1. That the homeless must be seen as a specific group within the socially excluded because they have specific needs and require special social inclusion measures.
   
   
2. It must be taken into account that employment as a mechanism of social inclusion may be a slow and laborious process because homelessness is a diverse and multifaceted problem.
   
   
3. Employment is a key element in insertion, as it conditions the income, identity, self-esteem and access to the information and contact networks. This is also an important aspect to consider for homeless persons.
   
   
4. Services for the homeless shouldn’t be merely superficial, such as maintaining board, keep and hygiene. Such a ‘charitable view’ is not likely to address the structural and much deeper problems faced by the homeless. An integrated approach is crucial; this includes employment, drug rehabilitation etc.
   
   
5. Co-ordination between key players is essential in linking the homeless with significant employment opportunities. This includes NGOs that specialized in the various stages of social integration and complementary partnerships between local authorities and the private sector.

Below are the key findings of existing good practices in the labour insertion of the homeless. When considering these findings, one must be aware that personalised attention is necessary for the labour inclusion process because of the individual circumstances of each homeless person.

1. Public bodies should be involved in the fight against homelessness. Furthermore, involvement should be on a statutory basis such that sanctions are imposed for inactivity or inefficiency. This will help to guarantee access to fundamental rights as citizens. Only when the homeless are able to access and exercise these rights will they be successful at finding employment.
   
   
2. Potential clients should be approached. Trusting relationships should be fostered to overcome any lack of trust in public services.
   
   
3. Clients should be inserted into specific job positions and new enterprises/cooperatives should be set up. Ideally, specialised work programmes, as in the case of ADIGSA, should be constructed. This will allow for the flexibility that is sometimes required in the labour insertion of the homeless.
   
   
4. Supported employment is needed, as well as meaningful occupation schemes or volunteering.
   
   
5. A personalised approach to the labour insertion and social integration. There must be a holistic approach to support and the re-integration.
   
   
6. Local labour markets should be evaluated continuously. This will indicate the demand and supply of the market, and thus which skills are desirable. Training should be provided to complement the market. Continued and further training for those already in employment would be desirable.
   
   
7. Clients should be prepared for failure, such that they are not disempowered if faced by this situation.
   
   
8. More demanding and specialised jobs should be tried out and offered. For example, IT.
   
   
9. The commitment of involved players is crucial. Ideally, this should be agreed on a statutory level.
   
   
10. An evaluation system which measures the efficiency of the practices should be developed, carried out by public and non-governmental organisations, and based on qualitative as well as quantitative indicators.
    
    
11. Services should be long-term both in time and in funding in order to be sufficient.
    

Good practices chosen from the Barcelona conference, 3rd –5th June 2004


ADIGSA’s ‘Posa’t a Punt’ Programme, Catalunya, Spain

ADIGSA is the public company of the Department of the Environment and Housing, which administers and manages the public social housing of the Government of Catalonia. Since 1985, ADIGSA has administered and maintained 80,000 officially protected flats. The company is also responsible for refurbishing the properties.

Aims & Objectives:
Facilitating the labour re-integration of socially excluded people.

Programmes of activity:
Jobs are reserved for those at risk of social exclusion, by inserting a clause in contractual agreements with construction companies which work on projects awarded by ADIGSA, that obligates companies to take on a certain number of employees from marginalised communities. Incentives are given to the companies to sign up to the agreement. The agreement is legally binding, provided that the company has agreed to the clause in the bidding phase for contracts. When the contract has been awarded, and the workers selected, a labour mediator from a company which is responsible for the insertion of the employee, examines the personal situations of the workers, and accordingly, designs an appropriate itinerary of insertion and a work plan in which individual tutorials are arranged and objectives set. The worker is treated equally and is paid the same as his or her colleagues. Such commitment is a fundamental premise of the project. The ‘mediating company’ will complete a monthly report to monitor and assess the development of the project: working hours, absences, attitude, working habits etc.

