A. Social
Assistance & Services
(Emercgency services )
CASA NAL Arroios
NAL Arroios - started as group of friends committed
to mitigate the food needs of the homeless population of
Lisbon in 2002, and was officially recognized as an
institution in 2007. Since the beginning, its main goal is
to provide support to the most deprived population, through
a network of over a thousand volunteers, with the support of
the civil society, several patrons and partner companies.
In
Lisbon CASA currently provide 400 hot meals to the homeless
population every day of the year, and supports about 140
families with food baskets twice a month. Over the last
years CASA has expanded all over the country, currently
providing support to the population in ten other cities:
Porto, Figueira da Foz, Coimbra, Cascais, Setúbal, Azeitão,
Évora, Faro, Albufeira e Funchal. Moreover, CASA is also
currently represented internationally, namely in Spain,
France, England, Angola, Brazil and Mexico, based on the
model firstly established in Lisbon.
CASA also have a team
specialized in psychology and social service, which provides
social monitoring and psychological counseling, but also
works in a wide network which allows to provide other
services such as dental medicine, juridical support, among
others. In Lisbon, the distribution starts at 8 pm, and is
made on five routs that cover the main points in the city.
As such, homeless people know that they can count with CASA
every day, at the same time, no matter the effort needed to
fulfill the mission.
REPORT OF VISIT :
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Solidary Lockers:
The Solidary Lockers project was born after a problem
that was identified by ACA’s outreach team and those who
live on the streets: homeless people need a place to
store their belongings. They face a daily struggle
regarding safety and dignity in the protection of their
possessions, in many cases of sentimental value. In this
sense, ACA created a temporary solution for these people
to better secure their belongings, while restoring in
them a level of accountability, mental balance and
regular monitoring in street context.
This project created something that did not exist on the
street. It is a more "controlled" and regular connection
with people who are in homeless situation and who stay
on the street. The lack of references and irregularity
in location of this population often makes the answers,
signs and referrals less efficient. Not knowing with
greater certainty where people "are" and who they really
"are" is an obstacle to a better intervention.
Lockers also introduce the possibility of postal
communication. The street experience tells us that this
small post office is essential for numerous situations:
in addition to the importance of the key and space, it
is important to have a local and physical reference. In
parallel to its practical use, this project involves a
monitoring process carried out by a team composed of a
psychologist and a social worker.
REPORT
of VISIT :
C.A.S.A.
Multiple services from SCML, open 24h/day, every day of
the year, developing an integrated work, which aims to
respond to the multiple needs of the homeless people. It
has: a canteen that serves 500 meals/day; a shelter for
15 people; locker rooms, a laundry and a laundry bench;
health cares: psychiatry consultation; and a
occupational workshop for 65 persons.
PORTA AMIGA
Center Porta Amiga Olaias-AMI AMI Foundation has 9 "Porta
Amiga" centers in Portugal, the Olaias Porta Amiga is the
oldest one, with 23 years, located in an area with multiple
problems and needs, started as an answer to the neighborhood
but soon opened its doors to all the city of Lisbon. Beside
the social and psychological support and job search, people
also can get clothes, take a bath and lunch. This particular
Porta Amiga also has an Outreach Team directed to the people
in a homeless situation and a home support service to 50
elderly beneficiaries.
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B. Serviços
de Saúde Mental
(Mental Health Service)
Centro Hospitalar psiquiátrico de
Lisboa
The Centro
Hospitalar Psiquiátrico de Lisboa has the responsability to provide
specialized care in psychiaty and mental health to the adult
population.
Visits can be made to the General and Transcultural Psychiatriy
Unit: this unit works closely with the homeless and refugee
population, among others, providing inpatient and outpatient care,
group therapy, and psychiatry and psychological consultations.
