The Housing Dimension of Welfare Reform - the ICCR

integration, however not a guarantee in itself for independent living.
Having a job and earning one’s living is rather the decisive step in this
latter regard.
Considering the above, there is a strong need for providing social support
after re-housing has taken place. It is necessary to support both formal
and informal forms of cooperation between housing services and other
specialized services (in the fields of education, training and employment,
addiction, mental and physical health).
Multidimensional support can be provided in ‘integrated packages’ or
through more flexible and more ‘sectoral’ interventions with priorities for
special areas (e.g. housing) and additional help where needed for other
dimensions of reintegration (health, employment, social relations). There
is no a priori preference for either approach as long as there is a
conceptual and, where relevant, operational linkage of objectives,
programmes and services – across organisations if necessary.
The staircase model
One debate of particular importance regarding homeless policies, in
particular, concerns the question to what extent it may be legitimate to
refuse homeless people with problems such as alcoholism or drug
addiction, support with gaining access to normal housing or to condition
such access on the accomplishment of different stages of re-integration
and probation periods in special accommodation.
Strongly integrated packages of social support including rigid
supervision regimes following the so-called ‘staircase model’ of
integration should be restricted to those who face severe forms of
marginalisation in conjunction with chronic health or mental problems.
Even in these cases they should be limited in terms of time to the greatest
extent possible.
In general, self-sustained permanent housing is to be preferred as
compared to transitory and/or collective housing, even if the latter is
sensible for a certain period of time and for specific risk groups.
Personal support with re-socialisation
In order to re-integrate marginalized persons, material support, like
access to housing, financial assistance as well as support with finding a
job or training, is essential but not sufficient. Personal support is equally
important, and even indispensable for those with severe marginalization
experiences. Personal support should encourage motivation and a sense
of responsibility and help in withstanding crisis situations. Emotional
support is of particular importance in the light of the widespread social
EUROHOME-IMPACT FINAL REPORT 56