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Description
People who face homelessness do not know what voluntary work is and the benefits it provides, and the possible activities in this area. The Gliwice Voluntary Center has nothing to offer them. Voluntary work can make the daily lives of people in homelessness crisis more pleasant, and make them feel needed. The available support to help improve their image or addiction therapy can be complemented by voluntary work as part of the plan for overcoming hardship. The project aims to activate people facing homelessness by promoting voluntary work and activeness for people in homelessness crisis and the people around them. We will organize a voluntary work school, providing training for eight groups each of five people, a study tour, and workshops resulting in a mini-initiative for the Niewiesze Homeless Shelter community. The people participating in the project will be able to make use of counselling and psychological support, and attend self-help group meetings. For workers at the shelter, we will provide training on artetherapy, dealing with difficult customers, and measures to combat professional burnout. We will also provide joint training on fundraising. In addition, we intend to hold a forum for sharing know-how with local government - three meetings at which project participants will present the change that has taken place among them, and we will make recommendations as to modification of social and civic policy towards people in homelessness crisis. The measures will encompass 40 people in homelessness crisis, men and women at the Niewiesze Homeless Shelter. The measures will lead to increased social activeness and personal development of the participants, and change the way people facing homelessness are perceived by residents and the local government authority.
Summary of project results
The project addresses the problem of social exclusion of people in the homelessness crisis from Niewiesza and its vicinity, including exclusion from various areas of social activity and the labor market. The isolation is exacerbated by the fact that these people are perceived in a very stereotypical way and stigmatized by society. There is a lack of dedicated, practical activities to activate people in the homelessness crisis and integrate them with the local community. The project responds to the rather low social commitment and interest in volunteering among the inhabitants of the region, as well as to the modest offer of volunteering in the third sector. People in a homeless crisis often do not know what volunteering is, meanwhile it can complement the available support - alongside shelter or therapeutic work.As part of the project, a volunteer school for 40 people (in 8 groups) and a study visit to the Wadowice Cultural Center and the Community Self-help Center were organized. At the end of the school, the participants of the workshops conducted mini-initiatives for the local community - they became involved in the renovation of the school in Chechle and OPS Rudziniec, repair work in Caritas Gliwice or natural areas cleanup. People participating in the project also benefited from psychological counseling and support and took part in a series of meetings of a self-help group. The employees of the shelter took part in three empowering, anti-burnout workshops. During meetings with representatives of the local government, the experience of the project was shared and recommendations were made regarding changes to the social policy addressed to people in the crisis of homelessness, promoting the implementation of volunteering as an activating method.As a result of the project, 40 people in the homelessness crisis from Niewiesza and its vicinity received specific emotional, psychological and activating support, and by working for the local community they regained their self-esteem, and sense of agency. People participating in the project developed the skills of cooperation, communication and independent time organization. The project was also a step towards changing the perception of people in the homelessness crisis by the local community members and the local government. At the same time, the attention of decision-makers was drawn to the fact that volunteering can be an important part of the plan to overcome a difficult life situation.
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