housing problems of young adults leaving these homes, in addition to the basic condi- tion of social integration, is the issue of (un)employment, which also presents problems. It is an important task to find alterna- tive training options which assist young people to find favour- able positions in the labour market. In that way, follow-up care might become an effective tool, rather than extending the time required for leaving the care.
Housing above age of 18
— Housing problems
The housing problem in Hungary is vast and complex. Even those organisations that deal with housing problems and try to find any solution for people in need are ignoring the young NEET group from their focus – as it is stated in the recent background study for QALL – Qualification for All project; Kedvezotlen helyzetben lévofiatalok lakhatási esélyei: http://www.qall.tka.hu.
The most involved organisation is the “Habitat for Humanity, Hungary” (http://www.habitat.hu/en/), which has conducted several research reports in this field. Their studies highlight the problem of social housing, which is a big problem in Hungary and the shortage of social rental housing, which is a result of housing privatisation. To understand the living situation in Hungarian, see the study “Social housing in the context of rental sector in Visegrad countries”.
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