Fundación Punjab

Description

The building with public accommodation of Santa Cruz de Tenerife street is a public-owned building with 35 flats, whose great majority is occupied by families belonging to the gypsy ethnic group.

In 2006, the Ministry of Land and Housing intervenes through the Valencian Institute of Housing (IVVSA), in order to “reactivate and normalize this area of the city of Castellón”.

First, we decide to move families to other town accommodations facilities and other flats obtained through IVVSA, waiting to suggest them one of the houses of the public park of the Generalitat.

At the present time, most of the families found themselves placed definitively and a few of them are still waiting for a final rehousing.

A scattering policy has been realized with these families, in order to avoid creating other ghettoes and to prevent thus a new process of social and local deterioration. Things being like this, they implemented the DOMUS Project from the Punjab Foundation in order to make the transition to a new context of a neighbor and nearby entity easier, entity which enjoys the recognition of the Community and public institutions.

This way, from 2006 until now, conventions are signed in collaboration with the Town Council of Castellón, in order to guarantee the protection of families throughout the process

General objectives

Monitoring and supporting the families who are rehoused for good to promote and encourage the normalization of their current situation as families who integrate a new social community and a new neighbourhood.

Supporting and monitoring the needs of other families who are in a situation of temporary rehousing and waiting for a permanent site (mostly tenant families).

Supporting and monitoring families who, because of personal, social and/or economic circumstances, decided to change the house offered by the IVVSA, by another one that adapted their current circumstances.

Specific objectives

Promoting the knowledge and the access to different community resources of the new district (schools, outpatients’ departments, neighborhood associations, Social Services, etc.).

To carry out punctual accompaniments, by encouraging the autonomy, in case of steps and handling that the beneficiaries do not know (place, means, required conditions…).

Establishing a link between the families and the social fabric of the gypsy community (Punjab Foundation, Arco Iris Project, Brújula…).

Informing and making available to beneficiaries all the resources provided by the different associations which they can benefit from (Access Plan, By Right Project, Cambrí Project, Four Seasons School, Arco Iris Project, Brújula…).

Referring the different professionals of the social services to beneficiaries who need their assistance, by establishing links between families and different institutions.

Methodology

The support and monitoring work of rehoused families is realized thanks to a multidisciplinary team who coordinates the DOMUS project.

The methodological orientation of the work team is based on social, community and educational criteria coming from different social disciplines (psychology, social education, intercultural mediation, etc.).

With the interventions of the Work Team, we aspire to improve a whole range of circumstances, previously detailed, by making all the families participate to the intervention process, in order to improve their training concerning possible needs and requests, with the precise purpose of carrying out the complete autonomy of the beneficiaries (looking for information, resources, handlings, steps, requests…).

To manage it, we will realize a diagnostic evaluation in which their requests and initial needs provoked by the change of accommodation and their integration to the new community take place.

Intervention strategies

·    Visits at home in the new houses.
·    Individual interviews with the different members of the family.
·    Punctual accompaniments to different services, by encouraging the participation and the autonomy of the beneficiaries.
·    Referring the different professionals to social services.
·    Monitoring the personal, social and family evolution thanks to recurring visits and phone calls.
·    Drafting of individual reports and monitoring forms concerning the satisfaction with the new flat and by providing primary needs.