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| An underpass in Ljubljana - homelessness is everywhere |
by Mateja Mihinjac
We’ve reported on the issues of homelessness several times although rarely from the European perspective. While not a new phenomenon, it appears the problem of homelessness – especially the most visible part that includes what Europeans call “rough sleepers” – is becoming more prevalent in the capital city of Ljubljana. At least this is the perception of many living here in Slovenia's capital city where it is now common to see a rough sleeper on the main city streets and the underpasses.
THE PREVALENCE OF THE PROBLEM
Statistics on homelessness in Slovenia are currently lacking. The researchers Filipovič Hrast and colleagues report that the Statistical Office of Slovenia shows an almost triple increase in individuals without a home (from 4.252 in 2011 to 11.524 in 2021). In the same period, the number of individuals registered with the Centre for Social Work doubled from 1.426 to 3.085.
The residents of Ljubljana increasingly report feeling less safe due to the perceived increase in homelessness and they have been contacting the Mayor’s office pleading to urgently address the issue.
They’ve been calling for the city to provide affordable housing for the homeless and the city is planning to respond by building a new shelter. Is that enough? Could we do better?
POOR DATA
One of the issues in dealing with homelessness in Slovenia is a lack of systematic monitoring of homelessness patterns and a poor understanding of the many pathways that lead to individuals losing a roof over their heads.
While the public often generalises and argues that homelessness is caused by personal choice, research shows there are many underlying reasons. This includes unaffordable housing, mental illness, domestic violence, substance abuse, loss of a job, financial difficulties, and others.
There is also no national strategy on homelessness. The Resolution on the National Social Protection Programme partially addresses the issue, mainly through social assistance programs. But that lacks a holistic approach to identify workable solutions that are not so limited.
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| Signs of the unhoused are everywhere |
WHAT NEXT?
Homelessness is becoming a major issue across Europe, possibly triggered by immigration waves from wars in Ukraine and elsewhere.
Slovenia is not exempt from this trajectory. It is refreshing to see that the non-governmental humanitarian organisation Kralji ulice (“Kings of the Streets”) already adopted a Housing First approach in 2008. This program has been demonstrated the most effective in addressing homelessness. It is also recommended in a White Paper of the International CPTED Association.
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| Finland has extensive Housing First programs and special housing facilities, such as the Kenttätie homeless shelter and a service center in Myllytulli, Oulu - photo Creative Commons Wiki |
Building yet more shelters reminds me of another limited strategy – responding to crime by building more prisons. In both cases, nothing is truly fixed. It is a band-aid approach that does not address the underlying issues.
A better strategy is to use the method we apply in SafeGrowth - work in partnership across various sectors. It is far more effective for the government to partner with non-governmental organisations, based on a comprehensive national strategy. That is the path to a much more effective response.
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Great blog and very timely for me to comment. Just back from the European Crime Prevention conference, Jon DeLena from the US DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration) spoke about Fentanyl from a North American perspective and warned Europeans, "it's coming" (chemicals are cheap to manufacture and come from China). After the conference, I spent a day in Helsinki with outreach workers there and they had just received Naloxone training to be ready. Another problem to add onto the variety of issues that keeps people homeless. The Finish model is working. The trap of "housing first" in North America is that it's only resourced for housing only. The supporting staff need to be in place and Finland does that well, from what I observed.
Interesting perspective, Larry. I think the DEA view about fentanyl "coming" is only half the story, since that suggests that "how" it is coming is the biggest threat. More important is "where" will it take root and why? The answer, as always, is that - while some illicit narcotics affect middle and upper class populations, such as overprescribed opiates - fentanyl kills street users, fuels street gangs, and drives drug related violence in all the most vulnerable neighborhoods. Those are we find ourselves in our community building project... in vulnerable neighborhoods. Thus, while one or another illicit drug of choice might show up, our work must continue to rebuild the damaged neighborhoods and crime hotspots and social cohesion in those places. That is, as we have seen from decades of research and from our own work in SafeGrowth, ultimately, one of the most powerful preventive antidotes at our disposal.
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