Homelessness in Croatia: trends, policies and results

Prikazani su trendovi, politike i rezultati beskućništva u Hrvatskoj od devedesetih godina 20. stoljeća do zakonodavnog reguliranja pravnog statusa beskućnika i stjecanja članstva u Europskoj uniji. Civilno društvo prepoznato je kao nezaobilazan dionik u osmišljavanju i pružanju usluga beskućnicima te kao oslonac institucijama, osnažujući tako model kombinirane socijalne politike. Radi boljeg razumijevanja doprinosa civilnog društva u području beskućništva, provedeno je kvalitativno istraživanje. Intervjuirano je pet predstavnika udruga iz pet različitih hrvatskih gradova, a koje izravno pružaju različite usluge beskućnicima. Ispitanici daju uvid u svoje viđenje o vlastitim doprinosima, prepoznatim izazovima i potencijalima, te o mogućnostima uspostavljanja suradnje s drugim relevantnim dionicima. Udruge svoj doprinos prepoznaju u osiguravanju usluga širokog spektra, dok prednosti prepoznaju u neovisnom, slobodnijem i žurnijem radu u odnosu na druge odgovorne aktere. Izazovi s kojima se suočavaju mogu se podijeliti u tri kategorije – obilježja vezana uz korisnike, poteškoće s birokracijom i poteškoće u organizacijskom i financijskom djelovanju udruga. Sudionici prepoznaju važnost socijalnih inovacija, no nailaze na probleme prilikom njihove implementacije radi izostanka podrške središnje, regionalne i lokalne vlasti. Prepoznata je važnost doprinosa volonterskog angažmana, a spremnost zajednice da pomogne je velik. Udruge, iako otvorene na suradnju, nailaze na prepreke u ostvarivanju njenog punog potencijala.Trends, policies and results of homelessness in Croatia from the 1990s to the legislative regulation of the legal status of the homeless and the acquisition of membership in the European Union are presented. Civil society is recognized as an indispensable stakeholder in the design and delivery of services to the homeless and as a support for institutions, thus strengthening the model of combined social policy. For better understanding of the contribution of civil society in the field of homelessness, a qualitative survey was conducted. Five representatives of NGOs from five different Croatian cities, which directly provide various services to the homeless, were interviewed. Respondents provide insight into their views on their own contributions, identified challenges and potentials, and on the possibilities of establishing cooperation with other relevant stakeholders. NGOs recognize their contribution to the provision of a wide range of services, while they recognize the advantages of working independently, more freely and more quickly than other responsible actors. The challenges they face can be divided into three categories - characteristics related to users, difficulties with bureaucracy and difficulties in the organizational and financial activities of associations. Participants recognize the importance of social innovation, but encounter problems in their implementation due to the lack of support from central, regional and local authorities. The importance of the contribution of volunteer engagement has been recognized, and the willingness of the community to help is great. Although open to cooperation, the associations face obstacles in realizing its full potential