Translator: Cristina Bufi-Pöcksteiner Reviewer: Eric vautier
In my town, there was a man mounted on pieces of cardboard
at the entrance of a building in front of a school.
His place of life, for years,
it was there, it was the street.
And the students, their parents, teachers
knew this man and called him by his first name.
Today, we’ll call Ted.
But one day, Ted disappeared and never returned.
Everyone was worried for him.
Everyone had certainly reason to worry for him,
because you need to know
the life expectancy of a homeless person on the street
is 45 years.
But I will not leave you with anything,
because in fact, Ted is fine, he’s fine even.
It is home now for three years already,
and impresses everyone.
Yet everything had been tried with him.
But he kept bum from the street to the home of day, free night
the street to the home of day, free night, for eight years.
Ted was a resident of the street.
Today, Ted lives in the slot.
What made the difference this time?
The answer will surprise you with its simplicity,
because what made the difference, is housing.
It seems pretty obvious to fight against homelessness through housing.
But in fact, what really makes the difference, this time,
is to have dared housing immediately from the street
with someone as fragile as Ted.
A person chronically homeless,
having weaknesses in mental health and addiction.
It occurs only very rarely, so far.
From this accommodation,
a social inclusion process has been started
thanks to the intensive support of a multidisciplinary team.
This is a social innovation,
called “Housing First”, or housing first.
But what makes his character more effective,
more efficient, more sustainable, more just?
This is what I will tell you.
So you and I, we meet homeless people on the street
and it may leave the impression that nothing is done for them.
This impression is absolutely false,
because today, here,
a homeless person on the street can find answers to their basic needs.
Through the joint efforts of public and civic institutions,
a homeless person on the street can find a bed for the night
be careful, be nourished.
The problem of homelessness is managed humanely.
And in winter, the resources allocated are strengthened.
The issue is managed seasonally.
Most public subsidies are for this humanitarian management
Seasonal and homelessness.
From this aid, called social emergency, then organizes
and I’m here to force a bit far – I admit –
then organizes assistance in the form of a staircase.
Different stages, different accommodation solutions,
transient, fixed-term,
preparing for the final stage of the insertion process:
housing.
This system works.
There are even people
which are very quickly accompanied to the housing.
But this system does not work for everyone.
And here we find people like Ted, homeless people,
Chronic, weakened in the areas of mental health and addiction,
who fail to meet the conditions of access
associated with each of these steps.
Getting in the project, reducing, or even more often,
stop the use of drugs or alcohol,
enter treatment.
Some institutions have relaxed their eligibility requirements.
But that is not enough.
The vast majority of homeless people, the most fragile,
fail to initiate this process of integration, which has been devised.
They remain for years on the street, they start to live in the street,
they begin to inhabit the emergency services,
they keep away more and more individual housing
and they see their problems and their initial fragility worsen.
The current public policy in the fight against homelessness
is discriminating.
But there is good news,
I’ll share today with you,
is that there is a solution.
With these homeless people furthest from housing,
cancel the intermediate steps, the invert process.
First the housing, then the rest.
This is the model “Housing First”, or housing first.
This model is characterized by three basic principles.
The first: the target audience;
second: the housing;
and third: the accompaniment.
Let’s start with the target audience.
You understood, we speak of homeless people
more remote housing.
The ones we tried everything.
Those multiply weaknesses in the area of mental health,
addiction.
They estimated that as not being able,
or unfit, not ready to inhabit.
Second feature of the model: housing.
This is the most classic accommodation possible,
from public rental housing, but also private.
The person signed his lease, like you and me.
There are no other conditions of access to housing.
This person pays his rent.
With what income?
With the income to which it is entitled.
And ultimately,
it will be the Social Integration Income
granted by the public social welfare center,
which is the territory frequented by the person,
including its homeless situation, she is entitled too.
It’s not easy, you imagine, to find housing
for such people very modest income,
highly stigmatized,
but it is not impossible, it was found in.
And we continue to try to impact the housing policy.
You have an apartment?
Or you ?
I think we’ll talk after.
But we will talk about what?
With what arguments will I come to you?
We find the third characteristic of the model: the accompaniment.
The housing is not enough.
With these people as vulnerable,
must accompany an up to their needs.
The accompaniment will therefore intensive, multidisciplinary, mobile.
