Contribution from Dynamo International – Street Workers Network to the EU’s Committee of the Regions’ survey on the European Platform against Poverty and Social Exclusion
The European country members of the International Network of Street Social were invited to share their grassroots experiences of the objectives set by the European Platform against Poverty: do they feel the effects on the ground of initiatives run on a European level? Are they involved in cooperating with local authorities or local elected representatives in local policies that aim to combat poverty and social exclusion?
I/ Policy challenges and responses at regional and local level regarding the issues covered by the European Platform against poverty
What do you see as the three main challenges currently facing your region/city in terms of preventing child poverty, providing decent housing conditions and/or combating poverty and the social exclusion of vulnerable groups?
Do you believe that the objectives of the European Platform against Poverty are sufficient to combat poverty?
Street worker representatives who took part in the questionnaire with a view to contributing to the Committee of the Regions’ initiative believe that there are several types of challenges in terms of combating poverty and social exclusion that affect different areas. Poverty and social exclusion are, after all, multi-facetedand require overarching policies with several pillars. The situation in Europe is alarming:it is not merelyindividuals facing poverty and social exclusionbut increasinglyentire families. Unfortunately, sometimes poverty becomes a legacy that is handed down from generation to generation. It is becoming a political scandal with the poor increasingly being singled out. The crisis has led to a minimal social response for poor people.
Even though some initiatives have been set upthroughsocial protection systemsand/or specific policies adopted in certain States at national and local level with specific objectives and figures to fulfil, these political objectives are not always realistic, noticeable or quantifiable[1]. Moreover, the involvement of political powers and political will varies from one country to another and even from one region to another within the same country. In France, for example, there is a clear system in place to help the poor with joint involvement from State departments. In Spain, there is a decent system for combating poverty and social exclusion in several autonomous communities (Navarra, Basque country, etc.)but with unequal access for poor people. As a consequence, while some grassroots associations believe that the objectives of the European Platform against Poverty and Social Exclusionare agood basis for local political mobilisation, others do not feel that the objectives set go far enough in placing greater pressure on political authoritiesto ensure that they establish strategies in the area. Even if, on paper, all European countries have a social system, grassroots associations deplore the lack of real, pro-active public policies which aim to help vulnerable groups such as street children or children who have dropped out of school, the young unemployed, drug addicts, former prisoners, victims of family violence, etc.This observation should be considered in line with the image of State disengagement on social issues, in particular, through the delegation of these matters to local powers, local councils which must set their own priorities and strategies for the long-term (Netherlands) or indeed in terms of a distribution of responsibilities between the State and local councils (Czech Republic)[2]. Furthermore, funding for social issuestends to come from the private sectorthrough, for example, charitable organisations that run on private donations.
Combating poverty and social exclusioninvolves, for example, setting up a real policy on decent housing that is accessible to vulnerable people. Countries should draw inspiration from the systems that already exist in certain countries in order to set up a social housing mechanism. Paradoxically, in some countries hundreds of thousands of houses lie unoccupied[3], and many individuals and families cannot afford the housing offered through the property market and sometimes find themselves having to squat due to the lack of a public social housing policy for the homeless, people without economic resources, people evicted from their former home, etc. (e.g. in Romania). Even when subsidised council housing exists, sometimes families cannot access it because of excessive debt.
This brings us to another challenge linked to combating poverty and social exclusion, at both national and local level: the lack of a mechanism to combatexcessive debt as both a cause and consequence of poverty. Without support for families and individuals swamped by debt, escaping from poverty seems impossible. Revenues (which are sometimes merely social benefits, below the poverty line) only cover basic costs such as rent, food, clothes, school equipment for the children but do not enable them to keep their heads above water.
Combating poverty and social exclusion also involvespromoting the fundamental rights of each individual and particularly of vulnerable people and their rights as citizens.Discrimination, of which they may be victims,is a barrier to escaping poverty and social exclusion (e.g. parents who cannot find a job because they are from the Roma community; undocumented people who struggle to exert their rights) and fertile ground for keeping them in a situation of poverty (e.g.: discrimination against children “with special needs” in the Czech Republic because they go to special schools that are stigmatised by society). School and education must play a key role in combating poverty and social exclusion.
