Counting the homeless in Austria Ministry of Social

Counting the homeless in Austria Ministry of Social Affairs and BAWO (Austrian Headorganisation of service providers for the homeless) BAWO-Survey on Homelessness in Austria 2006/2008 Sepp Ginner

Design: ► Research with Service Providers § Services for the homeless (provisions of accomodation) § Non-accomodating Services for the homeless (night shelters, consultancy services, outreach, streetwork) ► Questionnaire ► Evaluation of statistical data (BMJ, Statistik Austria, EU-SILC) ► 3 Workshops § § § Compare models of Vienna – Linz – Innsbruck Regionalisation in NÖ – OÖ – Vlbg Standards of services BAWO-Survey on Homelessness in Austria 2006/2008 Sepp Ginner

Categories Field of activity Homeless services Adjacent services like: Homeless consultancy and services imbedded in services for Youth, Health, Families, Handicapped etc Services without accomodation Services with accomodation Prevention Advice, nightshelters, daycare, streetwork Service Provision in homes, provisionary accomodation, long term accomodation Prevention of eviction Advice and care in out-patient form, night shelters homes and care for special target groups (Mother+child homes, Youth, handicapped people, people with psychiatric diagnosis. Etc advisory services BAWO-Survey on Homelessness in Austria 2006/2008 Sepp Ginner

Questionnaire In-Patient Services (including accomodation) ► § § Annual Statistics 2006 Key-period December 2007 Out-patient Services (no accomodation) ► § § Annual Statistics 2006 Key-period December 2007 Adjacent Services ► § § Annual Statistics 2006 Key-period December 2007 Prevention of Evictions ► § § Annual Statistics 2008 Key-period December 2007 BAWO-Survey on Homelessness in Austria 2006/2008 Sepp Ginner

Motives behind the study ► To count the homeless ► To find data for planning ► To compare the efforts of the provincial / municipal administrations ► To give incentives to improve the quantity and quality of services in the provinces and municipalities ► A possibility to co-finance BAWO as an overhead organisation BAWO-Survey on Homelessness in Austria 2006/2008 Sepp Ginner

Problems of the study ► Collecting data was a very long process ► Comparability of data was difficult ► Combination of data from annual survey with key day survey (elimination of double counts) ► Study period was extended, inflow of additional data of next annual survey (evictions, EU-SILC) ► Re-Arrangement of data according to Ethos ► Need of Agreement of all Provinces (the political aim was more profound than the scientific aim) ► Time schedule was paralleled by mphasis BAWO-Survey on Homelessness in Austria 2006/2008 Sepp Ginner

Qualitative aspects ► The survey was intended to collect data § Numbers of homeless people § Categories of homelessness § Profile of homeless people § Urban and rural regions (difference in provisions and acceptance) ► The survey was intended to motivate for improvements (3 workshops) ► Create standards BAWO-Survey on Homelessness in Austria 2006/2008 Sepp Ginner

Results Kind of Service annual data 2006 key period data end of 2007 prevention of evictions 15. 142, 00 1. 225, 00 out-patient services 13. 438, 00 4. 375, 00 in-patient services 8. 400, 00 5. 005, 00 BAWO-Survey on Homelessness in Austria 2006/2008 Sepp Ginner

No (too little) information ► On rough sleepers ► On people who do not use services ► On people in precarious accomodation ► On double counts BAWO-Survey on Homelessness in Austria 2006/2008 Sepp Ginner

For the next survey ► Combine data from services with data from census ► Compare annual counts to key-day counts ► Organize data-collection along with Ethos ► Include data from releasing institutions ► Propose a counting system (combatible, comparable, comprehensive) in advance BAWO-Survey on Homelessness in Austria 2006/2008 Sepp Ginner

Thank you for your attention ► BAWO: www. bawo. at Gerichtsgasse 3/2/3 ► 1210 Wien ► Mo - Th 9 to 12 h, We also 13 - 16 h Tel: +43 1 812 72 02 Mobil: +43 680 21 28 503 E-Mail: office@bawo. at ► ► Speaker: Sepp Ginner § seppginner@mvnet. at BAWO-Survey on Homelessness in Austria 2006/2008 Sepp Ginner