Soul-Lifter

Those who are poor and enter the homeless care system in Hungary are guaranteed basic survival at best, with no possibility of complex, individual, long-term support. In an overburdened system, psychological support is barely available. The most difficult aspect of homelessness is that it is the result of a series of losses and traumas, which there is no space, money or 'people' to deal with. Meanwhile, mainstream society expects the person to recover quickly: go to work, keep their job, find housing, be well. The street-to-institution class lives days without comfort, without a space of their own, without sustaining human relationships, without a community, and women are deprived of their feminine roles. They also often mistrust their helpers and survive their days with clenched teeth.

Due to the specific circumstances in our country (housing and social crisis) we cannot provide housing for everyone, but we try to make everyday life more bearable in the long run. At our Day Care Centre, we organise Wellness Days (separate for men and women), days of relaxation and comfort in a safe and accepting environment. We organise SELF-AWARENESS GROUPS with a trained guide for women staying overnight at the hostel base. Here, the need for community quickly transforms participants into a mutually supportive community and better self-advocates. With the mentoring of social workers and the involvement of supervision, volunteer mental health professionals provide a unique INDIVIDUAL FACILITATIVE CONVERSATIONS to those who need it. All our services are free of charge for participants.

Methodologically: we work via close professional training and support, in complex cooperation with social professionals. Professional and organisational work is conducted by coordinators, building on the work of the care institutions. This is important - we bring our services to the place, in a predictable environment for the clients. Our volunteer coordinator recruits volunteer helpers and professionals. We build relationships with our existing volunteers and with universities and businesses to ensure success. Each programme is introduced to the institution by a local coordinator, mentor or team leader, jointly with the central coordinator. Supervision of individual counsellors are supervised by the central coordinator. The application writing is carried out by our fundraising officer.

It is important that the elements build on each other - although they are not the same and in the same place, we offer the other project element in the interest of the client. Many of the pro bono project elements are innovative and thus, in addition to the financial ones, the Soul Lifter also serves the social sensitisation. Over the years, partner organisations have also cooperated, e.g. by handing over donations, mediating service providers, providing venues. This is important - it reduces the competitive spirit that would otherwise be possible and strengthens cooperation between the players in the sector. In the first period, young volunteers specifically applied for EU funding. This process (application and joint project implementation) was an exciting experience for them and for us!

As well as being a great novelty for us, making of the short film will greatly improve our communication with our target audiences. Also, an important point was our professional conference in the autumn. This was explicitly aimed at sensitising social helpers to our topic. The focus was on the importance of mental support for homeless people. Our aim was to think together with those working in the homelessness care sector. It was an opportunity to get to know each other's activities and to recharge our batteries together. We received praise from colleagues afterwards. It was also an innovative event: such an occasion had never been held! Our aim is to spread trauma-informed thinking, to share good examples and to raise awareness: it is possible to provide quality services with little money