And he’ll aim for the recovery.
We are not talking here of healing.
We are not talking here
to immediately stop the use of drugs or alcohol.
We talk about recovery.
The takeover of his life as an actor, as a citizen.
From its own resources and at their own pace.
The team will be there as long as necessary.
The model “Housing First” is an American model,
which was initiated in the early 90s in New York.
It took some time before crossing the Atlantic,
but it has happened in Europe.
And in all European countries
in which there is a policy against homelessness,
it has been implemented.
Each time, with an impressive success.
At least 80% of these people as far away as they are housing
are still housing two years later.
Otherwise,
This practice reduces significantly
public costs for overnight stays in shelters night
Social Emergency
and also in hospitalization.
So it was time to test this model in Belgium.
With the support of the Secretary of State for the fight against poverty,
the competition of the national lottery,
field of institutions, public and associative,
I’m after,
initiated a test phase of two years.
In the cities of Antwerp, Ghent, Hasselt, Brussels, Sint-Jans-Molenbeek,
Liege, Charleroi and Namur.
We called this experiment “Housing First Belgium”.
And I coordinated from the Federal Public Service Social Integration.
Then, accompanying teams, multidisciplinary, intensive,
were incurred to support housing immediately
nearly 200 people very chronic homeless.
They rose, on average, five years of their lives in street and very fragile
in the areas of mental health and addiction.
An evaluation team was engaged through the three regions
and has followed the evolution of this public one,
a portion of the “Housing First” tenants
during two years,
by meeting every six months.
This experimental group, tenants ‘Housing First’
was compared –
The evolution of this experimental group
was compared to the evolution of a control group
made up of homeless people and the same profiles.
Equally fragile
Equally chronicisées in their situation of homelessness.
Two years later –
yes of course, in this control group,
these are people who have continued to patronize the traditional support system.
Two years later, where are these people?
What have they become?
Two years later,
93% of people homeless, chronic, fragile,
accompanied by the teams “Housing First”
are still housing.
These frail, more remote housing,
we demonstrate their ability to inhabit.
They appropriate housing,
they pay their rent,
they invite us to deconstruct stereotypes
we had about them.
By comparison, it takes two years for only 48% of
who continued to attend traditional support system
access to housing.
The practice “Housing First” therefore appear
as the fastest way out of streets.
And the solution that allows the release of more sustainable street.
Another element that I want to show you this graph.
At the end, on the right, you have a column,
which represents the control group,
those who continued to attend conventional aid systems.
Two years later, there are a variety of colors.
To what do they refer?
Is not found in the experimental group
the “Housing First” tenants.
These colors refer to different residential statuses.
We have people who are in housing, 48%.
There are people who are always on the street,
but there are also people who are hospitalized,
who are in prison,
no prospect of housing when they leave.
Others who are in substandard housing
and that at any time could be expelled.
This data then emphasized the need for preventive measures.
Beyond
the retention housing, which is already an incredible result,
was a series of data showing
Housing First that these tenants have their esteem of themselves increased.
They gain empowerment.
What are people too
who set out to take charge of their health,
they begin a care path,
which reduces by 46% the inpatient care costs.
So, from these data,
that is it appropriate to do to effectively fight against homelessness?
Increase the number of beds in shelters nights?
Multiply the subsidies in the winter?
No.
These data encourage us to think otherwise
the fight against homelessness.
Ted’s story is not an isolated story exception.
Ted’s story, and all the other stories,
demonstrate the leading role of housing in social integration,
including the most remote housing people.
Base our public policies on such evidence.
Dare accommodation with suitable individual support.
And I do not mean here to put on the table new colossal resources.
No, I mean you to use, efficient, public funds.
A linking costs with the impact on the medium and long terms.
That is efficiency.
Something I have to tell you before you leave.
A cover day within the “Housing First”
cost three times cheaper than a night shelter night
seven times cheaper than a night in jail.
Without you speak of psychiatric emergencies,
17 times cheaper.
Mink therefore the shortest circuit to get off the streets,
avoid installation in emergency structures,
not for that.
Allow these emergency structures to focus on their primary mission,
because we still need it.
On the humanitarian and seasonal management of homelessness,
move to a fight against homelessness.
And let us be ambitious, yet completely realistic.
Win the fight against homelessness.
