Presentation given by Isobel Anderson, UK at the Ninth European Research Conference on Homelessness, "Homelessness in Times of Crisis", Warsaw, September 2014 http://feantsaresearch.org/spip.php?article222&lang=en

1. 9th European Research Conference
Homelessness in Times of Crisis
Warsaw, Friday 19th September 2014
International learning from local policy making? Responding to homelessness in post-crisis Athens
Isobel Anderson
University of Stirling
UK

2. 9th European Research Conference
Homelessness in Times of Crisis
Warsaw, Friday 19th September 2014
Outline of presentation
Aim: International learning from local policy making?
•Case of Athens city, Greece
•Process of peer review
Structure:
•The EU and homelessness policy
•Greece – the economic crisis and the impact on homelessness
•Athens – policy and practice responses
•Comparisons with international research evidence
•The peer review process
•Conclusions

3. 9th European Research Conference
Homelessness in Times of Crisis
Warsaw, Friday 19th September 2014
Research Method: Peer Review on Homelessness Policies in Athens
Co-production Partners
•HABITACT – European Exchange Forum on local homelessness strategies
•City of Athens and partners
•European Federation of National Homelessness Agencies (FEANTSA)
Role/method
December 2013 – March 2014: Prepare discussion paper on homelessness policy making and service provision in Athens
10-11 April 2014 Peer review meeting in Athens: Amsterdam (NL), Bergamo (IT), Charleroi (BE), Copenhagen (DK), Esch-sur-Alzette (LU), Gothenburg (SE) Odense (DK), Offenbach (DE) Toulouse (FR), Vienna (AT).
May 2014 Peer review meeting report
May 2014

4. 9th European Research Conference
Homelessness in Times of Crisis
Warsaw, Friday 19th September 2014
The EU and homelessness
•Increasing recognition – towards an EU homelessness strategy
•Linked to targets to reduce poverty
New funding opportunities?
•European Social Fund
•European Regional Development Fund
•Fund for European Aid for the most Deprived (FEAD)
•EU programme for Employment and Social Innovation EaSI
Monitoring homelessness – national social reports
Informal co-operation

5. 9th European Research Conference
Homelessness in Times of Crisis
Warsaw, Friday 19th September 2014
EUROZONE COMPARATIVE POVERTY RATES, 2010 (% of population) Source: ELSTAT, 2013
IRELAND 29.9
GREECE 27.7
SPAIN 25.5
PORTUGAL 25.3
ITALY 24.5
CYPRUS 23.6
ESTONIA 21.7
BELGIUM 20.8
MALTA 20.6
SLOVAKIA 20.6
GERMANY 19.7
FRANCE 19.3
SLOVENIA 18.3
LUXEMBOURG 17.1
FINLAND 16.9
AUSTRIA 16.6
NETHERLANDS 15.1

6. 9th European Research Conference
Homelessness in Times of Crisis
Warsaw, Friday 19th September 2014
Greece Economic Crisis and Responding to Homelessness
Greece Population at 2011 = 10.8m
Housing Tenure (CECOHDAS Housing Europe Review 2012)
•74% owner occupied
•20% private rent
•0% social rent
•6% other
EU Troika programme (European Commission; European Central Bank; IMF) - Greece, Portugal, Ireland, Spain, Cyprus
•Falling incomes/expenditure, significant income inequality
•33% overburdened by housing costs (90% of poor); Half of poor struggled to afford food
‘socio economically crushed middle class’ (Athens Mayor)

7. 9th European Research Conference
Homelessness in Times of Crisis
Warsaw, Friday 19th September 2014
Greece: Homelessness
Relatively recent recognition; societal change
•Lack of accurate data (2009: 7000-21000?)
•Increased by 25% as a result of crisis
Changing profile: Complex needs; ‘New homeless’ – not able to meet housing costs; Migrants particularly vulnerable
State response inadequate?
•Legal definition of homelessness
•National action plan - not implemented
Austerity measures impacted on service capacity

8. 9th European Research Conference
Homelessness in Times of Crisis
Warsaw, Friday 19th September 2014
Athens City Homelessness Policy and Service Provision

9. POLICY ARENA
Athens Model: KEY PLAYERS; INFLUENCES
European Union
European Commission and Parliament
•Troika financial assistance and associated structural programmes
•Social policies and associated funding programmes
National
Greek National Government
•National economic and policy context
Greek Housing Network
CITY OF ATHENS
High level of homelessness
Athens Municipality structures
•Political leadership from Mayor (Re-elected May 2014)
•KYADA - Solidarity and Reception Centre (policy and services)
•ADDMA – Development Agency (funding advice)
NGOs – operate in city and beyond
Corporate Institutions, Foundations
Church, Faith based organisations
Civil Society

