2013 Quantitative Report of St Lazarus Boarding House

In CMSA, we beleive that eventhough it is diffucult to make clear judgements on effectiveness of our services because of many reasons, it is very much possible to show our performance in a transparent way so that everyone can make her/his own judgement.  Our performance is not only number of beds, meals, cloathing provided and social workers, councelors, psychologists employed. It is the situation of people who use our services. This is why we created a Template for Quantitative Report of the Shelter for the Homeless. It is based on our experience as well as European good practice including Homelessness Core and Non-core Variables from the MPHASIS Project and European Typology of Homelessness and Housing Exclusion ETHOS 2008 by FEANTSA. In our statement from December 2013 we encourage all stakeholders to mainstream the Template. Ministry of Labour and Social Policy should establish incentives for service providers to create data collection systems which enable quick and easy preparation of Template based reports, while service providers, in particular big national and regional networks, should start preparing such reports based on data they do already collect.

To start with we publish our first "2013 Quantitative Report of the Saint Lazarus Boarding House (download)" based on the Template for Quantitative Report. It is not perfect, but we are trying and improving.

2013 QUANTITATIVE REPORT OF THE SAINT LAZARUS BOARDING HOUSE

Camillian Mission for Social Assistance

Warsaw, Poland February 2014

SAINT LAZARUS BOARDING HOUSE, CAMILLIAN MISSION FOR SOCIAL ASSISTANCE (CMSA)
Service type: Accommodation for homeless men whose life is endangered or who are in transition to independent housing

GOAL:

The purpose of activity of St. Lazarus Social Boarding House in general: social inclusion of persons experiencing the crisis of homelessness through the provision of safe accommodation for the night and boarding, and facilitating social inclusion through employment. Service users are supported by a team of our employers: street workers, social workers, an employment counsellor, psychologists, therapists, a psychiatrist, and clergymen. Jointly with our service users, we conduct an individual programme to end homelessness, and we motivate them to permanently change the way they live and their lifestyle. The end result we want to see is the service user’s entirely independent life and his/her return to the society, but this rarely happens during the first stay. We always cater for the basic needs of our service users, and give people time to analyse their situation and find their own internal strength to take yet another difficult attempt to change their life. We do not have a magic wand, but we have extended hands, warm hearts, open minds, and an unshakable belief in other people. Everyone arriving at our Boarding House may count on the full professionalism, and friendliness of our multi-disciplinary team. We try to assist people in recovering contact with their families, finding a job, or stabilising their situation if they are in debt, and we provide them with information on the steps necessary to be granted a council flat or rent a flat. If there are serious health issues involved, people requiring support are referred to residential homes or residential medical care facilities. To strengthen and broaden the range of assistance provided to the people staying in our House, we provide all of them with information on the services offered by other local institutions, such as welfare centres, and outpatient clinics. For many years, we have been cooperating with institutions providing assistance in the area of addiction treatment, psychological and psychiatric support, as well as employment counselling. Our service users may use the entire spectrum of assistance services offered in the Capital City of Warsaw. We endeavour to continue cooperation with the persons leaving our service.

SHORT DESCRIPTION OF THE DATA COLLECTION SYSTEM:

Data collection tool: Electronic MS ACCESS Data Base by Foundation for Social Innovation and Research „Shipyard” based on Homelessness and Housing Exclusion Data Collection Standard (pl. standard gromadzenia danych biwm) – 2011 Full Version for Shelters, expanded in 2012 with the Streetworking Module and in 2013 with Training Apartments Module. Data collection procedures: Client data is entered on ongoing basis by social workers as an inherent part of social work, since January 2012. In addition, some retrospective data was added (back to 2008) on previous stays of people who were clients since January 2012. Data is gathered at the beginning of the stay, during the stay and at the end of the stay:
  • Full interview at the beginning of the stay is conducted with each person who stayed for at least 3 days.
  • Information on support provided and important event’s in inhabitant’s live is gathered on ongoing basis, however in 2013 not all support was mentioned in the Data Base (quite a few dates were missing and therefore significant piece of support is not included in 2013 report)
  • Full interview at the end of the stay (Discharge Interview) is conducted with each inhabitant whose leaving is planned and agreed with Staff. For other inhabitants information is gathered according to the best knowledge of Staff.
Personal identification data (name, last name, date of birth, sex) and dates of stays or visits is gathered for all clients regardless of the length of stay, also for clients who were rejected. Rejections are marked for each person who came to the Pension and personally asked Staff for a place. Rejections to people who asked for a place by phone or came to the Pension under influence of alcohol or other substances are not marked (people under influence of alcohol are not allowed to social worker’s office). The Boarding House still runs parallel paper based data collection system which is a result of long term tradition and staff habits as well as requirements from founders including Municipality of Warsaw. Complete replacement of the paper based system is planned in 2014.