Thank you.
(Applause)
In my town, there was a man mounted on pieces of cardboard
at the entrance of a building in front of a school.
His place of life, for years,
it was there, it was the street.
And the students, their parents, teachers
knew this man and called him by his first name.
Today, we’ll call Ted.
But one day, Ted disappeared and never returned.
Everyone was worried for him.
Everyone had certainly reason to worry for him,
because you need to know
the life expectancy of a homeless person on the street
is 45 years.
But I will not leave you with anything,
because in fact, Ted is fine, he’s fine even.
It is home now for three years already,
and impresses everyone.
Yet everything had been tried with him.
But he kept bum from the street to the home of day, free night
the street to the home of day, free night, for eight years.
Ted was a resident of the street.
Today, Ted lives in the slot.
What made the difference this time?
The answer will surprise you with its simplicity,
because what made the difference, is housing.
It seems pretty obvious to fight against homelessness through housing.
But in fact, what really makes the difference, this time,
is to have dared housing immediately from the street
with someone as fragile as Ted.
A person chronically homeless,
having weaknesses in mental health and addiction.
It occurs only very rarely, so far.
From this accommodation,
a social inclusion process has been started
thanks to the intensive support of a multidisciplinary team.
This is a social innovation,
called “Housing First”, or housing first.
But what makes his character more effective,
more efficient, more sustainable, more just?
This is what I will tell you.
So you and I, we meet homeless people on the street
and it may leave the impression that nothing is done for them.
This impression is absolutely false,
because today, here,
a homeless person on the street can find answers to their basic needs.
Through the joint efforts of public and civic institutions,
a homeless person on the street can find a bed for the night
be careful, be nourished.
The problem of homelessness is managed humanely.
And in winter, the resources allocated are strengthened.
The issue is managed seasonally.
Most public subsidies are for this humanitarian management
Seasonal and homelessness.
From this aid, called social emergency, then organizes
and I’m here to force a bit far – I admit –
then organizes assistance in the form of a staircase.
Different stages, different accommodation solutions,
transient, fixed-term,
preparing for the final stage of the insertion process:
housing.
This system works.
There are even people
which are very quickly accompanied to the housing.
But this system does not work for everyone.
And here we find people like Ted, homeless people,
Chronic, weakened in the areas of mental health and addiction,
who fail to meet the conditions of access
associated with each of these steps.
Getting in the project, reducing, or even more often,
stop the use of drugs or alcohol,
enter treatment.
Some institutions have relaxed their eligibility requirements.
But that is not enough.
The vast majority of homeless people, the most fragile,
fail to initiate this process of integration, which has been devised.
They remain for years on the street, they start to live in the street,
they begin to inhabit the emergency services,
they keep away more and more individual housing
and they see their problems and their initial fragility worsen.
The current public policy in the fight against homelessness
is discriminating.
But there is good news,
I’ll share today with you,
is that there is a solution.
With these homeless people furthest from housing,
cancel the intermediate steps, the invert process.
First the housing, then the rest.
This is the model “Housing First”, or housing first.
This model is characterized by three basic principles.
The first: the target audience;
second: the housing;
and third: the accompaniment.
Let’s start with the target audience.
You understood, we speak of homeless people
more remote housing.
The ones we tried everything.
Those multiply weaknesses in the area of mental health,
addiction.
They estimated that as not being able,
or unfit, not ready to inhabit.
Second feature of the model: housing.
This is the most classic accommodation possible,
from public rental housing, but also private.
The person signed his lease, like you and me.
There are no other conditions of access to housing.
This person pays his rent.
With what income?
With the income to which it is entitled.
And ultimately,
it will be the Social Integration Income
granted by the public social welfare center,
which is the territory frequented by the person,
including its homeless situation, she is entitled too.
It’s not easy, you imagine, to find housing
for such people very modest income,
highly stigmatized,
but it is not impossible, it was found in.
And we continue to try to impact the housing policy.
You have an apartment?
Or you ?
I think we’ll talk after.
But we will talk about what?
With what arguments will I come to you?
We find the third characteristic of the model: the accompaniment.
The housing is not enough.
With these people as vulnerable,
must accompany an up to their needs.
The accompaniment will therefore intensive, multidisciplinary, mobile.
And he’ll aim for the recovery.
