Recovery centers



The building next to where I am living is a recovery centre for men that have an addiction to gambling or alcohol. The organisation that runs the recovery centre is called Ngwala Willumbong. They aim to create a positive environment for change for people who have had their life affected by drugs, alcohol and gambling. They do this trough a holistic approach which recognise the physical, emotional and spiritual need of people. Ngwala provides rehabilitation services to men and woman at their residential centres in metropolitan and regional Victoria.



The centre next to me is called Galiamble and it is a 24 hours residential centre for alcohol and rehabilitation. The admission into the centre is on a voluntarily basis, but court referrals are also taken. The centre is trying to offer their clients a home with a relaxed atmosphere. Each day the clients need to participate in activities that range from cultural relevant self-help and other development programs, which are run by professional tutors. They are also doing a lot of aboriginal art that they further sell after. There is also provided a clinical psychologist that is available for consultants with the clients.



The length of the stay varies for each client but they are encouraged to stay for a minimum 3 months. This is to allow them time to fully understand their abusing problem and get enough time to develop the skills, strengths and strategies needed for a life outside the centre. I once asked one of the guys at the centre why they would put a recovery centre in St Kilda so near all the bars, pubs and other temptations. What he answered is kind of true. He sad if you go out of the gate after a certain time they wont let you in a again and you have to stay out the whole night. It’s also a way of teaching you that there is a real life going on outside the gate and that you need to find the strengths to stay away for all the temptations. It won’t be any easier when you get out, so it’s better to have it as a part of the process.



The centre also provide different services for the clients after they get out, like housing and accommodations, helping them find jobs so they can get their life back on the right track again.





References:

http://www.ngwala.org/services/rehabilitation.htm

How to guide disadvantage and homeless people in the right direction.



Every person deserves a second chance and that is what City to Street are interested in giving those people. Offering help to people with tailored program that suits each individual person, can help in achieving a very positive outcome. One organization in England that have specialized themselves in this area is “ Prince’s Trust”. They provide a program that is helping to break the life cycle of dependence on welfare support, unemployment. Also they are helping young people to see new opportunities and progress further in life, something that for many people think it’s not possible. They are helping people creating a better future for themselves, their families and the community they belong in (McElherton 2010).





This is what one of the member to Prince’s Trust experienced and wrote about:

"I am 17 years old and I joined the Prince’s Trust because I needed a change, something to support me and guide me in the right direction for a more positive life. Before I joined the Team Programme, I was involved in a lot of crime, drinks and some drugs. Nothing else mattered to me but my bad habits. I had no future, but the big dark lonely hole that I was slowly sinking into.

I thought it was the start of the end of my life, until 12 weeks ago, when I joined the Prince’s Trust Team Programme. Now I have all sorts of new qualifications and experiences and I’m doing very well. I now have something to wake up for in the morning for and I’m hoping to get on to a course in personal training”.

(McElherton, L. 2010)

Its important to do something about this now, to get these people into jobs and training skills, because the number of disadvantages and homeless people in Australia is staring to get high. City to Street wants to reach out to these people and give them the confidence and skills so they can enter the workforce. By this they can break out of the unemployment cycle and poverty. By helping and transferring these people will do a huge impact on their life, their families and communities but also of the country’s economy (Hannah 2011).















References

McElherton, L. 2010, Smart solution for disadvantage people, Nicva, viewed 26 April 2011, http://www.nicva.org/case-study/smart-solutions-disadvantaged-young-people



Hannah, 2011, Jobless youngsters to be offered training, inspiring interns.com, viewed 26 April 2011,

http://www.inspiringinterns.com/blog/2011/02/jobless-youngsters-to-be-offered-training/

HOMELESS WORLD CUP

Homeless World Cup was structured as a non-profit organization focused on alleviating homelessness through the power of sport through its partner organization. It is an international football tournament, where team formed up by people, who are completely homeless. The event has been held annually in countries around the world.

The people who are involved in Homeless Word Cup must:

* Have been homeless

* Be male or female and at least 16 years old at the time of the tournament

The Story

The idea of Homeless world cup is regarded as a social entrepreneurship venture, evaluated by Mel Young. “Social entrepreneurs employ entrepreneurial principles and innovative solutions to organize and manage a venture in order to create positive and widespread change, often in response to society’s most pressing social problems.”

In the early 1990’s, high unemployment rate and others social problems was significantly rising, in response to these situation, Young was motivated to attempt something to help homeless after he read the “Big Issue”. He fully understood homeless people, how they are struggling and facing with their life. And the result was a social enterprise what was self-financing after several months of taking off.

Young quickly started brainstorming various ways to connect homeless people together from different parts of the world. Then he realized football, a sport popular through the world, would be the best solution to connect homeless people. As a social entrepreneur, Young guarantee Homeless World Cup to fill the gap between what traditional non-profits were providing (food, homeless shelters…) and the real need- getting homeless people off the streets by inspiring them with motivation to be an active member of society and to create positive change in their lives.