REPORTING PERIOD:

1st of January 2013 – 31st of December 2013
  PART 1. SCALE OF THE SERVICE AND SUPPORT PROVIDED  
Number of places/beds

100

Avarage stock for the year (number of inhabitants on each day of the year - Mean)

99

Number of stays which began in 2013

192

Number of stays which ended in 2013

189

Avarage lenght of stay which ended in 2013

199

 
Number of rejections

509

- including rejections due to lack of available place/beds

469

- including number of unique people who were rejected

342

 
Support provided to inhabitants and important events in their lifeaccording to classification used by CMSA social workers

 

909*

Looked up by the police

96

Motivation and support talk with inhabitant

66

Registration for Temporary Stay under Pension’s address

64

Written request for access to personal data in other institution

60

Getting a job by inhabitant

47

Registration at Local Employment Office

42

Issuing certificate of the stay at the Pension

34

Contact with psychological support services

32

Contact with Local Welfare Centre

29

Referral to CMSA Work Counselor

29

Getting Personal Identification Card by inhabitant

28

Contact with health services

25

Contact with a doctor (general, psychologist, psychiatrist)

24

Support in writing a letter to bailiff, Social Security Office, Local Communal Housing Office

24

Taking pictures to Personal Identification Card

23

Contact with potential employer (support in looking for a job)

19

Contact with Local Disability Office

19

Alcohol dependency treatment in an institution (closed)

15

Getting financial benefits for the inhabitant from Local Welfare Centre

15

Inhabitant taking part in Motivation Support Group for Alcoholics at VICTI

14

Inhabitant begins alcohol treatment

14

Inhabitant is placed at hospital, sanatorium

12

Inhabitant referred to Local Welfare Centre for a full Social Welfare Interview

11

Writing to Local Welfare Centre to cover costs of stay of the inhabitant

9

Filling in annual Personal Income Tax Form for inhabitant

9

Inhabitant takes part in AA or Al-Anon meetings

8

Referral to Residential Welfare Home

7

Inhabitant losses a job

7

Contact with probation officer

6

Support in getting important documents e.g. work certificate

6

Support in filling forms to Employment Office, Communal Housing Office, Tax forms, etc.

6

Contact with court of law

5

Making an appointment with a specialist doctor

5

Getting a place in Residential Welfare Home for inhabitant

3

Other

86

*Data is not complete – it presents only activities which were registered under certain date. 
  PART 2: CLIENT PROFILE: CORE VARIABLES ON HOMELESSNESS (MPHASIS)
 
Annual Flow (number of unique people who were inhabitants for at least one day regardless of the number of stays and length of stay):

 

256

 
Age

256

  Sex

256

Mean

52

Female

0

Median

53

Male

256

 
Number of people with Disability Status

81

 
Highest educational attainment (ISCED 2011)

256

Unfinished primary school and/or gymnasium (Unfinished lower secondary education

0

Primary school and/or gymnasium (Lower Secondary/Compulsory education)

45

Vocational education (Short-cycle tertiary education)

107

High school/technical school (Upper secondary/Post-secondary non-tertiary)

70

Unfinished higher education (not sufficient for Master or equivalent)

21

Higher education (Master or equivalent)

10

Missing data

3

 
Marital Status

256

Never married/available

96

Married

21

Divorced

121

Separated

6

Informal relationship

0

Widowed

11

Missing data

1

 
Geographical/territorial origin

256

Number of inhabitants born in the local gmina (community): Municipality of Warsaw

57

Number of inhabitants born outside of Poland

4

Number of inhabitants with non-Polish or undeclared citizenship

3

Missing data

0

 
Administrative origin – registration for permanent stay

256

Number of inhabitants currently registered for permanent stay in local gmina (Warsaw)

