Problem addressed

During the economic crisis that began in 2008, the welfare system in the Netherlands struggled to effectively respond to the challenge of providing support to people in the areas of housing, education, employment and mobility. The unemployment rate in the country increased, but it was the surge in the levels of homelessness, increasing by 74% between 2009 and 2015, that significantly stretched public services.

Innovative solution

WijEindhoven (‘We Eindhoven’) offers direct support to people in need to fill the gap left by a lack of capacity in public social services. It is innovative in that it brings together a range of actors to provide support that is highly tailored to individuals. The support is designed not just to address one specific problem, but to put into place holistic solutions that lead to sustainable behavioural change in the individual.

The project is based on a system of general advisors, who work with people in need of support to formulate a customised plan, helping them to solve their problems. If a resident is facing any sort of societal challenge, they can get into contact with the organisation by calling or visiting one of the walk-in centres during consultation hours. In the walk-in centres, the resident can meet with a ‘generalist’ advisor, namely a person who can provide support on a wide range of issues and act as intermediary between residents and specialists. The generalists have expertise in areas such as care (for children, elderly people and people with disabilities) and addiction-related issues (alcohol and drugs). If the issue faced by the beneficiary cannot be solved straight away, the organisation arranges ‘kitchen table discussions’, during which a generalist will meet with the beneficiary and become their regular point of contact. During this meeting, the generalist will discuss with the beneficiary, in more depth, the kind of support they need, as well as how the organisation can provide it. The generalist will assist the beneficiary in setting goals such as finding work, cleaning the house, taking care of children, reducing financial debts, or further participating in neighbourhood activities. When setting goals, the beneficiary and the generalist also explore who is best placed to help achieve these objectives, including friends, neighbours, or local organisations.

If more support is needed, the generalist helps the beneficiary to set out and implement a customised plan with the support of services offered by the municipality. If the situation is particularly complicated and the generalist cannot provide enough help, a specialist can be involved. At the end of the process, WijEindhoven contacts the beneficiary to understand whether the solutions that the project recommended and helped implement were successful.

The WijEindhoven project was established in 2012 and became a foundation in 2015.

Key results and benefits

WijEindhoven started as a project, but it has now become a fully-fledged organisation that employs 500 people, with about 350 generalists working in 10 teams. It has 32 entry points that potential beneficiaries can access. The target group of the organisation are residents of the city of Eindhoven of any age. The beneficiaries report that they benefit from the generalists’ support, as they really listen to them and help them to overcome their challenges as quickly as possible. According to URBACT, 90% of the evaluations of the support provided were positive. The overall idea is that if the system is well managed, a larger number of people are able to fall back on their own strengths and networks, becoming more self-reliant, and less dependent on specialised support.

Potential for mainstreaming

WijEindhoven is particularly successful in the city of Eindhoven because the level of community engagement in the Netherlands is higher than in most European countries. Given the need to recruit generalists and establish a network of support for beneficiaries, high levels of community engagement are needed. This would be a key condition for a successful transfer to another context.

WijEindhoven receives funding from the European Social Fund (ESF). This support has enabled the organisation to resize and refocus the project. ‘The Eindhoven Approach’ has been nominated for an ESF award in 2018, thanks to its goal to help residents of any age, ability, origin or education to increase self-reliance and regain control of their own lives.