Problem addressed

The project itself builds on nearly 20 years of work by Depaul Slovakia with homeless people in its services and addresses the lack of low-threshold residential services. The applicant has extensive experience working with homeless people with substance use disorders; it was the first organization in Slovakia to establish the very first low-threshold night shelter in Bratislava, which currently has a capacity of 200 beds.

Innovative solution

The purpose of the project is to create a sufficiently adequate and safe space for working with homeless individuals struggling with addiction who are repeat clients of the applicant, as their addiction prevents them from taking the next step toward integration. Upon completion of the project, a new social service will be established, which will complement the range of low-threshold crisis intervention services in Slovakia while implementing an innovative approach to working with homeless individuals with substance use disorders. The main output of the project—the implementation of an innovative method for managing alcohol consumption within a new type of social service—will support the proposals in the approved National Concept, which mentions the need for the creation of this type of service. Based on the applicant’s internal statistics, some clients of residential services repeatedly return, as a condition of their stay is managing their addiction, yet the services provide almost no support in this regard. After their condition improves and they subsequently leave the service, their addiction resurfaces; they are unable to stop drinking alcohol overnight. The project will create a space to address the needs of this marginalized group of homeless people, whose lives are constrained by addiction, and one of the steps toward integration is the gradual reduction of that addiction. The idea of providing residential services for homeless people with addictions in Slovakia is groundbreaking, given that residential services are typically conditional on merit and complete abstinence. The main activity of the project was inspired by data from our partner, Depaul Ireland, which began providing this service in 2004. The outcome of the project will be the implementation of alcohol management in the Slovak context. 

Key results and benefits

The project proposer expects that clients receiving comprehensive support (social, psychological, and community-based), through the application of alcohol management methods, will gradually begin to work toward changing their life circumstances with the long-term goal of reintegration. The project will support that group of homeless people who are motivated to change their life situation but are limited by addiction.

Potential for mainstreaming

The multidisciplinary team will focus on the specific needs of the project’s target group, tailored to their capabilities, by providing innovative tools to reduce dependency. By creating a space to address the current social situation with the active participation of clients, access to quality services will be improved and the risk of social exclusion will be reduced. The applicant will retain the positions of professional staff, who will both seek out new clients and work with those already enrolled in the new social service. Upon the project’s completion, the organization will have established a multidisciplinary team implementing an innovative method that enables it to address clients’ alcohol use holistically. At the same time, it will continue to seek opportunities to expand and improve the newly established social service. It will also expand its personnel and professional capacities to provide the service at an appropriate scale and quality. Thanks to the creation of the project’s professional team, the organization will be able to increase the number of homeless people using its crisis intervention services (night shelter, outreach social work, low-threshold day center) even after the project ends, integrating them and helping them end their homelessness.