A presentation given by Bjørn J. Pedersen, Deputy Director General of the Norwegian Royal Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development at a FEANTSA seminar on "Cooperation & networking to address homelessness: What are key partners for national/regional authorities and how should they be involved?", co-hosted by the Norwegian Housing Bank and FEANTSA, June 2007

1. The Royal Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development
Introduction to a national strategy:
”A pathway to a permanent home”
Effect of the Norwegian homelessness strategy
Expert seminar, Oslo 18-19.june
Bjørn J. Pedersen, Deputy Director General
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2. Homelessness at the political agenda
2 Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development

3. Definition of homelessness
•People not owning or renting their own
place of residence, but who are referred to
causal or temporary accommodation
•People living temporarily with relatives,
friends or other they know (acquaintances)
•People who are in prison or in an
institution and who are to be released or
discharged within two months and who do
not have a place of residence
•People who do not have an arranged
place to stay for the coming night.
3 Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development

4. National surveys of homelessness
• 1996: 6 200 homeless
• 2003: 5 200 homeless
• 2005: 5 500 homeless
• 2007: New survey in november
- Totally decline
- But increase in the smaller
municipalities with between 10 000
and 39 000 inhabitants.
4 Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development

5. What do we know about the homeless
in Norway?
5 500 homeless in 2005
1,9 homeless per 1000 inhabitants (4,6 mill)
– 42 pct stayed with relatives, friends or
other they know
– 25 pct was in institutions due to be
discharged/released
– 25 pct lived in overnight shelters
– 1 pct without a place to stay coming nights
• 25 pct had experienced eviction the last
6 months
• 60 pct - substance dependency
• 38 pct assessed as having mental
illness
5 Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development

6. Project Homelessness (2001-2003):
•7 cities involved and 3 non-governmental
organizations
•Lesson learned: It is possible to house all,
depends on the house and the services provided
•The housing-first approach
6 Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development

7. Overall vision: Adequate and secure
housing for all
Strategy for realising this vision:
• Provide housing for groups that are
disadvantaged in the housing
market- both homeless and those
at risk of becoming homeless
• Provide housing, but also provide
support to enable people to sustain
their housing
• Homeless people one of the
targeted disadvantaged group
7 Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development

8. The pathway to a permanent home
(2005-2007)
Targets
• Number of petitions of evictions shall be
reduced by 50 per cent and the number of
evictions by 30 pct
• No one shall have to spend time in
temporary housing upon release from
prison or upon discharge from institution
• No one shall be offered overnight shelters
without a quality agreement
• No one shall stay more than three months
in temporary housing
8 Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development

9. Government
5 involved ministries
Norwegian Dir. of
housing bank health and
soc.aff.
KS
Regional
off. housing County Health Enforcement Correctional
bank Governor enterprises officers services
431 Municipalities
Non-governmental organizations
9 Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development

10. How do we work to reach the targets?
- local implementation
• National set target – municipal responsibility
• Soft measures
– Collaboration
– Agreement with the Association of Local and
Regional Authorities (KS)
– Networks and forums of communications
– Award for best homelessness initiative
– Economic measures -Loans and grants to
develop new housing solutions
• System-oriented
• Individually oriented
• Hard measures
– Legal framework – social service act
• Enabling strategy
10 Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development

11. Effects of the strategy
• Total reduction in number of homeless
since 1996
• Evictions reduced by 30 pct since 2004
• Many good projects
– Self building projects in Meland
– The Housing school on Safir, Oslo
• Better cooperation with the criminal
administration system
• New housing solutions: Small houses/freak
houses in Trondheim
• Greater knowledge of housing as a human
right
• Greater knowledge of homelessness
among different players
11 Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development

12. Further challenges
Focus 2007-2008
• Offer permanent housing and phase out
use of hostels and other temporary
solutions
• Stronger local political commitment
• From a project-phase to a permanent
phase
• Greater variety in housing solutions
• We need to learn and listen more to the
users, and the people who work close to
the users
• We need to build more on the persons own
resources in establishing housing
solutions– Boligskolen!
12 Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development