The SozialMarie Prize is the oldest award for social innovation in Europe. This year, it celebrated the twentieth anniversary of its continuous work on recognizing programs that focus on the inclusion of different communities and stakeholders, and whose implementation provides an example of best practice for other projects aiming at social change. The winner of the first SozialMarie Prize in 2024 was the project from Austria “housing first austria – arriving home“, which was presented to us in more detail by members of the organization BAWO – housing for all, which was responsible for its implementation.
Please briefly introduce the organization(s) that participated in the “housing first austria” project and the full Title of the program with an indication of its duration.
“housing first austria – arriving home” is an initiative to end homelessness in Austria. It housed over 2.000 people through the Housing First approach in the course of three years. We are organized as a multi-stakeholder network. This is crucial for the success of the initiative since we get to utilize the know-how of the social service providers at the local level and gain access to affordable homes.
BAWO, the Austrian umbrella organization for homelessness services, coordinates “housing first austria” on a national level. On a regional level, 26 social service organizations implement the initiative. They provide consultation, social work, and allocate homes. The Austrian Federation of limited-profit housing associations is a close partner to the initiative on all levels. This partnership makes it possible to access affordable housing where needed. Thus far, 80 limited-profit housing associations provided homes thus far. The initiative is fully funded by the Austrian Federal Ministry of Social Affairs, Health, Care, and Consumer Protection. It has been implemented in two iterations, from May 2021 to April 2023 (“arriving home”) and from May 2023 to September 2024 (housing first austria).
What research preceded the definition of homelessness as a specific social problem that affects 20,000 people, and twice as many are at risk?
What’s paramount to make clear is that homelessness is not only a social problem. To a large extent, it’s an issue of the housing market and housing policy. Framing homelessness as merely a social problem is risky and inaccurate. Risky, because we might focus too much on individual causes of homelessness, putting further stigma and blame on people affected. Inaccurate, because we might overlook the structural reasons which cause homelessness: A lack of affordable rental units, high bureaucratic or financial barriers to such homes, substandard housing, inadequate social security, or low wages are among the many issues to be solved. So, when we at BAWO talk about homelessness, we are always careful to show its structural causes.
When we talk about the numbers, the Austrian Federal Institute for Statistics publishes a housing report on a regular basis. According to this report, 19.667 people were registered as homeless in 2022. The key term here is registered: This number includes people who are in contact with homelessness services or who live in facilities provided for homeless people, such as institutional housing and/or shelters. Of course, this does not give us the overall picture. People who never got in touch with homelessness services are not included in this number.
This so-called hidden homelessness includes people moving from couch to couch, young people who do not manage to find affordable homes, as well as people enduring relationships based on dependency and violence due to a lack of housing alternatives. Measuring the full extent of (hidden) homelessness is a complex task. At BAWO we work with various institutions in order to improve the data. For now, we estimate is that twice as many people are actually affected by homelessness compared to official statistics.
Who are the users of the program and how were the candidates (users), included in this program, selected?
Currently, over 60 percent of “housing first austria” beneficiaries are women, and 40 percent are children. This tells us that Housing First is particularly fitting for women and single mothers experiencing (hidden) homelessness, who might otherwise shy away from using shelters with little to no privacy. There are criteria people must fulfill to receive support from the project. Our target group is defined according to ETHOS, the European Typology of Homelessness and Housing Exclusion. This means we reach out to people affected by all types of homelessness. Candidates must be at risk of poverty according to EU-SILC. Beneficiaries sign their own rental contract – with all its rights and duties. This means that steady income and/or entitlement to minimum social benefits in Austria are a requirement to make sure beneficiaries are able to pay regular rent.
For target groups who do not fulfill these criteria – such as EU mobile citizens without entitlement to social benefits based on (former) employment or people with limited residence permits – “housing first austria” is not an adequate solution. Other forms of social services within the homelessness sector are needed to ensure support for target groups without a steady income. “housing first austria” is implemented by already existing NGOs working with homeless people. This is a big plus because: people are being reached through already well-known institutions within their regions.
Based on your experience, what are the most common reasons for homelessness?
Too often, homelessness is seen as a border issue. It’s portrayed as a result of bad luck or personal failure. This portrayal leads to shame, stigma, and a stagnation in discourse. The truth is: that homelessness is a complex issue with various causes. Of course, disruptions in one’s life play a role. Health problems, relationships coming to an end, a prison sentence – such situations may cause a downward spiral. When in such situations, access to affordable housing is scarce, homelessness can be an outcome.
But in Austria, we see that homelessness is a general issue for people from all walks of life. Current crises, such as – high inflation, rising energy and rent prices, limited-term rental contracts, and a competitive housing market – make homelessness a risk for many. In Austria, 6 percent of people have at one point in their lives experienced homelessness. We at BAWO can only talk about the situation in Austria – structural issues and root causes of homelessness may vary from country to country. But we believe that housing is an unconditional human right. In order to make this human right a practical reality, we need to change the way we talk about homelessness. We need to get away from talking about possible individual reasons, and start asking ourselves: What can we do as a society to make housing possible for all?
