POVERTY, HOMELESSNESS

AND FREEDOM

“The residential well-being space for immigration. An approach from the standpoint of capabilities”

Homelessness and Poverty in Europe

- International and European Perspectives -

Paris Friday 18 September 2009

Guillem Fernàndez Evangelista

Associació ProHabitatge – Autonomous University of Barcelona

PRESENTATION OVERVIEW

FOCUS ON CAPABILITIES WHEN ANALYSING POVERTY AND

HOMELESSNESS

THE HOME AND THE CHAIN OF SUSTAINABILITY OF HUMAN

NEEDS

THE RESIDENTIAL WELL-BEING SPACE APPLIED TO

IMMIGRATION IN SPAIN

CONCLUSIONS

SECTION 1:

CAPABILITY APPROACH

POVERTY – SOCIAL EXCLUSION – HOMELESSNESS

4

The essential concepts of the theory are mutually

conditioning, although one does not necessarily lead to the other.

THE CAPABILITY APPROACH (Amartya Sen and Martha Nussbaum)

Entitlements

Satisfiers

Capabilities

Functionings

Endowments

Based on Jurgen Schuldt (1998)

POVERTY, SOCIAL EXCLUSION IN TERMS OF CAPABILITIES

5

POVERTY Poverty as capability deprivation (that is, poverty seen as the lack of the capability to live a minimally decent life). Poverty is not only a lack of income or of goods and services. What’s most important is the potential to achieve coverage and expansion of people’s capabilities. SOCIAL EXCLUSION Manifests a failing in people’s capability to achieve the desired goals in their lives. It is a particular way of depriving one of one’s capabilities, specifically relational ones. The importance of the concept of social exclusion is not that it is a new way of thinking about poverty; rather, social exclusion is a part of poverty, understood as being stripped of capabilities, and as the origin of other deprivations of capabilities. The novelty lies in highlighting the relational roots of poverty. FREEDOM Freedom in terms of capabilities refers to the degree to which a person is free to choose specific levels of functionings. The freedom of a person to choose between different lifestyles. But also, at the same time, freedom in itself. One thing is the opportunities offered by freedom, and another is the processes through which freedom is materialised.

HOW IS HOMELESSNESS DEFINED IN TERMS OF CAPABILITIES?

6

WHAT IS A HOME IN TERMS OF CAPABILITIES? The concept of home is a construct of each person, and it is understood as a person’s ability to choose the type of home they value, but defined by the set of opportunities from which to choose, i.e. the freedom that the person actually has. We understand the concept of home based on what each person contributes when the space is “inhabited”, and also what the habitation brings to is. HOME AS MIDFARE Midfare is the states of persons caused by goods. Capabilities are viewed as “skills for certain basic things”, and in addition, “the other things that goods can do for people besides providing capabilities”. Goods do various types of things for people:

- They give them capabilities that can be used (or not). - They contribute to the performance of valuable activities and to achieving desirable states. - They prompt other desirable states directly, without the need for their beneficiaries to exercise any capabilities.

A satisfier satisfies more than one need at a time

HOW IS HOMELESSNESS DEFINED IN TERMS OF CAPABILITIES?

7

WHEN DOES A HOME NOT EXIST? A person can find himself in different situations of homelessness when there are obstacles to achieving the functionings that provide well-being (or a home). For example:

Very low endowments

Problems in the rules of access for satisfiers

Lack of satisfiers (or of adequate satisfiers)

Lack of capabilities

Lack of freedom

A RESIDENTIAL PERSPECTIVE OF THE THEORY OF CAPABILITIES

8

Purchasing

Power

Housing Rights

Non

Discrimination

Housing

Social Housing

Shelters

Keeping

Housing inadequate condition

Home

Legacies

Endowments Entitlements Satisfiers Capabilities Functionings

Homeless

SECTION 2:

THE HOME AND THE CHAIN OF SUSTAINABILITY OF HUMAN

NEEDS

THE CHAIN OF SUSTAINABILITY OF HUMAN NEEDS (Enric Tello)

Where are the satisfaction of people’s needs sustained?

