quality standards in homelessness servies in poland - bottom-up approach

Quality Standards in Homelessness Services in Poland – bottom up aproach

Quality in Social Services – Luxembourg City 21.10.2011

The project is co-financed by the European Union from the resources of the European Social Fund


Major problems1. Lack of comprehensive social policy towards

homelessness2. Services are temporary in nature (emergency)3. Current solutions and the homeless assistance

system are based on assumptions and judgements

4. No cooperation among stakeholders 5. Participation of the homeless7. Support provided under certain conditions -

behavioural model8. Lack of economic perspective 9. Homelessness is frequently seen as a social

pathology rather than a housing problem


Problems related to service quality

1. Lack of regulations and service quality standards in the field of homelessness

2. Access as a priority - not quality 3. NGO sector is too independent and

detached - no possibility to coordinate and monitor the quality of standards

4. Considerable diversification of service quality

5. Costs determine contracting services6. Complete lack of services in some spheres

The Model of District Standard of Getting

Out of Homelessness



OrganisersHuman Resource Development Centre (CRZL) is the partnership leader and representatives of six organisations dealing with homelessness, including FEANTSA members, are responsible for the factual aspects of the project implementation:• Pomeranian Forum in Aid of Getting Out of Homelessness

(PFWB), • Saint Brother Albert’s Aid Society, Main Board (TPBA ZG),• Barka Network, • MONAR Association, • CARITAS of the Kielce Diocese,• and the Open Door Association from Warsaw.


1.18 – Development of Assistance and Social Integration Service Standards, Task 4 – Harmonization of Work with the Homeless and Development of the District Standard of Getting Out of Homelessness.

Main project activities include the following stages: diagnosis (9.09 - 6.10) - 10 monthsmodel (7.10 - 6.11) - 12 monthseducation and information (7.11-2.12) - 8 months pilotage (3.11-8.13) - 18 monthsrecommendation (6.13-11.13) - 6 monthsreport - promotion (12.13-4.14) - 5 months

Budget - about PLN 35 million (EUR 8.5 million), pilotage support (PLN 15 million)


What is GSWB The model of District Standard of Getting Out of Homelessness (GSWB) is a model of solving the problem of homelessness, active on the levels of Prevention, Intervention and Integration, which provides a full range of service standards in the following fields: 1. Street work, 2. Social work, 3. Housing and temporary assistance, 4. Health, 5. Local partnerships, 6. Employment and education.


What are StandardsStandards - statements recorded as a document or a set of documents, agreed on and considered binding, which provide a detailed description and characteristics of the standardised entity. The name “standard” does not have to appear in documents in which these standards are presented, they may be referred to as norms, requirements, conditions, rules or regulations concerning the standardised entity.

Each standard is presented according to 13 points, e.g. target, range, competence, organiser, cooperation, legal situation, financing, documentation, monitoring and evaluation


Research Team and Expert GroupsSix Expert Groups (about 60 people) and the Research Team (6 people) form the basis of Partnership activity in the area of diagnosis and development of models and standards

Pilotage - Partnership- Education phase - research, trainings - 30

partner organisations from different regions of Poland

- Pilotage phase - testing standards - minimum 15 partner organisations from different regions of Poland


Innovation and experiment1. Grass-roots project - involvement of all

entities2. Quality standards - as an element of the

strategy or plan of solving the problem of homelessness in Poland

3. Elements of standards - housing first method, prevention programmes, street work, health services

4. Diagnosis - Model - Pilotage - Recommendations and legal changes

5. Implementation of legal solutions


Strengths 1. Participation process – different

stakeholders – service providers, users, policy, public sector

2. Building up a National Alliance 3. Learning process – exchanging

experiences4. Quality standards – reflects reality,

close to real problems5. Self regulation – our standards


Weaknesses1. Quality of quality standards2. Participation in process – ministry

responsible for homeless services3. Acceptation process – time,

differences 4. Self regulation – low quality 5. Services providers perspective

(policy, research)6. All stakeholders – mission impossible

I wish you a successful Conference with fruitful discussions


The project is co-financed by the European Union from the resources of the European Social Fund

quality standards in homelessness servies in poland - bottom-up approach

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