CURANTCohousing and Casemanagement for Unaccompanied
young adult Refugees in ANTwerp
Jolien De Crom, Helsinki, 18 september 2018
Vlog CURANT
The UIA initiative
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European Commission
€ 371 million (2015-2020) separated in different calls
Innovative ideas for certain topics
Cities with minimum of 50 000 inhabitants
Investment ERDF budget
80 % grant and 20 % co-financing
Partnership
Measurement of results
Dissemination of results
3 years implementation and 1 year dissemination
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From brainstorm to UIA city
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Interactive workshop with
partners and stakeholders
Benchmarking for
innovativeness Individual meetings
with project partners
The CURANT project
ERDF budget: € 4 894 303.32 (Europe)
Total budget: € 6 117 879.15
(City of Antwerp + partners = 20 %)
1 November 2016 - 31 October 2019
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The challenge
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Influx of refugees into cities
13 833 recognised refugees in Belgium (51% from all asylum seekers get recognised)
6 482 recognised refugees in Antwerp, where 3 949 received financial social benefit (January 1st 2017)
Complete lack of ‘protection’ for refugee unaccompanied minors who reach the age of adulthood:
psychological trauma’s
housing problems (shelter stops at 18 year)
leaving school unqualified
no legal guardian
no customized trajectories
no intensive follow up by social worker
no monitoring of the target group
The CURANT solution
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Minimal 75 trajectories/duo’s (couples) in 3 years
Unaccompanied
young adult refugee
(17-22 years)
Together:
• living room
• kitchen
• bathroom
Young volunteer
(20-30 years)
One-2-one integration
Original Idea
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Living-Knowing-Working
Profile target group
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‘Flemish’ buddies
- Strong buddies
- 20-30 years old
- Check criminal record
=> communication
campaign to attract them
Recognised refugees or people
with subsidiary protection
- 17-22 year
- Unaccompanied (no parents)
- Need for support
- Self reliant enough to live ‘alone’, (no
need for daily social assistance )
- Check criminal record
- Some level of Dutch
- Connection with Antwerp
=> Sign in by OKAN schools, guardians,
shelters …
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Screening and matching
Project partners
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Atlas, Integratie en Inburgering AntwerpenIntegration course, Dutch classes,volunteer work, leisure time
Vormingplus regio AntwerpenSearch and coaching buddies
JES vzwActivation trajectory
SolentraPsychological trauma relief(in group and individual)
CeMis – Universiteit AntwerpenResearch on integration and cohousing
Housing
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Housing by City of Antwerp: 63 duo units
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6bought units = 1 big
studenthouse
16modular units
on 1 location
through the city
CURANT4
renovated units
37rental units from private
landlords (2 and 4 bedroomunits)
6 duo’s in 12 studio’s
1 crisisstudio
Student house
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16 duo’s (32 people) in 16 duo apartments
Merksem: suburbs of Antwerp
Mutual spaces: extra kitchen, washing area, relaxing area, study room
BREM 16
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Filmpje ATV
Update project
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Total: 57 trajectories
(5 trajectories evaluated as negative)
43 duo’s living together at this moment (86 people)
Keep looking for buddies and newcomers
Training social workers on the topic of case management
Connect with wider stakeholders and set up a stakeholders
group + conference around the topic
Inventing and producing new trainings for the youngsters
Dissemination in (inter)national conferences
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Innovativeness
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Cohousing refugee- Flemish youngster
Integrated circular trajectories with case management
Measurement on target group
New target group: focus on +18!
Building expertise center in Antwerp
New partnership around the target area
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Lessons learned
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May 2017
CURANT: groundwork for evaluation and literature study
literature study and methodology
May 2018
CURANT: First Evaluation Report
First experiences and expectations buddies and refugees + profile
Survey’s (29 buddies and 35 refugees) + in depth interview
(16 buddies + 15 refugees + observations of activities)
2nd and 3th evaluation in 2019
First evaluation by Cemis (University of Antwerp)
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Average age: 24
Gender: almost 50/50
Altruistic reasons for participating: wanting to help
Personal reasons: diversify social network and grow as a person
Most of the time practical support
Refugees seems to have less support needed then initially expected
Busy so less social interaction then expected (other day routines)
Interaction can’t be expected as easy and normal,
because they live together
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Profile buddies
70 % Afghanistan (other: Syria, Iraq, Somalia, Eritrea)
Want to improve Dutch and social contact
with cohousing
Bigger network then expected but homogeneous
Family is most important
Bed room is really important
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Profile refugees
Bottlenecks
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Difficult search for suitable housing distrust owners
Lack of legal framework cohousing
Recruiting suitable buddies idealistic image
Search for refugees: refugees want freedom, project is unknown
with stakeholders + language and motivation
Cohabitation difficulties
Too many activities, busy trajectories
Refugee want work/earn money curant wants to improve school
Lack of clear partnerships with stakeholders around target group
Case managing target group is new idea
Public procurement and bureaucratic rules delays
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Questions?
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Jolien De Crom
project manager CURANT
+32 499 41 96 61
www.uia-initiative.eu/en/uia-cities/antwerp
(To see more documents, reports, photos and updates)