We are not talking here of healing.
We are not talking here
to immediately stop the use of drugs or alcohol.
We talk about recovery.
The takeover of his life as an actor, as a citizen.
From its own resources and at their own pace.
The team will be there as long as necessary.
The model “Housing First” is an American model,
which was initiated in the early 90s in New York.
It took some time before crossing the Atlantic,
but it has happened in Europe.
And in all European countries
in which there is a policy against homelessness,
it has been implemented.
Each time, with an impressive success.
At least 80% of these people as far away as they are housing
are still housing two years later.
Otherwise,
This practice reduces significantly
public costs for overnight stays in shelters night
Social Emergency
and also in hospitalization.
So it was time to test this model in Belgium.
With the support of the Secretary of State for the fight against poverty,
the competition of the national lottery,
field of institutions, public and associative,
I’m after,
initiated a test phase of two years.
In the cities of Antwerp, Ghent, Hasselt, Brussels, Sint-Jans-Molenbeek,
Liege, Charleroi and Namur.
We called this experiment “Housing First Belgium”.
And I coordinated from the Federal Public Service Social Integration.
Then, accompanying teams, multidisciplinary, intensive,
were incurred to support housing immediately
nearly 200 people very chronic homeless.
They rose, on average, five years of their lives in street and very fragile
in the areas of mental health and addiction.
An evaluation team was engaged through the three regions
and has followed the evolution of this public one,
a portion of the “Housing First” tenants
during two years,
by meeting every six months.
This experimental group, tenants ‘Housing First’
was compared –
The evolution of this experimental group
was compared to the evolution of a control group
made up of homeless people and the same profiles.
Equally fragile
Equally chronicisées in their situation of homelessness.
Two years later –
yes of course, in this control group,
these are people who have continued to patronize the traditional support system.
Two years later, where are these people?
What have they become?
Two years later,
93% of people homeless, chronic, fragile,
accompanied by the teams “Housing First”
are still housing.
These frail, more remote housing,
we demonstrate their ability to inhabit.
They appropriate housing,
they pay their rent,
they invite us to deconstruct stereotypes
we had about them.
By comparison, it takes two years for only 48% of
who continued to attend traditional support system
access to housing.
The practice “Housing First” therefore appear
as the fastest way out of streets.
And the solution that allows the release of more sustainable street.
Another element that I want to show you this graph.
At the end, on the right, you have a column,
which represents the control group,
those who continued to attend conventional aid systems.
Two years later, there are a variety of colors.
To what do they refer?
Is not found in the experimental group
the “Housing First” tenants.
These colors refer to different residential statuses.
We have people who are in housing, 48%.
There are people who are always on the street,
but there are also people who are hospitalized,
who are in prison,
no prospect of housing when they leave.
Others who are in substandard housing
and that at any time could be expelled.
This data then emphasized the need for preventive measures.
Beyond
the retention housing, which is already an incredible result,
was a series of data showing
Housing First that these tenants have their esteem of themselves increased.
They gain empowerment.
What are people too
who set out to take charge of their health,
they begin a care path,
which reduces by 46% the inpatient care costs.
So, from these data,
that is it appropriate to do to effectively fight against homelessness?
Increase the number of beds in shelters nights?
Multiply the subsidies in the winter?
No.
These data encourage us to think otherwise
the fight against homelessness.
Ted’s story is not an isolated story exception.
Ted’s story, and all the other stories,
demonstrate the leading role of housing in social integration,
including the most remote housing people.
Base our public policies on such evidence.
Dare accommodation with suitable individual support.
And I do not mean here to put on the table new colossal resources.
No, I mean you to use, efficient, public funds.
A linking costs with the impact on the medium and long terms.
That is efficiency.
Something I have to tell you before you leave.
A cover day within the “Housing First”
cost three times cheaper than a night shelter night
seven times cheaper than a night in jail.
Without you speak of psychiatric emergencies,
17 times cheaper.
Mink therefore the shortest circuit to get off the streets,
avoid installation in emergency structures,
not for that.
Allow these emergency structures to focus on their primary mission,
because we still need it.
On the humanitarian and seasonal management of homelessness,
move to a fight against homelessness.
And let us be ambitious, yet completely realistic.
Win the fight against homelessness.
Thank you.
(Applause)
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