Visits can also be made to the Psychossocial and Rehabilitation
Unit, as well as the Ocuppational Therapy Unit
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Médicos do Mundo – Portugal (MdM)
The Mobile Clinic from
MdM allows thas, potential service users are identified on
the street, allowing them not only to benefit from primary
healthcare and psychosocial support, but also to be referred
to partner structures. MdM has integrated in its program
“promotion of social change” that helps patients to become
active agents in the concretisation of their life project. -
Primary healthcare - Tests HIV, Hepatitis B, C and syphilis
- Psycho-affective and social support in street situation -
Data collection for an epidemiologic study and
characterisation of the target population in what concerns
the access to health care. - Activities of risk reduction
(distribution of condoms, exchange program of syringes and
pipes).. |
C. Lar e Comunidade (Home & Community)
C1.
AEIPS
“Casas Primeiro”
was the first housing first project in Portugal, and was
launched under the European Year against Poverty and Social
Exclusion, as a pilot project to test this social innovative
approach to address homelessness, in national context. The
project provides permanent, independent and scatter-site
apartments, combined with the delivery of flexible,
individualized, and not time limited support services to
homeless people with mental health problems, with concurrent
addiction disorders, and who experienced chronic or repeated
homelessness. The team assist participants to manage and
keep their tenancies, and to access to other community
resources (e.g. social benefits, health, education or
employment), to improve their quality of life and community
integration. The support is carried out either in
participants’ homes, through weekly home visits, or in
community contexts. The findings from our evaluation study
supported that housing first is not only an effective
housing approach, even for person’s long-term homeless and
with many complex needs, but proved to have other positive
radiating effects to wellness and community integration
outcomes. |
C2.
CAIS ASSOCIATION
Projecto Abrigo - is a
sponsorship protocol that brings together companies who want
to make CAIS Association their social project.
Since 2003, the concept
of Corporate Social Responsibility in which more and more
companies tend to incorporate social and eco-friendly
objectives in their activity, combining their economic
success with a benefit to society and the environment.
Project Shelter aims to be
part of the social
purpose of these companies, those who want to integrate
social concerns in their business activity on a voluntary
basis, assuming a role of greater importance in the
maintenance of all activity of the association, through a 2
year (2015-2016) commitment.
A commitment where the
objectives and obligations are clearly presented for each
part
REPORT OF
VISIT:
CAIS means circle
of support in the integration of homeless.
• The association has two centers, one in Lisbon and one
in Oporto.
• The requests for help are expressed either by the
persons themselves (the information spreads from mouth
to mouth among the homeless) or through other
organizations.
• Services that are provided: job searching, vocational
and training activities, gardening, publishing of a
street magazine called “CAIS”, Portuguese lessons for
foreigners, theatre team, gymnastics and street football
are only some of the activities. They take part in
national competitions (eg. School of circus art),
whereas they have activities for the sensitization of
the local community, eg. speeches in schools about
prejudice, poverty etc. The main goal is to empower the
homeless and help them be reintegrated. The
beneficiaries are adults, unemployed and homeless.
Finally, there is also a canteen that provides free
lunch.
• They are a small team (5 or 7 employees and a few
volunteers).
• Their funds come from donations and sponsors.
• Every month they have a reunion in the community space
where everybody can come and discuss about the future
plans of the organization.
• The above are considered to be good practices.
• The innovative action: the magazine
• As far as the magazine is concerned: The sellers take
the first 20 copies for free. Then they buy the rest for
0.60 euros each and sell it for 2 euros. From the
profits they pay for their expenses. In this way they
learn how to prioritize their needs and make ends meet.
• The “therapeutic team” co-works with other
associations in order to handle some “difficult cases”.
• They only help people who have the will to change
• 60% of the beneficiaries are Portuguese men and up to
40s
• Difficulties: Lack of funds, bureaucracy.
“Day Center”
of the NGO AMI
• The center is in action for 22 years
• It provides (homeless with) new clothes, shower,
laundry and lunch (from Monday to Friday). All the
services are free except for lunch. Each meal costs 1.5
euros and everybody can buy it, not only people from the
neighborhood. Last year they provided services to 2500
people from all over Portugal.
• They also provide: social assistance, psychological
support, advocacy and help at home. The last one targets
to elderly and helpless people.
• There is also another project for the elderly:
activities suitable for “mind stimulation”, prevention
of depression and isolation in the third age. • The
innovative action: High integration in the neighborhood
as they work there for a very long time, but also
because there are “open doors to everybody”, as they
pointed out, meaning that there is easy access (no
papers are required).
