Poznań City Hall’s archive, photo. B. Sudak

In 2017, assistance to homeless people consisted in satisfying basic needs related to everyday functioning, basic subsistence needs and providing basic health care.

Homeless people

Centres and organisations acting for homeless people

In 2017, the City of Poznań co-financed 430 places in 7 centres for homeless people located in the city and in 3 centres located outside the city (Błońsko, Gościejewo and Rożnowice). Around 1.9 thousand homeless people used places in city centres and 459 people in non-city centres. The centres were run by:

the City of Poznań – Centre for Homeless No. 1 (105 places),
the Monar Association – MARKOT Homeless Shelter in Rożnowice (99 places), in Gościejewo (75 places); Homeless Shelter, ul. Borówki (68 places); Shelter for Homeless Women, ul. Starołęcka (60 places); Accommodation for the Homeless, ul. Borówki (24 places),
Stowarzyszenie Pomocy Bliźniemu “Mar-Kot” – “Mar-Kot” Shelter (30 places),
St. Brother Albert Aid Society – St. Brother Albert Shelter (26 places),
Association for Homeless People Dom Pomocna Dłoń (50 places),
“Pogotowie Społeczne” Association (225 places).

In 2017, the City provided support to almost 1.4 thousand homeless people, including almost 200 Individual Programmes for Preventing Homelessness.

Institutions acting for the homeless in Poznań also include:

Caritas of the Archdiocese of Poznań,
House of the Congregation of the Ursuline Sisters,
Miłosierdzie Foundation,
Małe Szczęścia Foundation,
Pro Publico Foundation,
Congregation of the Albertine Sisters Serving the Poor, Province of Poznań.

The form of assistance provided by NGOs operating in Poznań to the homeless the most often was the night accommodation and giving warm meals (at least one a day) and clothes.

In 2017, Caritas of Poznań organised a Christmas Eve dinner for 1.6 thousand homeless and poor people in the Poznań International Fair. The Miłosierdzie Foundation gave 1.6 thousand food parcels.
The “Pogotowie Społeczne” Association organised a trip for 40 people for the Christmas Eve dinner to Biskupin.

The “Małe Szczęścia” Foundation carried out the action “Magical Holidays at the Monar Mar-Kot Centre.” Children staying at the Monar Association Shelter participated in the workshop carried out in the factory of glass ball ornaments in Gniezno. In addition, the Foundation purchased Christmas parcels and organised Christmas Eve for families staying in the shelter.

The most common causes of homelessness include:
• eviction, de-registration,
• family conflicts, domestic violence,
• addiction,
• unemployment,
• indebtedness,
• disability, poor health condition,
• leaving the prison,
• leaving the care and educational institution.

Actions for homeless people

In 2017, actions carried out for the homeless included:

“Therapeutic and support programme for homeless addicts,” under which:
- 200 people took part in didactic activities of a motivating group with elements of addiction education,
- 154 people were motivated to take addiction therapy,
- 250 people benefited from individual therapeutic counselling,
- 62 people participated in an educational group on healthy lifestyle and the impact of alcohol on the general psychophysical condition,
the project “System solutions for combating alcohol addiction in the group of homeless people,” which consisted in individual consultations with addiction therapist, meetings of educational and therapeutic groups, psychological consultations, meetings with a vocational counsellor, legal consultations and computer classes,
the project “Prevention of addictions addressed to risk groups, in particular to homeless addicts” run by the Monar, under which classes in educational and therapeutic groups, individual psychological consultations, meetings with career counsellors and psychologists were organised,
the project “Prevention of addictions among the homeless” of the Miłosierdzie Foundation, whose aim was to motivate addicts to start treatment; educational activities on addiction were conducted as part of the project,
the aid scheme for building and maintaining sobriety attitudes of homeless people addicted to alcohol carried out by the Centre for Homeless No. 1 in Poznań,
“Help Bus” programme implemented by the Pro Publico Foundation, the “Pogotowie Społeczne” Association and the “Dom Pomocna Dłoń” Association with the help of the MOPR, whose aim was to help homeless people without a shelter in the evening in Poznań. Social workers provided information on the possibility of obtaining support from social welfare institutions, places giving free meals and clothing, as well as places where basic medical care can be obtained and hygienic procedures performed. It was also possible to get a hot meal in the “Help Bus.”

