Homelessness is a complex phenomenon in today’s societies. As such, it is both a manifestation of extreme poverty and social exclusion and a symptom of globalisation and systemic changes in the world economy.
Nevertheless, there is a significant research gap regarding the financial, institutional, and social sustainability of homeless service providers, which are the main type of service providers in most EU Member States, especially in Eastern European countries such as Croatia. This study addresses this gap with a mixed methods approach that includes a literature review, a survey of all Croatian homeless service providers, and a focus group with selected providers. The result is that the temporary funding of projects is one of the main problems in attracting and retaining staff and volunteers and ensuring
the longevity of the service. We find that civil society organisations (CSOs) from large cities have better financial prospects and find it easier to find adequate staff than those in smaller cities. In terms of social sustainability, much of the success is based on the commitment and social capital of the
individual members of the CSOs. We propose that the current project-based funding scheme is changed on the national level into a contract-based funding system to enable a stable financial structure, a more attractive working environment, and a better social reintegration rate for users.
Read the full study here.