The Cooperation Fund Foundation and the Housing First Poland Foundation have begun work on a needs assessment for the implementation of the Housing First Poland programs, with a particular focus on Warsaw. The first stage of the assessment is to determine the scale of job demand using the Housing First method. The research tool is the FISZKA (File for the diagnosis of mental health problems) questionnaire, addressed to employees of aid institutions.
The FISZKA is a survey addressed to employees of non-governmental organizations, state and local government institutions operating in the field of mental health and/or homelessness, whose clients, clients, and patients include individuals experiencing homelessness for at least three years and who are suspected (or diagnosed) of having mental disorders or addictions.
If among the people you work for, help, or treat are those in the situation described above, please review and complete the FISZKA (File). You can download and print the flashcard in PDF format (attachment), download and complete it in MS Word, or fill it out in the electronic Google Forms form: https://forms.gle/st96VeGtkwiykZAf8
Please send the completed flashcards to us:
Paper flashcards to: “Piermieszkanie” (Apartment First), Cooperation Fund Foundation, ul. Górnośląska 4a, 00-444 Warsaw
Flashcards in MS Word/electronic format, scans, etc.: http://najpierwmieszkanie@cofund.org.pl
Flashcards completed in Google Forms will be automatically delivered to you.
Flashcards submitted by January 10, 2020, will be considered in the first stage of the assessment and the first phase of program recruitment.
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The “Housing First” method was created primarily for individuals experiencing mental health crises and long-term homelessness. These are the excluded among the excluded. Their health conditions prevent them from meeting the requirements set by existing assistance institutions, even those focused on supporting people experiencing homelessness. Unfortunately, we do not have data on the number of people in this situation in Warsaw or in Poland, which poses a barrier to meaningful planning for effective assistance, such as the number of places in Housing First programs or the number of programs nationwide. According to research conducted outside Poland, people in this situation constitute a small percentage, ranging from 5% to 10% of the total number of people experiencing homelessness who receive assistance for this purpose.
We sincerely hope that, thanks to your involvement, we will jointly improve the assessment of support needs using the Housing First method.