7

Number of inhabitants with no current registration but lastly registered for permanent stay in the local gmina (Warsaw)

76

Number of inhabitants currently or previously/lastly  registered for permanent stay in one of the gminas from local voivodship (Mazovia)

140

Missing data

0

 
Support needs/problems (several answers possible)(measured at the end of the last stay finished in 2013)

256

Lack of occupation (school/work/supported employment… )

174

Alcohol dependency (suspected or diagnosed)

154

Hopelessness, helplessness in life

122

Nicotine (cigarettes) dependency

103

Long term health problems/diseases

62

Disability

46

Other physical health problems

28

Debts due to unpaid alimonies

26

Mental problems (suspected or diagnosed)

24

Rent arrears

14

Debts due to unpaid credits

11

Other substance dependency e.g. drugs (suspected or diagnosed)

7

Dependency on gambling (suspected or diagnosed)

6

Experience of domestic abuse/violence

2

None of the above

22

 
Declared length of homelessness – how long have you been homeless?

256

Less than 2 months

22

2 to 6 months

25

6 months – one year

24

1 to 3 years

30

3 - 5 years

30

More than 5 years

124

Missing data

0

 
Reasons for homelessness  (measured at the beginning of the last stay finished in 2013)

256

Personal (diseases, dependencies)

124

Loss of job/employment

71

Conflict in a family/household, relationship breakdown

55

Financial

52

Institutional discharge (hospital, penitentiary, foster care)

15

Failure to find work outside the place of residence (during migration)

13

Landlord action (eviction, cancellation of the rent contract)

11

Termination of the rent contract

3

Violence in a family/household

3

Immigration

3

Force majeur

0

None of the above

35

 
PART 3. CHANGE – SITUATION OF SERVICE USERS BEFORE AND AFTER: ETHOS AND MPHASIS
 
Number of inhabitants who ended their stays in 2013 – regardless of the number of stays

174

- including number of inhabitants who went through Discharge Interview with social worker while leaving the service

55

 

 
Leaving the Pension

174

Leaving without contacting the Staff, so called „no return”

71

Planned, „with good bye”, including: resignation and being taken by the Police

55

Removed due to breaking the regulation/Statute of the Pension

47

Death

0

Missing data

1

 
Former stays (back to 2008)

174

First stay

122

Second stay

37

Third stay

9

Forth stay

4

Fifth and following stay

2

 
Housing situation according to ETHOS 2008 (based on declaration of inhabitant and the best knowledge of the social worker)

The night before stay at the Pension

The night after stay at the Pension

1. Living in public space

57

36

2. Emergency accommodation: Night shelter, warming up facility

4

0

3. Accommodation for the homeless: shelter, specialist shelter, training and supported apartments, other ...- including CMSA Training Apartments

36

16

(10)

5. Accommodation for immigrants

0

0

6. Released from institutions: hospital, penitentiary, foster- including Residential Welfare Home

19

10

(5)

7. Longer term support due to homelessness

0

0

8.1 Living with a family or friends due to lack of housing

8

9

8.2 No legal (sub)tenancy (rented room,  room from employer)

18

29

11. Living in temporary non-conventional structures: abandoned buildings, gardening allotments, self-made structures, mobile…

13

 0

(12. Unfit housing) Social apartment (lokal socjalny)

0

1

Home: communal housing, privately owned housing, family home, legal long term rent contract for an apartment/home

2

0

Missing data

17

73

Total number of inhabitants

174

174

Main activity (several answers possible)

First day of stay

Last day of stay

Unemployment

125

148

Long term sick/disable

18

19

Pension

4

3

Paid employment

3

53

Voluntary work

1

0

Supported employment

0

0

School or training

0

0

Missing data

28

53

Total number of inhabitants

174

174

 
Source/type of income (several answers possible)

First day of stay

Last day of stay

No income

113

46

Pension or long term welfare benefits

28

22

Long term legal employment

2

6

Short term legal employment

1

40

Unemployment benefits

1

1

Employment with no contract/illegal

0

5

Registered self-employment

0

1

Income from begging, collecting garbage, sex working…

0

0

Alimonies

0

0

Educational grants

0

0

Support from the family

0

0

Missing data

29

54

Total number of inhabitants

174

174