EUKN - European Urban Knowledge Network - Innovative approach lowers threshold of social integration

Innovative approach lowers threshold of social integration - Arnhem, the Netherlands

Introduction

Poverty, social isolation, loneliness, addiction or a person's lack of confidence in the social environment or their own potential. With the Social Spearhead Plan 'Over the Threshold', the municipality is hoping to provide a solution for these problems. The starting point of the Social Spearhead Plan is to facilitate social integration, based on unorthodox methods, by tackling intensive, (long-term) unemployment, youth that has gone off the rails and social isolation in an intensive, result-oriented way.

Description

The aim of the project is to increase social cohesion in the area by promoting social and economic participation, particularly by vulnerable groups, and strengthening social (network) structures. Subsidiary objectives are:

To clarify structural neighbourhood problems in relation to the social infrastructure;
To provide an example for other parts of Arnhem and embed the project's results into the social structural plan for other parts of the city;
To create instruments for the Province, the State and other relevant organisations to make funds and means available in a structural way to deal with social problems in urban districts.

Approach

The approach is aimed at a limited number of target groups ((long-term) unemployed, (problem) youth, elderly people living alone, and groups that partially overlap each other). Via a scheme approach and case management, the approach is aimed at:

withdrawing individuals out of the target groups in the relevant area in one or more schemes for the purpose of controlled supervision, leading towards a particular, individual goal;
achieving maximum results through house-to-house visits with the target groups by the project leader;
the project officer acting as intermediary between the inhabitants of the neighbourhood and the social services. After completion of the project the inhabitants will continue by themselves.

Results

Improving people's socio-economic position by a demand-oriented, integral supply per household. This requires investment geared to command of the language, education and social skills, social participation, work and income, safety, health and welfare. The project is helping the inhabitants to improve their physical and social environment and their economic participation.

Resources used

European subsidy: € 182.490
Total cost: € 436.607

EU involvement

This project has been partially funded with Objective 2 funds. Since 2000 nine cities have been eligible for the Objective 2 Urban Areas in the Netherlands programme, which forms part of the European Fund for Regional Development (EFRD) of the European Union. EFRD is one of the four Structural Funds of the European Commission. The programme helps cities to carry out projects that benefit disadvantaged areas.

In the Netherlands, total European Objective 2 subsidies concern 192 million euros. 4.25% of the Dutch population lives in the selected areas.

The European Commission prescribes that for every euro from the EFRD, a minimum of one euro must be contributed from the government. The cities must therefore add their own public or private funding to the European subsidy. The European programme is linked to the urban plans agreed within the context of the urban policy of the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations. For this, the cities can make use of funds that have been allocated to them in the context of the national urban policy.

Contact info

Arnhem Kern - local programme management
Phone: +31 26 3774575

Project start date

01/01/2001

Links

City of Arnhem

Document type

case

Themes

Urban Policy

Keywords

Social inclusion & integration