Once Young had done that, he concentrated on marketing mode, promoting the venture to attract sustainable partnerships to fund and sponsor the venture and its annual tournament. As a result, he built a strong relationship with nearly 30 sustainable partnerships.

Currently the venture has been significantly successful. 58 nations annually gathers together to participate the event leading to dramatic growth in sponsorship revenue and donation.



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homeless_World_Cup

http://www.homelessworldcup.org/ http://hbr.org/product/homeless-world-cup-social-entrepreneurship-cause-m/an/E376-PDF-ENG

Australia’s Homeless Youth

36,000 homeless youth aged 12 – 24 roam the streets on any given night. Why are so many kids on the streets? And why have they been left to defend for themselves?

Poverty is not something most would associate with Australia but in these extreme cases people live on an income classified below the poverty line. In 2008, The Henderson Poverty Line was set at $710 per week for 2 adults and 2 kids. According to the ABS nearly 30% of households lived off less than $600 per week. These figures take meaning when considered with the steep rise in rent, fuel and food over the years. A report conducted by the National Youth Commission noted other social conditions that cause homelessness, such as low wage jobs, high rents, mental health problems, alcoholism and family breakdown.

When you throw a mix of these elements into a family environment the pressures would escalate. Kids are expected to financially provide at a young age and the most lucrative opportunities usually lie in crime and drugs. Their presence at school diminishes as they have become reliant to care for siblings. It’s a vicious cycle that usually results in kids growing up little or no education. The tension at home reaches breaking point and the kids end up on the street. This video belowis just one example of this problem..

During Kevin 07’ reign considerable funds were allocated to a homeless strategy, named “The White Paper on Homelessness”. Strategies like this don’t take shape instantly, it’ll take up to 5 years to see effect so its hard to say whether the inititive has been successful thus far. The three key strategies were to:

1. Improve homesless prevention
2. Improving and expanding the service system
3. Breaking cycle of homelessness

What do you think is the main prevention for homelessness?

References

http://www.wsws.org/articles/2008/aug2008/home-a12.shtml

http://www.homelessnessinfo.net.au/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&id=419&Itemid=47

This short video gives you an insight into how innovations in education can improve human welfare. This is directing it to the worst possible scenarios in slums, yet there are many key ideas which could be brought into western society to drive individuals and overcome the challenges of learning. 

Homelessness and Unemployment Unfortunately there’s no single cause for homelessness. If things were that clear prevention wouldn’t be so complex. Law and Justice of New South Wales compiled a range of causes:

• structural causes, including poverty, inadequate affordable housing and unemployment
• government fiscal and social policy causes, including economic and industrial reform, privatisation, availability of public housing and welfare expenditure
• cultural causes, such as dispossession of land and provision of culturally inappropriate accommodation to Indigenous populations
• individual causes, including mental illness, substance and alcohol addiction, gambling, domestic violence and family fragmentation.

The relationship between employement and housing plays a significant role in the cycle of homelessness. Picture someone who cant find work, eventually weekly expenses like rent and utilities become uncontrolable. Family and friends can accommodate but in most cases these situtations cannot last forever. For a 100,000 people in Australia this means sleeping on the streets is the only answer. Employment presents a way out of homelessness for these people. But how do you employ a segment that are skill deprived with little or no experience?

The Brotherhood of St Laurence and Youth Projects are two organisations that have been leaders in this field over the years, with successful projects providing disadvantage people with sustainable employment opportunities. Youth Projects, in particular offer an extensive range of services from health, outreach, community, employment, education and training. Luke O Connor, one of the many important employee’s that driveYouth Projects, achknowledges the importance of improving ones self esteem and sense of community. I think emphasis can be placed on improving ones living conditions, health and personal presentation so they feel their standard of living can be labelled ‘the norm’. YP take this aspect of the recovery serious with extensive pre employment healthcare, drug and alcohol, mental heatlh and training services to assist the person rejoining the workforce.

In one case, a man called Mick had a history of alcohol abuse and mental health issues. Having completed a BA Mick continued to drink heavily which had a negative impact on his mental health issues. After being referred to YP, Mick developed strategies to deal with stress and anxiety, curbing his alcoholism. Since he has commenced post graguate studies and continues to live a healthy lifestyle. This shows the need for such organisations as Youth Projects.



Its important to remember each homeless person has a story, their paths are unique so each recovery needs to be treated individually. Employment might provide housing but in some cases there are other sensitive issues, as mentioned above, like substance abuse and addiction that also need attention. The expectation for change cant solely be placed on providing adequate housing. It’s a major area that needs addressing but must be viewed as one part of a larger picture. For instance, if a disadvantage person aquires employment and can now afford rent, will this matter if the person continues to abuse drugs, suffer from health issues or hold a negative attitude towards society? How long will an employer neglect  this behaviour?

For this reason City to Street will reinvest profits into consulting, concilling, therapy and healthcare to gear towards a holistic recovery approach.

References

http://www.lawfoundation.net.au/report/homeless/04DC79A879007298CA25707600172EA5.html

http://www.youthprojects.org.au/our-clients/my-story/martinas-story

This video is a prime example of innovative ways to create ways of engaging and connecting with youth. 

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