(NGO No Fixed Abode)

Project Own Keys

A Person experienced homelessness

is the best expert in the very matters

concerning homelessness

Homelessness is not a question of an

individual quality, it’s a question

of circumstances that can be changed

No Fixed Abode NGO

The association No Fixed

Abode was founded by

homeless themselves in 1986

Low threshold grassroot work,

advocacy and case

management among those

hardest to accommodate

(disconnectedness and social

exclusion, problems with trust

of other people and services,

trauma, substance abuse,

criminal issues)

No Fixed Abode – Vailla Vakinaista Asuntoa NGO Finland

IMPACTING ON

SOCIETY

Informing public and

media, Asukki-

Magazine, The

Homeless’ Night

yearly 17.10.,

campaigns, events,

happenings

COOPERATION

with municipalities, authorities,

regional work in Finland, inter-

organizational relationships,

international cooperation, FEANTSA,

Finnish Government program to

reduce and end long-term

homelessness; No shelters!

No Fixed Abode

ACTIVITIES

Member

activities,

coordination of

volunteers’ work,

instruction of

practicants

(social welfare

& health),

increasing

participation

PROJECTS

Experimental projects

based on the needs and

experiences of the

homeless themselves, Own

Keys project

PLACES OF VARIOUS

FUNCTIONS

Principles: easy-to-

access, openness

• Kalkkers Night Café,

• Vepa Center of peer

support, Volunteers,

• Night bus • Office

GRASSROOT basis: direct contact with the homeless’ everyday life

HOUSING FIRST

UNIT

Sällikoti

Community Home

Expertise by Experiment

27 years of participation in No Fixed Abode

Ideas and initiatives of the homeless

carried into practice E.g.

• Asukki Magazine 1987

• Renovating a property rented 1989

from the City of Helsinki

• “Night of the Homeless” from 1999

• Outreach work at night time 2006

• Center of Peer Support VEPA 2008

• 2. place in the Housing Concept Competition 2009

(competition announced by the city of Helsinki: planning

of a housing unit and services with homeless people)

• Café Lagoon - renovation of a

bus, information on wheels 2010

• HoPe European network of

homeless 2011

• “Name on the Door” 2010-2012

(No Fixed Abode had a special

focus on promoting participation

and empowerment of homeless

people. The group of people who

had experienced homelessness

created The Suggestions for

Participation)

Every idea and initiative

concerns, alcohol abuse is not

an obstacle

Tools for improved

communication,

comprehensibility of

information concerning

homeless themselves

Cooperation between

municipalities and the

association Vva, expertise of

NGO > Vva as a bridge builder

between different operational

culture levels

Project Own Keys

Own Keys is an innovative participation project (2012-2015)

by the association No Fixed Abode (in Finnish “Vailla

vakinaista asuntoa ry”, Vva ry for short).

The project is developed as an extension of the Finnish

Government’s program to reduce and eliminate long-term

homelessness, its second period PAAVO II, to support and

aid it. PAAVO II = to get rid of the shelters -> housing first -

people are provided with adequate and appropriate support in

their homes.

The project is based on the work by experts by

experience.

The project is funded by Finland’s Slot Machine Association.

In the project Own Keys the voice of the

homeless will be heard in planning of

supported housing and services.

Participation in planning will be carried out in

all steps of the planning process.

The project is targeted to participate in

planning services from the very beginning in

four cooperating towns (Lahti, Kuopio,

Jyväskylä, Tampere).

Setting up a frame of a network of

influential participants (national

network of homeless people).

Processing the work can be used

in similar projects for planning and

producing services.

In the project both those presently experiencing homelessness and those who have experienced homelessness will be involved.

Each town has a detailed plan concerning e.g. housing, support, crisis accommodation or a day centre. Pro-user patterns are considered when planning these services.

Experts by experience gather in the cooperating towns the views of homeless people. People with experience in homelessness to be used in all planning concerning homeless services.

Building a trust-based relationship with homeless or formerly homeless > grassroot surveys and interviews > snowballeffect Peer support (e.g. community meetings, outdoor activities, a trip together to homelessness fair, eating together) Opportunity to influence on matters concerning housing, support, services for homeless etc.

Challenges, surprises

• Professionals’ work was strained by co-workers who

are settled against to expertise by experience practice

• Description of his/her own story

• Slow progress and difficulty to see products of work

• Coping with “strange” professional terms

• Health service expenses in the

project bigger than expected

• ”Do they really ask our opinion” >

“We do have something to give”

• Important for coping at work: good atmosphere, firm support

from foremen and willingness to help

Conclusions and results

Project workers are members of the steering

group in each town

Regular meetings with architects and builders

and other specialists related to building

Cooperation between municipalities and

Association Vva, expertise of the NGO

Own Keys works as a link to a wider strategy

of social policies and sustainment

Services: holistic approach to homelessness,

centered on the homeless’ needs

Finding ways to help people to

help themselves

Right to have your voice heard,

hearing also the voices of the

unheard

Project workers prefer calling

themselves ”experts on

homelessness” instead of

”experts by experience”

After the project: continuity by

setting up a frame of a network

of influential participants

(national network of homeless

people)

Feedback from the Own Keys project partners

• “It's great to embrace a new way of working”

• “Experts by Experience play a key role, they are not statists in

the background”

• Homeless’ experiences and point of view have become

particularly evident / heard

• Training and supervising of the new local Experts by Experience

has been very good

• Improved networking at the local level

• Project worker is “street-wise”, speaks directly and has ideas

• New perspectives and being on the cutting edge; stimulating

debate

• Expert by Exp. has been open in meetings and have received

good feedback from residents of the housing unit

• The Expert by Experience has been an eagerly awaited guest

Sanna Tiivola, Executive Manager Association No Fixed Abode, Finland Sanna.Tiivola@vvary.fi Vailla vakinaista asuntoa ry (No Fixed Abode) Kinaporinkatu 2 D 3.floor FI-00500 Helsinki, Finland www.vvary.fi For more information about the project Own Keys: Carole.Brady@vvary.fi Raija.Maunula@vvary.fi