Erasmus + Project

Erasmus +, the subsidy program of the European Commission, offers people of all ages the opportunity to share their knowledge and / or learn from (other) professionals from another country. Through key-action (K) projects, such as the ever-popular job shadowing, they give organizations the opportunity to collaborate with other organizations in Europe. To exchange learnings or to innovate together, with the aim of putting together various best practices and tools that improve our care.

Restoring dreams to tackle loneliness

Did you know that more than 46% of Amsterdammers sometimes feel lonely and more than 13% even extremely lonely? During the K1 project (job shadowing) a study was carried out with quite confronting results. Indeed, a shared topic was identified in the European countries concerned, loneliness. We have concluded that this problem occurs in every country and that is a major problem.

The tricky thing about a problem like loneliness is that it is taboo in many countries. In addition, social workers are used to working in a solution-oriented way and there is not really one solution with this subject. It requires customization. Not everything will work for everyone, no matter what tools you use. In addition, not everyone can find a solution to his or her loneliness at all. That makes it difficult, but well worth it!

It Can Also Be Different!

This probably sounds familiar. Someone asks you to come up with a solution to a problem. Of course you can and you immediately start thinking about the resources you have at your disposal. Your resources. What is and what is not possible. Based on that, you make an estimate of whether something is feasible. Whether you can really offer a solution.

But what if the problem is homelessness? Or loneliness? Addiction? Grief counseling? What if the challenge seems too great, what do you do?

Many will estimate that they cannot solve the problem. This is understandable, because we are used to assessing feasibility against our resources (and most of us are not trained professionals). So no. Not possible.

Could it be otherwise? YES, IT CAN ALSO BE DIFFERENT!

Innovative tailor-made support

What exactly does customized innovation support entail? Precise, customization.

Of course there are guidelines that give us a push in the right direction. That helps. In fact, quite a bit. Yet we like to do things just a little bit differently, because we can.

Below you will find a number of tools that we use for our care. These are guidelines to clearly and powerfully outline the course we are on. Of course with an It-can-also-be-different-sauce over it.

Click on one of the terms to read more about it:

• Our DNA

• The Strenght-Based Method

• The 80/20 Principle

• The Profiles

Inspire by sharing knowledge

The Centre of Expertise is the place where everything comes together. It’s where the magic happens. It is the spider in the Housing First web.

Here we provide support to the teams of Housing First and all other stakeholders who need a cultural change within a social organization. Consider, for example: annually recurring (innovative) training courses, tailor-made training courses, or by ‘just’ going along to challenging home visits. We also offer a  “telephone helpline” to help with practical and methodical questions about the execution of the work.

The DNA

Our work is more than applying the described methodologies. Some social workers will be inclined to celebrate every positive development as a marriage, while others will find very creative solutions for situations that our clients have to deal with. Everything revolves around our clients. That they continue a positive development. We cannot say it often enough, it is about customization.

We think it is important that our housing counselors can be themselves. That they can act from their nature. In this way, someone is most in his or her strength. That is why we have mapped out which way of doing things works best for our supervisors and which they use the most. In this way we can guarantee the best help for our clients.

The Strength-based Method

A good working relationship is the most important condition for being able to contribute to the recovery or development of people. That is why we have been working with our own translation of the Strength-Oriented Basic Methodology (KBM) since 2018. The goals and dreams of the client are the starting point for the follow-up process. Together with them we search for their strengths and possibilities, and for the support network they have at their disposal.

The 80/20 principle

One tool for working in a goal-oriented way is the 80/20 Principle. This principle was coined in the early 20th century by the Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto and generalized by the American Joseph Juran.

Juran stated that in some situations 80% of the outcomes are the result of 20% of the causes. However, there is no scientific evidence for this. It is a fact that in some situations a small part of the causes is responsible for a large part of the consequences. By recognizing these situations, a relatively minor intervention can influence a large part of the consequences.

The profiles

We are all different. Even though our guides work according to the principles of the Strength Methodology and our own DNA, they are not the same. Even 2 male social workers of 25 years old, who show exactly the same behavior from the DNA, have their own style of counseling. That is nice, because (there it is again) customization.

The profiles below offer tools to get a grip on the natural style of the supervisors. Seeing the strengths of a style helps to grow in that role. The profiles are therefore not an example of how a housing counselor should behave, but a tool.

The Housing First principles

Housing First blew over from the United States in 2006. The concept is based on the idea that homeless people with a psychiatric illness and an addiction primarily benefit from having their own home. In Amsterdam, the then director of the  Alliantie housing corporation introduced the concept. He believed in both the human and the economic side.

Housing First turned out not only to be good for the quality of life; the costs for society also turned out to be lower than if a customer remained on the street. Housing First fitted in well with De Alliantie’s policy. Like other housing corporations, it has to rent out a certain percentage of the homes to people who have difficulty finding a home.

Housing First’s basic rules for clients are:

1. Do not cause any disturbance in the neighborhood
2. Pay your rent (on time)
3. Accept guidance