Dear  Colleagues,

Twenty years ago,   on  10-11-12 December 1992 at Rome,  SMES organized the 1^st  European  seminar, whose the title and the theme was:  "Mentally ill people at risk of homelessness :  prevention - rehabilitation - assistance". 

After 20 years of national and European programs for fighting poverty and health deinstitutionalisation reforms, aimed at the promotion of community mental health systems, we wish to propose again an European Forum in  ROME: 06-07-08 March 2013,  where we can to deepen the ideas, to exchange the experiences and knowledge, to appraise the innovations and experimentations , to propose absolute priority.

During those 20 years  what has changed in a positive or negative way?  
What's changed about:   ideas and aptitudes   -   policies and resources   - services and practices ?

What can and should  change?

Home-less & home-first:   the word   HOME   exceeds the spatial dimension of shelter and housing, but includes especially existential/ belonging  and social/ participation  dimensions ! We will consider mainly the situation of  more vulnerable people, for whom the loss of   'home  - belonging'   is a cause and/or consequence of unbearable social and psychic suffering: exclusion ! 

Person first:  when people loses the dimension of belonging, will become  invisible or so much dramatically visible!  on abandonment of the street . For this people what can still mean "equal access to quality health and social services for all..."  if and when they in the first are not recognized on their dignity as persons and non more respected on their fundamental rights, as citizens ?  

Home–first & Person first could become the leitmotif of the preparation and realisation of conference, where the visits and exchanges of services and innovative practices, would offer us the inspiration for new ideas and proposals for promotion of dignity and access to well-being of

Homeless and mentally suffering people", abandoned on the streets, living in reception centres and in precarious housing conditions, visible tip of a structural society phenomenon which is more serious and widespread than it appeared.

A special attention we will focus on "rejected" migrants, suffering not only of social exclusion but of  "active rejection". Their condition of permanent bad-being in their origin country, during their dramatic crossings and finally in front of the active rejection of those who hoped welcoming and compassionate,  collapses these people in situations of despair when they could become a real asset to the country that receives them.

The June 2012  Quarterly Review by European Commission  shows a rise in homelessness in many countries because of the economic crisis. Young people and migrants are disproportionately affected. The European Council called last week on the Member States and the Commission to work on adequate schemes to address homelessness.   The n the European Union (EU) shows that homelessness is increasing in the EU:   Homelessness is expected to become an increasingly serious social problem over the coming years. It is increasing in particular amongst foreign nationals and young people. The review shows that budget-cuts in the context of austerity measures reduce the capacity of services and welfare measures to alleviate homelessness. Homelessness is a serious challenge for the EU.
At the same time it is clear that countries which develop and maintain effective, integrated strategies to tackle the problem continue to make progress. Conversely, those which lack effective policies or criminalise homelessness are unable to achieve this. Even countries that have made good progress on homelessness in the past face a reversal of their success if they cut funding and abandon more ambitious policies.   (EU Employment and Social Situation Quarterly Review – June 2012)

This conference  will present some innovative experiments projects (1), which will be discussed and evaluated in order to highlight to policy makers and administrators the priorities  of people living in situations of extreme poverty, discrimination, mental health and social precariousness.

 How to promote citizenship, participation and integration ?

SMES-Europa in proposing this conference in Rome, would like to invite to participate actively especially those who - in the frontline - are daily confronted with situations of extreme poverty, denial of fundamental rights, abandonment in chronic situations to this promotion of   "change -exchanging"   (cf. 1)

Note that the dimension  'work and participation'  are concerning all categories of vulnerable people.

In conclusion: the project Home-less & Home-first could become, in this particularly difficult period for the services that operate in social and health sectors, an opportunity for creative renewal to identify, evaluate and propose - together with European colleagues - alternative and innovative responses,  appropriate and efficient.

Resignation is an inherent risk in the face of situations that - especially now - seem to get ever worse. 
Indignation is not enough, especially when confronted by those who claim increasingly becomes dull. 
Get involved, because together we can change, motivated to take up this challenge, both professional and humanistic, this is what SMES-Europa hopes and aims for 2012.

Luigi Leonori
President of SMES-Europa

1.  cf.: project http://www.smes-europa.org/DIGNITY_&_WELLBEING.htm