Integrating harm reduction in homeless services Erasmus Project

Project Title

Integrating harm reduction in homeless services

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for adult education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2019

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Access for disadvantaged; Health and wellbeing; Inclusion – equity

Project Summary

This project identified one of the most urgent challenges of homeless service providers: the need to improve harm reduction services for people with experience of homelessness. Until today, homeless people who use drugs / alcohol lack access to harm reduction (HR) services, die or get infected with life-threatening diseases. This project recognizes the urgent need to improve the access to effective HR services as a first step towards the improvement of the overall life situation of eople who use drugs / alcohol. Effective HR reduction keeps people who use drugs/alcohol alive and is hence the first crucial step towards their social inclusion.

To improve HR services for people with experience of homelessness, the project
– develops the ‘Harm Reduction Key Principles for Homeless Services’, an innovative output which does not yet exist. The Principles will be tailored to the needs of homeless services and service users and provide services with hands-on guidance on how to efficiently provide HR services. The ‘HR4Homelessness Resource Hub & Good Practice Collection’ will support service providers in implementing the Key Principles by providing a collection of relevant tools and materials (assessment check lists & monitoring tools, best practices, relevant publications etc.).
– trains frontline staff working with homeless services on the above-mentioned Key Principles during a 3-days training.
– 5 Country Reports describe and analyse the current provision of HR services for people with experience of homelessness in the partner countries, including a critical assessment of policies and strategies and the wider social and health policy context. They present existing interventions and identify innovative programmes / strategies.
The European Report provides a comparative synthesis of the Country Reports, identify common characteristics of service provision for people with experience of homelessness who use drugs/alcohol, including common denominators of successful interventions. It present the results of a European-wide survey on HR service provision among homeless services and includes recommendations for local and EU policy makers.
– The project and its outputs, in particular the Key Principles and the Resource Hub, are disseminated through local multiplier events in all partner countries. The project is disseminated in a continuous way through newsletters, website posts and articles, social media channels and informal meetings / communication with relevant services and policy makers.

The project methodology is based on bringing together organizations from the homeless and drug sectors to learn from each other and use their shared expertise to develop the ‘HR Key Principles’ & other outputs. FEANTSA, the only European NGO exclusively focusing on ending homelessness, and Simon Communities Ireland contribute expertise on the relationship between homelessness and drug/alcohol use and the resulting needs. Rainbow Group (NL) and the HealthTeam (City of Copenhagen) bring in expertise on HR services and drug use related services as part of an integrated service response. Norte Vida (PT) contributes expertise from its many years’ experience of providing outreach HR services, social and psychological support in a country where 80% of people with experience of homelessness use drugs. The Rights Reporter Foundation (HU) contributes a strong background in HR and human rights as well as in-depth knowledge on HR provision and drug policies in Hungary and CEE.

Results & impact
– Staff of the partner organizations who are involved in the project and the training activity have a thorough understanding of the HR approach and provide HR services.
– Participants of the multiplier events have a thorough understanding of the relationship between homelessness and drug/alcohol use and implement HR services in their organization to improve support. Participants, who mostly work with homeless services, understand the added value of improving collaboration with HR and drug/alcohol use related services.
– HR services for people with experience of homelessness who use drugs/alcohol improved in the partner countries and, through extensive dissemination, in Europe. More homeless people who use drugs/alcohol stay alive and do not get infected with Hepatitis C/HIV. Their health situation improved substantially, they access social and psychological support more often, engage in social activities and experience more social inclusion.
– Local authorities & policy makers at local and EU levels have a good understanding of the crucial importance of effective HR service provision for people with experience of homelessness. They promote and support the establishment of HR services in the Members States.
– The ‘Harm Reduction Key Principles’ and the Resource Hub are a well-known resource among relevant services in Europe and support the improvement of HR service provision for people with experience of homeless

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 201138,2 Eur

Project Coordinator

FEDERATION EUROPEENNE D’ASSOCIATIONS NATIONALES TRAVAILLANT AVEC LES SANS-ABRI AISBL & Country: BE

Project Partners

• Norte Vida – Associação para a Promoção da Saúde
• HealthTeam for Homeless, Copenhagen City
• Simon Communities of Ireland
• JOGRIPORTER ALAPITVANY
• STICHTING DE REGENBOOG GROEP