Provivienda and HOGAR SÍ have presented this morning some intermediate results of the pilot projects Derechos a la vivienda and H4Y FUTURO, which they have been developing in partnership since 2022, thanks to funding from the Next Generation EU funds of the Plan for Recovery, Transformation and Resilience of the Ministry of Social Rights, Consumption and Agenda 2030.
These projects, together with the participation of twelve regional and local public administrations, seek to promote the deinstitutionalization of homeless people in eight Spanish cities: Avilés, Barcelona, Cartagena, Gijón, Madrid, Mallorca, Murcia and Seville.
The meeting was welcomed by Rosa Martínez Rodríguez, Secretary of State for Social Rights, who highlighted "the role of organizations such as HOGAR SÍ and Provivienda in redesigning and building alternatives for better lives and better communities, where everyone wins. In this sense, social innovation projects such as Derechos a la vivienda and H4Y FUTURO are proving to be solutions that work, the results of which should serve to design public policies against homelessness for the next decade".
In three main blocks, the conference was attended by people who have been homeless and who explained their experience, as well as management and technical representatives of the projects, public administrations involved, important academics or international professionals in the field of homelessness, among others.
The main objective of the Housing Rights and H4Y FUTURE projects is to generate evidence and best practices to transform the homelessness network in Spain, providing solutions tailored to each person for a safe and chosen transition to a full life in the community .
Housing rights, in addition to a housing solution, also offer people experiencing homelessness the opportunity to work on their life project, access public and community services, and count on social support and professional accompaniment. This approach has proven to be effective in increasing people's autonomy and decision-making power, compared to the traditional system of care based on large collective centers. H4Y FUTURO, on the other hand, offers a specific response to youth homelessness with support adapted to the vital moment of young people who are homeless, starting with early access to housing and individualized accompaniment, and ending with forward-looking solutions.
Main results
In this more advanced phase of both projects, the mid-term evaluation by the Fresno consulting firm reveals encouraging results, such as that the promotion by professionals of autonomy, self-determination and the capacity of choice of people suffering from homelessness are key elements for recovery and change processes. Or that, thanks to support, people improve their life projects to achieve their own goals, key issues for recovery processes. Specifically, access to independent housing, together with the support offered by the programs, has reduced the use of the services of the specialized homelessness care network. For example, the use of resources such as day centers has clearly decreased, from 22.3% to 5.4%. Considering the very high chronification of homelessness, this evidence generates hope for its possible resolution and the generation of responses adapted to the different realities of the problem.
In addition, the evaluation shows that mental health problems have been reduced, especially in the case of women. It is also perceived that being part of the community thanks to access to independent housing favors inclusion and emotional well-being. In the case of young people, the data are encouraging, given that they have moved from a high threshold of mental health deterioration to a standard threshold, similar to that of the average in society. It is also noted that H4Y FUTURO has contributed to strengthening the ties of the young people served, both with the community and with their family and friends.
Finally, another of the conclusions to be taken into account is that personalized accompaniment is contributing to the improvement of employability and training, especially among young people, with a tripling of the percentage of beneficiaries of the program who are currently working.
In the words of Gema Gallardo, CEO of Provivienda, "housing is the key tool for dealing with this system change. It provides stability, autonomy and a safe space from which we can work on people's needs and from which they can begin to take control of their lives".
The more than fifty autonomous exits that we have achieved with these projects show us the enormous will and capacity that people have to build their life projects when they have the necessary support. This reaffirms our belief that solving homelessness is possible," insists Marian Juste, president of HOGAR SÍ .
Provivienda and HOGAR SÍ have been developing the Housing First model in Spain since 2017, and both organizations work in Alliance so thatdecent and adequate housing is the starting point for the recovery of the rights of peopleexperiencing homelessness.
For the organizations, this mid-term evaluation shows that when resources are mobilized and there is a willingness to innovate, great results can be achieved. The main challenge now identified by both organizations is to convert these lessons learned into public policies that will be consolidated within the portfolio of services offered by the homeless care system.