• They have two multidisciplinary teams that are
comprised of social supporters and they provide “more
services than the others” (multilevel intervention). For
example, last year they distributed several “school
kits” to many children (e.g. bags, notebooks, pens and
pencils).
• They also have a van with a volunteer doctor. So,
people in the streets or those who live in dire
conditions can be examined there for free.
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D. Participação e Cidadania
(Participation and
Citizenship)
D1. Centro de Apoio Social de São Bento
Equipment with services of temporary use for promotion and
support the integration of individuals in situation of
social exclusion, particularly those who are homeless in the
city of Lisbon and who have conditions of employability. The
activities developed are adapted to the individual
characteristics and potentialities with the aim to the
rehabilitation of habits and capacities of work,
socialization and autonomy. In the Center there are
Occupational Workshops; an Digital Inclusion Room; Technical
and pedagogical support services; Social and Human Formation
and Provision of services to the community. |
D2.
Espaço Aberto ao Diálogo
from the association Comunidade Vida e Paz The Espaço Aberto
ao Diálogo aims to motivate homeless people to change.
Through a technical team, we welcome, evaluate and guide
people to internal structures and other
institutions/services. We provide support and answers to
basic needs in the field of health, nutrition,
regularization of the legal situation and job search. |
D3.
Crescer
(Association) Espaço Âncora Project –
Works through an intervention model of Harm Reduction (HR)
using Community Theatre tools as a dialogue facilitator for
social development, promoting the access of their own
memories and the collective imagination, to build capacities
for critical thinking through participation in active
dialogue, in a constant creative relationship. (Crescer,
website: http://crescer.org/) ORIENTAR – Associação de
Intervenção para a Mudança |
D1.
The
ORIENTAR – Associação de Intervenção para a Mudança
(Intervention Association for Change) is a nonprofit social
solidarity association which aims to promote the social and
professional inclusion of people in situations of
vulnerability, through the creation of conditions that
support their autonomy. As part of the Orient Project, we
have developed integrated support for the socio-professional
reintegration of our clients, based on the development and
training of skills that stimulate the autonomy of life, and
the implementation of a support network that facilitates the
process of social insertion.
The main activities of Orientar
Project are: Satisfaction of basic needs: meals (lunch and
dinner) and conditions suitable for personal hygiene and
clothing; Occupational Atelier: Areas of restoration of
furniture, pottery and recycling of various materials; Yoga;
GEPE- Grupos de Entre Ajuda na Procura de Emprego
(Jobseekers' Group in job search): development of
fundamental skills for the labor market; Group dynamics: one
day for week, with the aim of fostering the union of the
group, as well as working on various themes, namely personal
development and skills; Psychosocial Monitoring; GIP –
Gabinete de Inserção Profissional (Office of Professional
Insertion): follow-up and referral for integration into the
job market or in training.
The clients of the Orient Project
are: All people between the ages of 18 and 60; No
consumption of psychoactive substances or in final state of
treatment; People who demonstrate motivation to redefine
their life project with a view to autonomization.
REPORT OF
VISIT
• They presented us a video with their work.
• They provide social and professional integration. They
help people to make their CVs and be prepared for job
interviews. The beneficiaries have also free access to
phone so that they can arrange these job interviews.
• The capacity of the organization is for 30 people
(they work from Monday to Friday, 10:00-19:00).
• The innovative thing: Very high rate of reintegration
and finding jobs (60%), because of their collaboration
with several companies that hire unemployed people and
especially people from vulnerable groups (homeless,
poor, mentally ill etc). We could say that they have
created a support network of companies.
• They have activities with certain objectives, such as
cooking, cleaning, gymnastics, yoga lessons etc.
• They also have a carpentry store. They restore
furniture and then they sell their creations in a shop
they have just “in the heart”of Lisbon.
• There are no time limits in support.
• Their team comprises mainly of psychologists and
social workers.
• A lot of the beneficiaries’ creations were everywhere
in the building (paintings in the walls, chairs and
small statues).
• Difficulties: They didn’t mention any. The staff
seemed very well organized and fully satisfied of their
job. .
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