Provivienda and HOGAR SÍ have presented the conference "Keys for Change: Housing Rights and H4Y FUTURE in Mallorca", with the collaboration of the Consell de Mallorca through the Institut Mallorquí d'Afers Socials (IMAS).
The objective of the meeting is the presentation of the learning and knowledge generated through the pilot projects of social innovation Housing Rights and H4Y FUTURE, which have been developed since 2022 in Mallorca, thanks to the financing of the Next Generation EU funds through the Plan for Recovery, Transformation and Resilience of the Ministry of Social Rights, Consumption and Agenda 2030, and with the participation of 12 regional and local public administrations.
The conference has been attended by representatives of the Consell de Mallorca as Andreu Jaume Castañer, Insular director of Social Inclusion; Sebastià Cerdà, head of the Social Inclusion service of IMAS; Francisca Simó, head of service of the Social Inclusion department of IMAS. Also participating will be Maribel Ramos, deputy director general of HOGAR SÍ, and Dámaris Barajas, director of Strategic Planning of Provivienda.
Experience has shown us that starting the process of social and labor insertion from access to housing and accompaniment based on the design of a specific, individual itinerary that takes into account the particular needs of each of the users, improves self-confidence and increases the chances of successful integration," said the head of Social Inclusion of IMAS, Andreu Jaume Castañer. IMAS will continue working on the implementation of programs based on person-centered care that follow the housing methodology, adapt to the new profiles of homeless people and avoid their chronification and institutionalization.
Andreu Jaume explained that "the profile of people at risk or situation of social exclusion has changed and among the users of the Xarxa d'Inclusió Social de Mallorca we find many cases with capacity for full integration into society". For this reason, he announced, "we are working on the implementation of new services framed within the housing methodology and adapted to the new realities that avoid chronification and institutionalization, and at the same time, respond to the current housing crisis on the island".
Main results in Mallorca
In total, 60 people have participated in Housing Rights and H4Y FUTURE in Mallorca. The projects, in addition to a residential solution, have offered people experiencing homelessness the opportunity to work on their life project, access public and community services and have social support and professional accompaniment.
The results of Housing Rights reveal that avoiding the chronification of homelessness, i.e., a rapid response, is essential. In fact, all the people who have participated in the project, being homeless for less than 6 months, have managed to leave the program and recover their life project.
For its part, the H4Y FUTURO program has focused on youth homelessness under the Housing First for Youth model; and on providing solutions adapted to each young person for a safe and chosen transition to a full life in the community, taking into account their evolutionary stage. In this sense, 60% of young people who have participated have managed to get out of homelessness.
Although the final evaluation of the projects at the state level will be presented on December 3 and 4 in Madrid, some of the results have already been shared in Mallorca, such as the fact that having personalized and flexible support led by the person is a fundamental tool to face homelessness .
Housing Rights and H4Y FUTURE have boosted institutional awareness of the challenges of the homelessness system. 69.7% of the people who have participated from administrations state that their institution has changed its view on homelessness and 76.7% believe that management is more interested in this type of solutions.
From Provivienda and HOGAR SÍ we encourage public administrations to convert these lessons learned into public policies to be consolidated within the portfolio of services offered by the system of care for homelessness. Likewise, we appreciate the commitment of the Consell de Mallorca for its interest in the search for effective solutions to homelessness, in a complex territory marked in a very special way by the housing crisis.
