Secure housing is fundamental for people’s well-being. Housing insecurity and homelessness lead to heightened stress, health issues, and lack of societal inclusion amongst other problems. Young people are disproportionately affected by precarious employment conditions, low wages, and the escalating costs of rental properties, making them particularly vulnerable to housing instability, compared to their older counterparts. Becoming homeless at a young age not only entails the loss of stable accommodation but also a disruption of social connections with (adult) people around the young person. This experience can be traumatic especially if it is due to abuse or neglect. In Spain, an estimated 6 000 people between the ages of 18 and 29 experienced homelessness in 2022. This number represents an increase of 36% from 2012 to 2022, while homelessness for the entire population rose by 24%. To help the most vulnerable homeless young people in Spain, the organisations Provivienda and Hogar Sí have started a pilot programme called H4YF (There is a Future), which started in 2022 and ends in December 2024.
There is a Future – Spain
Abstract
The pilot programme is grounded in the Housing First methodology and targets 105 first-time homeless individuals aged 18‑25 in Madrid and Mallorca. Among the participants, 78% are men, with an average age of 22 years and an average duration of homelessness of 21 months. There is a Future facilitates upskilling and reskilling processes for approximately 110 professionals within the homelessness care system. The project is financed by the Spanish Recovery, Transformation, and Resilience Fund under the framework of the Next Generation EU Funds. It offers intensive and tailored support services to assist individuals in transitioning to independent living and mitigating the risk of future homelessness. There is a Future empowers young people to gain autonomy while helping them take care of their needs. The intervention is founded on two key approaches: early person-centred care and a trauma-focused approach. The emphasis on trauma distinguishes There is a Future from conventional Housing First programmes.
The programme is guided by five principles. Firstly, young people have the right to housing without preconditions. Secondly, choice, participation, and self-determination are central to the programme, which aims to ensure that young people’s voices are heard, and they play a role in shaping the service. Thirdly, the programme adopts a positive stance toward the development and well-being of young people, emphasising their strengths, resources, and virtues alongside vulnerabilities. The trauma-based approach is instrumental in fostering these resources and tools. Fourthly, the programme offers individualised support without time constraints, offering services until the individual is prepared to move out of the programme. Lastly, the programme fosters social inclusion and community integration by strengthening young people’s sense of community, their ability to engage within it, and expanding their support networks.
The pilot programme is ongoing, and a full evaluation will be made available after the project finishes in December 2024. So far, 75 people have participated in Madrid and 30 in Mallorca. Preliminary results of the pilot project show that access to housing in a community improves mental health and employability in people who are homeless. Young people transitioned from a high threshold of mental health impairment to a threshold similar to that of the societal average. The project helped participants feel in control, which translates into feelings of improvement in other aspects of life, including mental health and recovery. After 7 months, 97% of the people remain in their housing solutions and have initiated autonomous exit plans, with some of them leaving the project on their own. Furthermore, the care professionals find the focus on housing to be positive and show a willingness to move away from traditional paternalistic attitudes.
This practice also supports the implementation of provisions IV.3, IV.5, V.2 and VI.2 of the OECD Recommendation on Creating Better Opportunities for Young People (OECD, 2022[1]).
Further reading
[3] Europa Press (2024), El acceso a una vivienda en comunidad mejora la salud mental de personas sin hogar, según Provivienda y Hogar Sí, https://www.europapress.es/epsocial/derechos-humanos/noticia-acceso-vivienda-comunidad-mejora-salud-mental-personas-hogar-provivienda-hogar-si-20240123174819.html (accessed on February 2024).
[4] González de la Cruz, A., C. Fuentes Catena and P. Tovar Velasco (2023), Principales retos y propuestas en el abordaje del sinhogarismo juvenil. H4Y FUTURO: una respuesta innovadora para transformar el sistema de atención, injuve, https://www.injuve.es/sites/default/files/adjuntos/2024/01/articulo_3.3._principales_retos_y_propuestas_en_el_abordaje_del_sinhogar.pdf.
[2] Housing First Europe (2022), An Introduction to Housing First for Youth, https://housingfirsteurope.eu/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/HousingFirst4YouthFinalPrint.pdf.
[1] OECD (2022), Recommendation of the Council on Creating Better Opportunities for Young People, https://legalinstruments.oecd.org/en/instruments/OECD-LEGAL-0474.
[5] Provivienda and Hogar Sí (2024), H4Y FUTURO, https://solucionesalsinhogarismo.org/h4y-futuro/ (accessed on 2024).
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