Street social workers, who are in direct contact with these individuals, children, familiesfacing poverty and social exclusion, are aware of the daily struggles of these vulnerable populations. When it comes to “institutional” social services,street social workers sometimes feel rather invisible and undervalued,even though they have built relationships of trust with vulnerable populations, sometimes over the course of several years. Although the population may often have a rough idea of the work and initiatives run by “classic” social services, street workers still have to strive to persuade and demonstrate what they are doing through reports, and concrete results (Netherlands). Nevertheless, it is not always easy for them to approach these individuals and families who have often lost any hope of recovery. Street workers face the challenge of helping them regain confidence in themselves and to grant them moral support and assistance in terms of employment, education, etc.An additional challenge which has a particular impact on the work of street workers is that increasingly they too are facing poverty. How then, do they stay on course in their work with deprived people if they do not have any clear professional or material security themselves? As mentioned by the Portuguese member platformof Dynamo International, street workers sometimes come across vulnerable people who earn more than they do. This begs the question as to the how the street worker is perceived by target groups and vice versa, and a degree of injustice can be felt given the commitment of social workers, illustrating a lack of recognition of the profession.
What are the three main policy programmes/actions being implemented in your city/region in the areas covered by the European Platform against Poverty and Social Exclusion (eradicating child poverty, promoting active inclusion in society and the labour market of vulnerable groups, decent housing, combating discrimination, combating financial exclusion and over-indebtedness, integration of the Roma)?
Faced with the realities of poverty and social exclusion outlined above, the Member States of the European Union have set up actions and programmes as part of a generalpolicy to combat povertywhich has been defined to varying degrees according to the States and regions.
These programmes often involve projects set up at national level,involving ministersin particular (e.g.: work by the Inter-Ministerial Commission for Roma Community Affairsthat works in remote areas of the Czech Republic, initiatives run by the Ministry for Education in the Czech Republic to integrate individuals from the Roma Community; Social services programmes set up by the Ministry of Labour, Family and Social Affairs in Slovenia; youth work programmes with the Office of the Republic of Slovenia for Youth) andlocal authorities (e.g.Integration Programme for people from Roma communities in the Pardubice region of the Czech Republic[4]; specific programmes forSpain’s Romapopulation; revenue inclusion programmes, child protection systems, employment support in several autonomous communities in Spain; the local Social Work Vigilance Committee in Belgium).
Collaborationscan be establishedto improve a specific situation. This is the case, for example, in Mělník in the Czech Republicwhere they have set up a system to improve access to housing for poor and socially-excluded people through collaboration betweenlow-threshold services and local social services. We can refer to another initiative in the Czech Republic, in the town of Chrudim,with the “second chance” programme (provision by the local council of housing for poor families who work together with NGOs and other services to overcome the situation).
As part of the funding that Dynamo International receives through the PROGRESS Programme, the NGO takes part in activities providing support to associations of street workers (capacity building, etc) andconveys the voice of grassroots workers and vulnerable populations.
At the local level,several representatives from street worker associations(in Slovakia, Spain, Slovenia, etc.) highlightedoutreach workandcollaboration underway with other key actors in combating poverty and social exclusion (employment agencies, social services, local council, etc.) through regular meetings and contact. Thesenetworks of multi-disciplinary serviceshelp to prevent the causes which can lead to people finding themselves in situations of poverty and social exclusion. As regards young people, for example, this network can be used to support job hunting as a matter of core concern. The programmes drawn up both at national and local level can only prove effective with joint consultation from different actors. Platformshave sometimes beencreated (e.g.the Committee of local councils in Sofia, Bulgaria, that has preventive objectives particularly in terms of young people in vulnerable situations; a social platform in Lisbon). In Belgium there is a network of associationsdeveloped by think-tanks, pressure groups and numerous sector-based federations (Plateforme Mineurs en exil (Minors in Exile); Fédération Anse; CAL Réseau de lutte contre la pauvreté (Antipoverty network); AMOS; etc). However, therotation of political responsibilitiesthreatens the implementation of measures that may have been taken by predecessors. Moreover, networks of associations and local political authorities that have been set up are not always effective: meetings of these platforms (sometimes too large in number) do not always lead to concrete results and become a “wailing wall”involving discussions, a report but without leading to any concrete action or collaboration. What’s more, the rolling out of these local programmes does not always take into account local realities or the context of each region which means that local actors must be granted some room for manoeuvre. Additionally, the lack of financial resources and cutbacks in these programmes mean that increasing numbers of vulnerable people do not have access to them. For example, in Romania there are welcome centres for victims of domestic violence but there are not enough places available[5]. There are also homeless shelters that only run during the winter so access is unpredictable. The homeless can also receive food-related assistance but in order to benefit from it, they must first of all know about it and then, on top of that, they have to put together a complex administrative dossier.
