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Description
In Szczecin in 2019, there were 853 people facing homelessness (Municipal Social Welfare Center figures). The help available in Szczecin and Police does not include workshops to develop skills to facilitate self-reliance; usually the help is temporary, and does little to activate in the community and professionally. No one-on-one or group therapy for the people facing homelessness who are non-addicts is conducted in any of the shelters in Szczecin, while only one shelter provides therapy for addiction. Due to feeling excluded, people who face homelessness are not usually open towards strangers, which is a prerequisite for example for group therapy or workshops. For this reason, the best effects in work with homeless people are achieved through measures conducted in the place where they reside. The project addresses the problem of the small number of measures that professionally and socially activate people who face homelessness in Szczecin. Once all of the interested residents of the Feniks Shelter are provided with information on the various kinds of support available (and the option of taking part in introductory workshops), we will select from those residents a group of the most motivated people, who will enroll for nine one-month programs. We will provide them with one-on-one and group psychotherapy, and workshops on psychology, professional skills, art, cuisine, music therapy, integration trips, and work agency services. 35 people facing homelessness at the Feniks Shelter in Szczecin will receive support. As a result, the participants will learn professional and social skills, and will integrate with the local community. Ten people will find employment or be professionally activated in some other way.
Summary of project results
This project addressed the problem of the small number of measures to get people facing homelessness in Szczecin active with regard to employment and in the community. The support available in Szczecin was limited to temporary aid, and did not include any activities that help people to become independent. No one-on-one or group therapy for non-addicts facing homelessness was provided in any shelter in Szczecin, while only one shelter provided treatment for addiction.The project guaranteed a full range of support designed to meet the needs and possibilities of each enrolled person from the Feniks shelter in Szczecin. 73 people facing homelessness received support, including elderly persons and a number of people with disabilities. We provided each person with access to one-on-one and group therapy (540 hours), and workshops on psychology (15 hours), music (18 meetings), art (10 meetings), cooking (9 meetings), and health awareness (10 hours), as well as job-seeking assistance in one-on-one and workshop form (250 hours). We also held nine integration excursions with the local community.Before the project took place, new arrivals at the shelter often adopted the apathetic lifestyle of the other residents, seeing no prospect of change in their circumstances. The project helped the participants to open up and attain occupational and social competences, and integrate with the local community. Regular meetings with a therapist, workshops with a psychologist, and group therapy helped participants to understand and express their emotions better. Their self-esteem improved, and the ties between them became stronger. The support helped twelve people to find jobs, and many people to remain sober. The project helped to reduce social exclusion of the participants and improved the image of shelter residents. This is confirmed by surveys conducted in the local community.
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