Good practice:

• An individualised and supported work programme is created, including training.
  
• The statutory nature of the clause guarantees that once the contracts have been signed, the project must go ahead.
  
• 58% of the target group have received a work contract on completing the programme, highlighting the success of the scheme.
  

Associació Rauxa, Barcelona, Spain

Associació Rauxa is a non-profit NGO, run mainly by volunteers. Since 1989, the organisation has been working with destitute homeless people, particularly victims of alcohol abuse, and provides various services, such as specialised treatment and employment advice, with the aim of total reintegration.

Aims & Objectives:

• The association aims to reintegrate its clients through changing lifestyles, particularly through promoting complete abstinence.
  
• Integrated treatment is carried out in four phases: initial contact, treatment, social reinsertion and labour reinsertion.

Programme of activities:

• In the first phase, a six-berth van is driven around the city to look for homeless people, and to establish a first point of contact. The target group is urged to begin treatment, whilst a medical check-up is given and help in legalising documentation.
  
• The association has a residence which accommodates eighteen people and where treatment is given. A process of detoxification, withdrawal and rehabilitation is initiated with the help of individual and group therapy. The treatment is designed to be specific to the needs of individuals and instigates good habits and a daily routine. Leisure activities, individual hobbies and pre-employment activities are encouraged in order to create ‘good habits’ and daily routines.
  
• Follow-up treatment for chronic alcoholism is given in ten rented flats, in which work is done on acquiring personal autonomy and change in lifestyle.
  
• Individualised occupational therapy is offered to help clients adapt to new employment situations and to become familiar with an alcohol-free environment to prevent re-incidence.
  
• The association undertakes the responsibility to impact wider social change by maintaining contact with the media to increase awareness of poverty and destitution, and holding meetings with judges, lawyers and public prosecutors to consider alternative sentencing for clients condemned whilst under treatment.

Good practice:

• Clients are approached in the streets. This method gains access to clients who would not otherwise be able to find the services and those who do not have enough trust in public services to approach them themselves.
  
• Labour reinsertion takes place as part of an integrated treatment, which includes pre-employment activities to create good habits and a daily routine. Because many of the clients suffer drug problems, labour reinsertion cannot take place without the specific complementary treatment provided.
  

Arrels Foundation, Barcelona, Spain

The Arrels foundation is a private organisation that has been running since 1987. They have attended to 4,500 people since 1990 and employ 640 volunteers and 16 professionals. The foundation has a wide network of partner organisations across different sectors and emphasises an integral approach to practice.

Aims & objectives:

• Giving as much independence as possible to homeless people
  
• Improving living conditions with specifically and appropriately designed programmes
  
• Mitigating the causes of homelessness (poverty and exclusion) through making the general public more aware of these disadvantages. Mechanisms of awareness building include outreach to schools, media publicity, institutional collaboration and citizen involvement (volunteers, members and donors).

Programmes of activity:

• A ‘street team’ circles the city to monitor those who have been identified.
  
• Preparations are made for hospitalised people to move to a residential centre or guesthouse when they are ready to leave the hospital. Contact is made with the medical team, and when possible, the family.
  
• A freely accessible daytime residence is used as a safe and peaceful space for clients in which a wide range of facilities are offered. These include educational activities, psychosocial attention, medical monitoring and showers and clothes.
  
• An ‘Access to Housing Programme’ offers six protected flats which house sixteen people and cover their accommodation and nutritional needs.
  
• Mental Health Programme: a psychiatrist and a male psychiatric nurse attend to clients who suffer from mental health problems for an average of three hours per week.

Good practice:

• Clients are approached in the streets and it is not expected that clients will locate the service themselves.
  
• The Arrels foundation clearly uses an integrated approach which goes beyond addressing basic needs.
  
• The foundation encourages the participation of those who have already been attended to, which helps to ensure that practices are appropriate and contributes to the empowerment of clients.
  
• There is a focus on preventative work, which seeks to address the causes of homelessness at its roots.