Patrols of camps of the homeless

Police, city guard and social workers patrolled about 100 camps in Poznań in which about 260 homeless people are staying. During the patrols, officers provided information about shelters and accommodation, and other help points; several homeless people were referred to the facilities.

Survey of the number of homeless people

In 2017, the MOPR, in cooperation with many entities and institutions, carried out a survey of the number of homeless people staying in the city. The effect of the survey was information on places where people affected by homelessness are staying and the possibility to monitor their camps in order to carry out intervention by paramedics (in case of sick people), as well as drawing up the “Homelessness Map.” During the survey, in February, there were over 1 thousand homeless people in Poznań, 80% of whom were men. There were 223 people in uninhabited flats, houses and arbours, 91 people in uninhabited places such as: stations, streets, bin shelters, while the remaining part of people were staying in facilities for the homeless.

Actions for the poorest and those at risk of exclusion

Actions for people at risk of domestic violence

In 2017, the following projects were implemented:

“Municipal Programme against Domestic Violence in the City of Poznań in 2011-2020,” as part of which 2.4 thousand people were covered by preventive and educational activities in the area of counteracting domestic violence, access to comprehensive assistance for victims of domestic violence and the competence of employees of services performing tasks against domestic violence were increased,

the project “Family Assistance,” as a result of which 263 families received support in fulfilling care and educational functions,
the project “Specialised counselling and therapy,” which covered 261 families,
the project “Class Leader Academy,” with the participation of 69 children from 6 primary schools.

“Poznanianka” Social Cooperative

The “Poznanianka” Social Cooperative, established on the initiative of the City of Poznań and the Wielkopolska Province, assisted indebted people in paying rent for public housing and the long-term unemployed. The Cooperative employed 13 people under the employment contract and 9 people under the contract of mandate, and was performing contracts for municipal entities and private entrepreneurs, including: the Urban Transport Authority, the Urban Greenery Authority, the Urban Roads Authority, and the Regional Social Policy Centre.

Actions for social activation and inclusion

In 2017, as part of actions aimed at activation and social integration, the City of Poznań implemented the following programmes and projects:

the programme “Active Self-government,” the aim of which is to eliminate barriers limiting participation in social and professional life as well as access to education; 459 people benefited from the programme;
the project “Social services for the residents of Poznań” co-financed from the EU funds, whose objective was to facilitate access for dependent residents and disabled people to services provided in general interest, in the local community and their actual cares, through, inter alia, increasing the number of places where assistant and caring services are provided, the implementation of pro-quality activities in the system of social, care and home services, including the creation of a short-term residence for people with disabilities in place of their actual carers; as a target, the project is to reach over 1.1 thousand people;
the project “Phoenix” aimed at reducing the risk of poverty and social exclusion of 1.5 thousand people living in Poznań, including people with disabilities, among others, through increasing the chances of permanent and stable employment.

Help for the Roma community

The MOPR carried out measures for the integration of the Roma community residing in Poznań. A pro-ecological campaign was carried out in order to organise the allotment at ul. Lechicka with the participation of the local community to improve the living conditions of the Roma minority and win their trust in relation to the actions carried out by the institutions providing social assistance in Poznań. Vaccinations against measles, mumps and rubella were refunded for Roma people living in the camp at ul. Lechicka and they were provided with medical care as part of the Mobile Medical Aid Point.

Assistance to refugees

Assistance to refugees in the form of payment of benefits for maintenance and learning Polish was granted to one person with the refugee status and one person covered by subsidiary protection. In 2017, support for 8 families from Mariupol in Ukraine in the area of counselling, social and financial assistance, as well as in official matters related to applications for family benefits, housing allowances, assistance in filing tax forms and advice in the labour market, as well as in securing the health situation, educational assistance for children and teenagers, was continued. As a result of these actions, in 2017, 5 families became independent, while the remaining ones are still receive support from the City.