10

MARKET

STATE

COMMUNITY

FAMILY

NATURAL SYSTEM

HOUSING MARKET

POLICY AND

LAWS: HOUSING…

COMPATRIOTS

NGOs NEIGHBOURHOOD FEDS.

PERSONALGROWTH

HEAT, COLD, WATER,

CLIMATE

THE WELL-BEING SPACE

MARKETS

STATE

COMMUNITY

FAMILY

NATURAL

SYSTEMS

Purchaising pow.

Human Rights

Reciprocal neighbourlin

Biased reciprocity

Housing, rooms

Social housing

Mutual Support

Love, care...

Resources Services

Property or free acces

WE

LL-B

EIN

G OR

LA

CK T

HE

RE O

F C

ap

ab

ilities a

nd fu

nctio

nnin

gs

SATISFIERS SUSTAINABILITY CHAIN ENTITLEMENTS

MIDFARE

Social milieu enabling the development of different ways of designing life

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PART 3:THE RESIDENTIAL WELL-BEING

SPACE APPLIED TO IMMIGRATION IN SPAIN

POVERTY TRENDS IN SPAIN. FOESSA (2008)

13

Downward trend of monetary poverty from 1973 to 1990.

Halt in the decline in poverty during the first half of the 1990s.

This change occurs in a context of economic growth.

Poverty in Spain continues to be high at 19.5%. ECV (2006)

There is a segment of extreme poverty ranging from 2.6% to 4% of the population, as considered respectively, 25% or 30% of the adjusted mean income.

IMMIGRATION

- The poverty rates among immigrants are considerably higher than among Spaniards.

- The poverty rates among non-European immigrants are very high. - The severe poverty rates among immigrants approaches 20% of the total immigrant

households.

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IMMIGRATION AND SOCIAL EXCLUSION IN SPAIN. FOESSA (2008)

Half of all homeless people are foreigners, although in many cases we find seasonal workers; the profile of a destructured person is not as common.

One out of every three prisoners is foreign. Importance of the characteristics of the

Spanish sentencing system and international criminal networks.

A growing share of single-parent households and of women who are victims of gender violence.

A significant share of youths at risk of exclusion.

Increase in mental illness as a result of the tensions generated by the migratory

process. Creation of a specific pathology: “Ulysses syndrome”.

A majority of the prostitution in Spain comes from abroad. The Gypsy community has also felt the effect of immigration by the Romani

communities from Eastern Europe.

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HOUSING MARKET:

OWNER / RENT ROOMS

HOUSING POLICY AND REGULATIONS,

SOCIAL SERVICES

MACRO LEVEL

MARKET- Housing prices are estimated to have risen 86.4% from 1997 to 2001, while wages increased only 15%.

- The number of dwellings built in 2005 reached 800,000 (FR + GR + UK).

- Between 1991 – 2001 vacant dwellings increased 25.5%.

TYPES OF TENURE (%)

45,9

51,963,4

73,1 78,3 82

51,3

41,3 30,120,8 15,2 11,5

0

20

40

60

80

100

1950 1960 1970 1981 1991 2001

Owned Rented

IMMIGRATION AND HOUSING. COLECTIVO IOE (2005)

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As opposed to the local-born population, the majority of which are homeowners, foreign residents live mostly in rental dwellings.

OWNED AND RENTED HOUSING ACCORDING TO NATIONALITY BY REGOINS OF ORIGIN (2001. CENSUS)

0

25

50

75

100

Spain

EU - 15

Easte

rn E

urope

Africa

Latin

Am

eric

a

Oth

er C

ountries

Owned

Rented

IMMIGRATION AND HOUSING. COLECTIVO IOE (2005)

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Basic utilities and appliances (electric power, running water, bath with bathtub or shower, kitchen and refrigerator) are enjoyed by more than 96% of inmigrants from peripheral countries. Therefore, the vast majority are covered for these basic services, though often shared with other members living in the same household.

The immigrant population lives in far smaller dwellings than the local-born population,

with overcrowding being far more common among the former (19%) than the latter (2.5%).