How much does the Austrian public show solidarity with the issue of homelessness? To what extent is this topic present in public media and visible in public discourse?
There are no data available on civil public solidarity for the topic of homelessness. So this is purely observational: There are many diverse views on homelessness and its causes. But there probably is a general consensus that homelessness should not exist. That especially in a wealthy country such as Austria, which also prides itself in its tradition of social housing, there must be a solution to homelessness.
As for media coverage, at BAWO we screen the Austrian media landscape for stories on homelessness on a weekly basis. In the past year, almost 1.000 articles were published that featured the topic of homelessness in some way. The contents of these articles vary.
Homeless people are being perceived as perceived threats to public safety and the local economy. For instance, when reporting on increased numbers of homeless people who sleep in prominent shopping streets. Then there is sympathetic reporting on the threats homeless people face when living on the streets, – including violence or being subjected to extreme cold or heat. There are also many favorable stories – portraits of formerly homeless people who reflect on their experiences. Often, these stories are combined with reporting on certain social services which support the protagonist. Since the Housing First approach is becoming more relevant in Austria – and ours is not the only initiative worth mentioning here, – we are happy to see new perspectives in media as well. Reporting on Housing First means, reporting on the fact that homeless people ultimately need a home of their own. This is a chance for us to talk about homelessness on a more structural level.
As social service organizations, we can contribute to the public discourse. It’s our task to raise awareness, fight stigmatization, and to provide ideas for actual constructive solutions for people affected by homelessness.
Which social structures (institutions, organizations, individuals) need to be involved in solving the problem of homelessness in order for it to be effective in the long term?
Ending homelessness is a task for many stakeholders. Politics and administrations on all levels need to establish coherent social policies and invest in affordable housing. Ideally, this is done in consultation with experts from homelessness services. It helps for NGOs to come together as umbrella organizations or advocacy groups, as it unifies our voice and strengthens our position.
As social service organizations we might need to critically reflect our working strategies. We need to shift from managing homelessness via conditional settings to ending homelessness. Housing First is the way to do so, as it enables people to live independently in the long-term. And housing providers (be it the social housing sector or private landlords) need to be reliable partners in providing affordable homes to those most in need.
How does the “housing first austria” program achieve social inclusion? Are these apartments organized as special settlements or are they mixed together with apartments that are not part of social programs?
This is an important aspect! People who move into their new home via “” austria” are regular tenants in regular apartment buildings. There are no apartment buildings specifically designated to “housing first austria” clients. Beneficiaries live eye-to-eye with their new neighbors. Unless they themselves choose to tell their stories, they are not being branded as formerly homeless. This is crucial to ensure social inclusion and avoid stigmatization.
What has been achieved by the program, how many people are covered by the program, and what are its long-term effects at different levels up to the national level?
By the end of September 2024, the initiative will have housed around 2.000 people This is a huge success for each individual who now lives in the safety of their own home. Strategically, the project has achieved a lot. Many local NGOs have implemented the Housing First approach for the first time. They gathered knowledge by collaborating with colleagues from all across the country. This knowledge and working strategies will remain within the participating organizations.
“housing first austria – arriving home” is the first nationwide Housing First initiative. Since in Austria, homeless services are usually the responsibility of the nine federal states, support for homeless people tends to differ depending on where a person lives. So, a successful nationwide initiative helps streamline the landscape of social services for homeless people. The Austrian Federal Ministry for Social Affairs has taken a very important step in putting homelessness on the government agenda and engaging closely with BAWO experts on that topic. We are happy to work in a close partnership with the limited-profit housing sector on all levels. Having them on our side helps beneficiaries to get access to affordable homes– and is also a signal that homelessness cannot be solved by the social sector alone, but in collaboration with the housing sector as well.
In the long term, housing first Austria has created a blueprint for ending homelessness in Austria. In BAWO, we advocate for this working strategy to be permanently implemented at a national level.
What preventive measures do you consider effective in the process of reducing homelessness in the future?
Of course, we need to prevent homelessness whenever possible. When people struggle to pay their rent, we need to be able to intervene early. This means consultation services must be readily available, also in rural areas. What needs to be improved are consultation services for specific target groups – and offering translation services is just one example.
We believe prevention of homelessness goes beyond the important task of preventing evictions. We need to address the many structural issues that lead up to the point when a person cannot afford to pay their rent anymore – specifically rising housing costs and a lack of affordable alternatives. If an eviction becomes unavoidable, we need to make sure that people spend as little time as possible being homeless. Housing First needs to be the go-to service in these cases because– this way, people can be housed in a new, more affordable home quickly. From the beginning, social workers participate in Housing First. This helps to uphold rental contracts and avoid future evictions.