Subsidised initiatives are primarily geared towards offering a temporary remedy to urgent situations without dealing with the root of the problem.The challenge is to convey to political authorities that effective action against poverty involves a long-term strategy. Associations are rather pessimistic about the future and lobbying both national and local authorities. Often, NGOS and the political arena are considered to be conflicting entities, seen as being worlds apart.There is a difference between political will and reality and compromises must therefore be sought.
To what extent are grassroots associations involved in implementing these policy programmes/actions? Are the target populations involved in the challenges of poverty and social exclusion through cultural and sports activities, etc?
Grassroots associations and workers can become involved in programmes and activities set up by local and national political authorities in several different ways:
-proposals from associationsfor new strategies in public debates, consultations at national and local level (in the United Kingdom, Slovenia, France, Czech Republic, Netherlands, Belgium, etc.).Associations from other countries, however, deplore a lack of consultation when voting through certain legislation, revealing a democratic deficit;[6]
-programme managementby associations based on calls for tender, leading to associations losing some of their independence;
-Associations have received subsidies to carry out grassroots workand roll out concrete initiatives to inform vulnerable groups about their options (Slovenia);
Nevertheless, as several grassroots platforms mentioned (in Slovakia, Belgium, etc.), it is often up to the associations to take the initiative of lobbying political authorities or developing collaborations with community services. The opposite is seldom true. There is no systematic consultation. Associations identifythe political men/women who are responsible for combating poverty and social exclusion at national and local level in order to challenge them about realities on the ground and ensure that they stand by their commitments[7]. Associationsof street workers have experience of being invited by local political authorities to inform them about local problems.Yet they are often left with the impression that nobody has listened to them properly. Networks of NGOs, for example, carry out lobbying for street children in Bucharest. Street workershave an important role to play because they are the negotiators between the target population and the political authorities.As such they are the link between young people (future voters!) and society. Yet they also get the feeling of being privileged to be invited to certain meetings but are then not actually considered as partners with anything important to say. Associations also sometimes feel that they have been privileged to have political representatives take part in discussions they have organised.
Upcoming electionshave a marked influence on the extent to which political authorities involve grassroots associations.
The degree of involvement of grassroots associations in policy programmes and actions against poverty and social exclusion also depends on the “special” relationship that some associations might have with political authorities. For example, in Maastricht (Netherlands), priority is given tocontacts between street workers and the local council (as well as more or less formal contact with political leaders at a national level)because it funds the street work member platform of Dynamo International.
As regardsthe involvement of target populations in programmes and actions developed to combat poverty and social exclusion, given the responses provided to the questionnaire, thisvaries widely from one country to another.So, whilst in some countries (e.g. Slovenia) individuals from target groups are sometimes integrated into various activities through grassroots associations, the case is very different in other countries (e.g. Romania) where the target populations are not involved in setting up strategies that have been decided by the ministries and other public authorities.It is at this point that we must turn to European consultations such as the initiative set up by the Committee of the Regions. The International Network of Street Social Workers, coordinated by Dynamo International, has a key role to play both in lobbying about street work through campaigning and advocacy. Economic crisisare indeed conducive to social innovation and more militant attitudes.
Social participation of vulnerable populations at local level should be encouraged.But this also leads to the question of the real impact of these consultations as well as the target population being used as a tool.
II/ Local policy and funding for activities in line with the objectives of combating poverty and social exclusion
List four main sources of funding used to finance your actions under the European Platform against Poverty and Social Exclusion. In particular, what is the role of EU StructuralFunds?
Street work associations operate via various sources of funding. These primarily come from state subsidiesthrough ministries or associated entities (e.g. Ministry of Labour, Family and Social Affairs in Sloveniaor the Office of the Republic of Slovenia for Youth),regional and local funding (e.g. subsidies from autonomous communities and town councils in Spain, from the town of Mělník for the Czech street worker platform, the City Municipality of Ljubljana in Slovenia). Several association representatives have also claimed to have developed projects, such as support services for families or particularly vulnerable young people, using the EU Structural Funds. This is notably the case for grassroots associations working in the towns of Mělník and Chrudim in the Czech Republic and also in the north of Spain through cross-border activities). Yet in some countries, managing these Funds is not always easy in terms of project cooperation between public authorities and NGOs.
Some associations run on budgets produced by theirown fundingthroughremunerative activities or through private donations,particularly from company foundations. This is the case, for example, in Spain, Portugal and even in Romania with the Parada association that funds itself partly through circus-related activities as a relational approach to vulnerable populations (organising shows, tours, taking part in festivals).