HOUSING OCCUPANCY OF THE IMMIGRANT POPULATION FROM PERIPHERAL COUNTRIES LIVING IN CITIES

5%12,9%

30,4%

47,2%

4,5%

Owners

Independent tenants

Sublet tenants

Employer home

Other situation

IMMIGRATION AND HOUSING. COLECTIVO IOE (2005)

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STATE The investment in social protection allocated to Housing and Social Exclusion is less

than half that of the European average Social housing in proportion to free housing declined sharply, particularly rental social

housing. SOCIAL HOUSING IN RELATION AVAILABLE HOUSING (Finished Units)

0

100.000

200.000

300.000

400.000

500.000

600.000

700.000

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

Free Housing Social Housing

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SEGMENTATION OF THE HOUSING MARKET

- The distribution of rental housing has an effect on the distribution of the population.

- Lower-income families cannot access home ownership status = Concentration of economic poverty in city areas with highest rental rates.

- Rex and Moore (1967) “Housing classes” (social classes defined by the dwellings in which they live)

COMMUNITY MESO LEVEL

SPATIAL CONCENTRATION OF INEQUALITY IN SPANISH CITIES Approximately one out of every four people residing in Spanish municipalities with populations over 20,000 inhabitants lives in underprivileged neighbourhoods. That is, 4-5 million people, accounting for more than 12% of Spain’s population, live their lives in urban areas where difficult social situations are concentrated. RESIDENTIAL SEGREGATION AND CAPABILITIES “Residential segregation” is an element that affects the community and determines the forms of entry and exit, both of public and market goods and services. That is, they affect the entitlements and satisfiers of the Well-being Space, which generates signs that Residential Segregation deteriorates community life and the collective capability for action, being associated with violence and mistrust.

Source: IMMIGRATION AND HOUSING. COLECTIVO

IOE (2005)

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FAMILY MICRO LEVEL

CAPABILITIES AND ACCESS TO HOUSING - Legal irregularity or precariousness - Lack of information - Lack of support networks - Lack of guarantees, payroll vouchers and employment contracts - Shortage or uncertainty of income

USE OF SATISFIER DEPENDING ON ITS NATURE Those living in subleasing or single-room rental situations have breakfast, lunch or dinner less often at home than those with independent rental agreements or home owners. The same occurs with sleeping hours.

WOMEN AND HOUSEWORK AS MEANS OF SUSTAINING NEEDS 70% of immigrant women state that they do household chores on a daily basis, a proportion that approaches 100% among women who consider themselves to be “homemakers” as their principal activity or who have under-age children. The women who do the least housework are students (36%) and those living in subleasing arrangements (43%).

HOMELESS PEOPLE ATTENDED BY CENTRES The population group most frequently attended were immigrants (62.7% of the total. INE.08)

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LAND, WATER, ELECTRICITY, FOOD,

CLIMATE BASIC LEVEL

Danger. Threats or dangers that form a part of the normal functioning of natural systems.

Vulnerability. Expresses the exposure of human elements to dangerous phenomena.

Situations of risk are far greater when we are in homeless situations.

The death of people due to food-related problems is not common in European

countries, but the death of homeless people, and particular of people in roofless situations, is not uncommon as they are more exposed to natural risks than others.

In Spain, in the year 2009 to date at least 55 homeless people have died, 7 of them

from exposure to the cold (ENRED Indicator. 2009. Unofficial data).

CONCLUSIONS

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Understanding poverty as a lack of capabilities makes it possible to study homelessness from another perspective.

The residential well-being space offers a very broad work space for studying

homelessness. It can become a methodological approach integrating the various approaches currently being used.

From the capabilities perspective (being - doing), homeless people suffer from

different degrees of lack of freedom. Government policy should be based on the capabilities perspective both in defining

and assessing policies, i.e. they should be as adapted as possible to the situations of each individual.

Immigrants have become the “new poor” in Spain and have changed the profile of

homelessness.

The blocking of human expression capabilities of immigrants in the different links of the sustainability chain can explain why they suffer situations of homelessness.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Associació ProHabitatge

Professor Enric Tello Aragay (University of Barcelona)

FEANTSA

European Network of Housing Research W.G

Guillem Fernàndez Evangelista

Associació ProHabitatge

Autonomous University of Barcelona

Email: gfernandez@prohabitatge.org