10. Service Type
(Busch-Geertsema et al , 2010)
Athens Model
Prevention – risk of homelessness
Social grocery & pharmacy; family homelessness prevention (supporting parents back to work)
Prevention – no immediate risk of homelessness (new)
Solidarity to families (material goods and practical services); Citizen solidarity hub (connecting donors and beneficiaries)
Emergency accommodation (roofless)
Shelters
Temporary Accommodation – houseless
Hospitality programme; accommodation for women victims of domestic violence
Non-residential services – homeless
Soup kitchen; streetwork; day centre; social pharmacy; emergency health
Other accommodation
Substance misuse needs
Mainstream services used by homeless people
Health; employability; volunteering; solidarity
Specialist services used by homeless people
Mental health; substance use; asylum services; ex-offender services

11. Athens City: Peer Review of homelessness

12. 9th European Research Conference
Homelessness in Times of Crisis
Warsaw, Friday 19th September 2014
ATHENS: Comparisons with international research evidence (2010 review)
•Recognises homelessness as a poverty issue
•Collaborative Governance/Joint working
•Municipality leads policy development and service provision, supported by NGOs (some tensions)
•Involvement of corporate and community sectors
•National-level ‘steering’ less evident
•Integrated service provision
•Social integration, health, employability
•Early intervention/prevention
•Settled housing dimension – less evident

13. 9th European Research Conference
Homelessness in Times of Crisis
Warsaw, Friday 19th September 2014
Comparisons (2)
Affordable Housing Solutions? ‘Housing First’/housing-led initiatives?
Athens more focused on broader re-integration (work/income)
Pathways out of homelessness? High home ownership; accessing private rental; evolving social rental
Homelessness prevention - Athens focus on early intervention with those affected by economic restructuring
Service user involvement - Athens goal of empowerment; fewer mechanisms for involvement

14. 9th European Research Conference
Homelessness in Times of Crisis
Warsaw, Friday 19th September 2014
Comparisons (3)
Evaluating outcomes
•Emerging data collection and analysis
•KYADA research brief and initial data collection
•Further develop monitoring
•Models, practice guidance
•Attention to service quality
Resource mobilisation
•Mechanism to optimise use of EU funds
•Public support, solidarity
•Developing role of foundations and corporate support

15. 9th European Research Conference
Homelessness in Times of Crisis
Warsaw, Friday 19th September 2014
Peer Review Meeting
•Presentations from Athens partners and guests; Visits to services; Co-presentations with peer participants
•Unprecedented economic crisis – new dimensions to homelessness from EU perspective
•Strong drive to tackle homelessness – clearer policy framework and goals
•Models exist to enhance stakeholder co-operation
•Economic situation impact on public/third sector workers - issues of capacity to empower homeless people
•Housing solutions need to move from emergency/temporary to sustainable long term; Housing First could be a solution for acute homelessness, complex needs group

16. 9th European Research Conference
Homelessness in Times of Crisis
Warsaw, Friday 19th September 2014
Final reflections
•Unequal EU - Solidarity vs Peer expectations; Two- way learning
•Benefits of service visits and open discussion
•Implementation of policy learning? Follow up?
•Review of 5 years of HABITACT peer review seminars
Post-2008 Crisis: Challenges across Europe, threatening achievements to date
Athens – creativity and innovation in most adverse circumstances

17. 9th European Research Conference
Homelessness in Times of Crisis
Warsaw, Friday 19th September 2014
Inequality persists……..

18. 9th European Research Conference
Homelessness in Times of Crisis
Warsaw, Friday 19th September 2014
Key References
Anderson, I. (2010) Services for homeless people: supporting pathways out of homelessness, pp41-63, in O’Sullivan, E., Busch-Geertsema, V., Quilgars, D. and Pleace, N., Homelessness Research in Europe. Brussels: FEANTSA.
Busch-Geertsema, V., Edgar, W., O’Sullivan, E. and Pleace, N. (2010) Homelessness and homeless policies in Europe: lessons from research. Report for European Consensus Conference on Homelessness. Brussels: FEANTSA.
ELSTAT (2013a, b, c) Hellenic Republic Statistical Authority. Demographic and social characteristics of the resident population of Greece according to the 2011 Population – Housing Census; Budget Survey 2012; Statistics on income and living conditions 2012. Athens: ELSTAT
Municipality of Athens (2013, 2014) Information on Athens homelessness policy and service provision provided directly by Athens City.
Stamatis, G. (2012) Homelessness in Greece in the current financial crisis. What perspective? [Paper provided directly by HABITACT/City of Athens]
Theodorikakou, O., Alamou, A. and Katsadoros, K. (2013) ‘Neo-homelessness’ and the Greek Crisis, European Journal of Homelessness, 7(2), pp203-210.