1. Homelessness prevention - what works?
Gunnar Sveri,
Husbanken – The Norwegian State Housing Bank.

2. Homelessness in Norway ?
The world’s best housing standard
One of the world’s highest standards of living

3. The Norwegian State Housing Bank (NSHB) - Coordinator since 2000
Established as a bank in 1946 to tackle post-war housing shortage.
Partly transformed to a welfare agency assisting vulnerable groups in the housing market
Grants for R&d
Loans and grants for housing
Proactive function

4. The job is done in the municipalities
State bodies shall
Support the municipalities’ work and cooperate with each other
Encourage the development of services
Assist in the exchange of experience
The municipality is the main player
Duties derived from the Norwegian Social Services Act
Working with the most needy is to demanding for the municipalities or the state to handle alone

5. Ministers of … ..Labour and Social Inclusion (Social affairs)
..Health and Care Services
..Justice and the Police
..Children and Equality
..Local Government and Regional Development (Housing)
have signed the strategy.

6. History last 10 years 1997, 2004 & 2006 Surveys of homeless
”Equalisation” white paper on the distribution of income and living conditions
2001 – Project Homelessness
Housing Policy white paper
2005 – The pathway to a permanent home – Strategy to prevent and combat homelessness

7. Basis for the strategy Housing first Where do the homeless stay
46% in the 4 largest cities
47% in municipalities –
Strategic timing for efforts
Release from prison(8%)
Discharge from an institution(12%)
Official evictions(25%)
Temporary Housing
Strengthens symptoms
Makes quality of life worse

8. Objectives and targets in the strategy
Primary objective
Target
Preventing people from becoming homeless.
Number of eviction petitions shall be reduced by 50 %, and the number of evictions by 30 %.
No one shall have to spend time in temporary housing upon release from prison.
No one shall have to seek temporary housing upon discharge from an institution.
Contribute to improve the quality of overnight shelters.
No one shall be offered overnight shelters without a quality agreement.
Help ensure that homeless people receive offers of permanent housing without undue delay.
No one shall stay more than three months in temporary housing.

9. To combat and prevent homelessness is a common effort
National
Directorate for health and Social Affairs,
The National Association for municipalities,
NGOs,
The NSHB
Regional/counties
County Governors
Correctional service
Health Enterprices - Hospitals and specialist health care service
The NSHB’s six regional offices
Municipality
Departments for Health and social affairs
Housing authorities
Enforcement officers (governmental)

10. Soft measures strategy
Collaboration agreements
Networks
Conferences
Competence grants
Developing projects

11. Collaboration agreements Example: Correctional Service
The Government – Association for Local and regional Authorities
Agreement on common responibility to prevent and combat homelessness
Ministry of justice – Association for Local and regional Authorities
Agreement on housing on release from prison
Correctional Service - Municipalities
Agreement for housing and support

12. The Collaboration agreements of the NSHB
National Association for Housing Cooperatives
National Association for local and regional Authorities
Directorate for Health and Social Affairs
Directorate for Integration and Diversity

13. Regional contact forums
Participants
The NSHB – county governors – Norwegian Correctional Services – enforcement offices – health enterprises – The Norwegian directorate of Immigration
Norwegian Association of Local and Regional Authorities (KS) and large municipalities
NGOs are often invited
Assured progress and development
Regional seminars

14. Contact committee for cities
The project municipalities in Project Homelessness (7 cities)
To monitor development
To co-ordinate R&D work
To compile contributions from voluntary and user organisations
Peer review
Exchange of experience

15. Municipality network
19 regional networks comprising 132 municipalities in total
Exchange of ideas and experience
Goal – To develop own practice
Comparing statistics
Developing working methods

16. Results 2005 Eviction petitions reduced with 20% from 2004
The arenas are functioning
Growing awareness on homelessness in the municipalities
2700 households get follow-up social services.

17. After the strategy
To combat homelessness is an everlasting challenge

18.
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