This presentation was made by Dr Judith Wolf at the 2004 Round Table on Social Inclusion in Rotterdam, Workshop on Prevention of Homelessness. It looks at concepts of prevention of homelessness and what it entails and how it might be addressed at European Level (from 2004)

1. Trimbos-instituut
Prevention of homelessness
on the
European agenda
Prof. dr. Judith Wolf
Trimbos-instituut Utrecht
Radboud University of Nijmegen
mail: jwolf@trimbos.nl
phone: xx 31 30 2971100

2. Trimbos-instituut
Conditions
1) Be based on shared concept of homelessness & prevention
2) Be well targeted and clear in their aims
3) Be embedded in national & local systems of legislation,
policy & practice
4) Be well informed, that is based on actual and reliable
analyses of state of play
5) Be carried out through co-operation between sectors and
authorities at different levels, covering different dimensions

3. Trimbos-instituut
Structural Psycho social
factors factors
• Socio-cultural • General risk factors
• Economic • Specific factors
• Institutional • Trigger factors
• Managerial • Being homeless

4. Trimbos-instituut
• General factors
– inadequate housing, low income, poor health, debts, low education
level, unemployment, living in ‘problem accumulation area’
• Specific factors
– child abuse, domestic violence, early parenting, mental health
problems, drug & alcohol abuse, loneliness, frequent house moves,
history of institutionalisation
• Trigger factors
– eviction, tenancy breakdown, leaving an institution, family or
relationship breakdown, runaway from home
• Being homeless
– loss of control, loss of connectedness, part of exclusion culture,
negative identity, lack of future perspective

5. Trimbos-instituut
Concept of Prevention
General Selected Indicated
Strategies strategies strategies
Aim Prevention of Prevention of Treatment of
new cases of new cases of current &
those excluded homeless recurrent cases
Target General Groups or Individuals or
population communities at client systems
high risk
Intervention Equal access to Improvement Improvement
social rights of of quality of
infrastructure & life, housing,
living situation participation

6. Trimbos-instituut
Pro-active: prevention of homelessness
• People with a high risk of • Info & advice
becoming evicted • Education
• Early intervention & pre
• People leaving institutions crisis intervention
• Crisis housing &
• Young people temporary accommodation
• Family support services
• Immigrants & assylum • Debt management
seekers • Access to resources &
services
• People experiencing
domestic violence

7. Trimbos-instituut
Open method of coordination on homelessness
Performance indicators
People People using People
National Policy Profile being homeless sleeping
evicted services rough
General:
securing social rights
General:
laws on housing,
eviction, debts etc
Specific:
laws on homelessness
prevention
Specific:
national programme on
homelessness

8. Trimbos-instituut
Further Actions
• Review and exchange national policy profiles
• Make data collection integral part of national legislation &
accountability structure:
– risk & trigger factors
– target groups
• Describe & exchange practice based evidence
• Carry out longitudinal studies on homelessness prevention
• Monitor implementation of policies & practices