Counteracting the stigma of homelessness : The Finnish Housing First strategy as educational work

Po o Aleg e, . 41, n. 3, p. 385-392, se .-dez. 2018 h p://dx.doi.o g/10.15448/1981-2582.2018.3.32025 Educação e is a quad imes al ISSN 1981-2582  Es e a igo es á licenciado sob o ma de uma licença C ea i e Commons A ibuição 4.0 In e nacional, que pe mi e uso i es i o, dis ibuição e ep odução em qualque meio, desde que a publicação o iginal seja co e amen e ci ada. h p://c ea i ecommons.o g/licenses/by/4.0/deed.p _BR Dossie : VYGOTSKY’S DEFECTOLOGY Coun e ac ing he s igma o homelessness: The Finnish Housing Fi s s a egy as educa ional wo k Con apondo o es igma da al a de mo adia: a es a égia do p og ama inlandês Housing Fi s como abalho educacional La con aposición del es igma de la al a de i ienda: la es a egia del p og ama inlandés Housing Fi s como abajo educa i o AnnAlisA sAnnino1 Abs Ac The e is g owing conce n globally abou homelessness in many a luen ci ies and he s igma a ached o his phenomenon. The s udy ocuses on he ways in which he Housing Fi s s a egy de eloped and implemen ed in Finland since 2008 is coun e ac ing he s igma o homelessness by acili a ing collec i e lea ning and agency o ma ion. The s udy subs an ia es his concep ual a gumen wi h he help o examples om accoun s by young people expe iencing o ha ing expe ienced homelessness, and by p o essionals wo king in suppo ed housing uni s. The heo e ical amewo k o he s udy builds on he Vygo skian concep o seconda y de ici and he ac i i y- heo e ical concep s o expansi e lea ning and ans o ma i e agency. The analysis leads o an ini ial model depic ing he collec i e lea ning and agency s eps among ins i u ional ac o s and neighbo hoods. The analysis shows he educa ional ole played by mul iple ac o s and ins i u ions in he Finnish homelessness s a egy o os e new modes o ac ions no only among he clien s bu also wi hin he b oad socie y. This ole is exe ed by means o sys ema ically implemen ed nego ia ions and ag eemen s which es ablish e ec i e pa hways ou o ma ginaliza ion and ou o s igma ic o ien a ions. Keywo ds: S igma o homelessness; Seconda y de ici ; Expansi e lea ning; Agency o ma ion; Finnish Housing Fi s s a egy. esumo Há uma c escen e p eocupação global em elação à al a de mo adia em mui as cidades a luen es e o es igma associado a esse enômeno. O es udo oca em como o p og ama Housing Fi s oi desen ol ido e implemen ado na Finlândia desde 2008 e es á neu alizando o es igma da al a de mo adia, acili ando o ap endizado cole i o e a o mação de agen es. O es udo comp o a es e a gumen o concei ual com a ajuda de exemplos de ela os de jo ens que i enciam ou i encia am a al a de mo adia e de p o issionais que abalham em unidades habi acionais apoiadas. O e e encial eó ico do es udo baseia-se no concei o Vygo skiano de dé ici secundá io e nos concei os eó ico-a i os de ap endizagem expansi a e agen es ans o mado es. A análise le a a um modelo inicial que desc e e as e apas de ap endizagem cole i a e agen es en e a o es ins i ucionais e bai os. A análise mos a o papel educacional desempenhado po múl iplos a o es e ins i uições no p oje o inlandês pa a desab igados a im de p omo e no os modos de ação não apenas en e os clien es, mas ambém den o da sociedade em ge al. Esse papel é exe cido po meio de negociações e aco dos sis ema icamen e implemen ados, que es abelecem ias e icazes o a da ma ginalização e o a de o ien ações es igmá icas. Pala as-cha e: Es igma de al a de mo adia; Dé ici secundá io; Ap endizado expansi o; Fo mação de agen es; P og ama inlandês Housing Fi s . esumen Hay una c ecien e p eocupación global en elación a la al a de i ienda en muchas ciudades a luen es y el es igma asociado a ese enómeno. El es udio se cen a en cómo el p og ama Housing Fi s ue desa ollado e implemen ado en Finlandia desde 2008 y en la o ma en que es á neu alizando el es igma de la al a de i ienda, acili ando el ap endizaje colec i o y la o mación de agen es. El es udio demues a es e a gumen o concep ual con la ayuda de ejemplos de ela os de jó enes que expe imen an o i encia on la al a de i ienda y de p o esionales que abajan en unidades habi acionales apoyadas. El e e encial eó ico del es udio se basa en el concep o Vygo skiano de dé ici secunda io y en los concep os eó ico-ac i os de ap endizaje expansi o y agen es ans o mado es. El análisis lle a a un modelo inicial que desc ibe las e apas de ap endizaje colec i o y agen es en e ac o es ins i ucionales y ba ios. La in es igación mues a el papel educa i o desempeñado po múl iples ac o es e ins i uciones en el p oyec o inlandés pa a desampa ados con el obje i o de p omo e nue os modos de acción no sólo en e los clien es, sino ambién den o de la sociedad en gene al. Es e papel se eje ce a a és de negociaciones y acue dos sis emá icamen e implemen ados, que es ablecen ías e icaces ue a de la ma ginación y ue a de o ien aciones es igmá icas. Palab as cla e: Es igma de al a de i enda; Dé ici secundá io; Ap endizaje expansi e; Fo mación de agen es; P og ama inlandés Housing Fi s . 1 P o esso , Facul y o Educa ion and Cul u e, Tampe e Uni e si y, Finland. <h ps://o cid.o g/0000-0003-1470-3666>. E-mail: <[email p o ec ed]>. 386 Annalisa Sannino Educação (Po o Aleg e), . 41, n. 3, p. 385-392, se .-dez. 2018 In oduc Ion Long- e m homelessness is leng hy li ing wi hou one’s own home due o socio-economic, heal h- and addic ion- ela ed p oblems. Homelessness i sel in u n eeds illnesses and subs ance abuse. This is a condi ion which oo o en ends o be cha ac e ized in e ms o de iciency. People who expe ience homelessness a e commonly conside ed unable o align wi h he no m o independen li ing and accep able beha iou in socie y. They a e also o en subjec o ex eme social exclusion and a e e y ulne able. The widesp ead concep ions o de ici associa ed wi h homelessness a e as de imen al as he objec i e heal h- ela ed and economic hind ances o o e come his condi ion. Neighbou hoods do no wan o be “in es ed” by owdy g oups hanging a ound days and nigh s in he s ee s. Owne s would keep hei apa men s emp y a he han en hem o he homeless, o ea ha hei p ope y would be des oyed. Poli ical o ces and ax paye s esis he idea o main aining o inc easing public esou ces o he homeless as hey a e seen as pa asi es who in no way con ibu e o economic de elopmen . Changing hese concep ions is essen ial o e adica e homelessness. This is educa ional wo k o be ca ied ou in a b oad scale wi hin he ci il socie y. A lo o wo k is de o ed o sensi izing all ange o ac o s and ins i u ions, by means o public e en s, p ojec s and ini ia i es aimed a con eying wha homelessness means o bo h he indi idual and he socie y, and wha is needed o o e come homelessness. These ini ia i es, howe e , a e la gely based on he idea o aising awa eness a he han mobilizing ac ual ans o ma i e ac ions, e ically and ho izon ally, among local ac o s and ins i u ions (CHRISTIANO & NEIMAND, 2017). The Finnish Housing Fi s s a egy is a aluable case o b oad mobiliza ion o ac ions ha makes a di e ence in coun e ac ing he s igma o homelessness. The aim o he Finnish homelessness s a egy is o end homelessness, o e adica e i (TAINIO & FREDRIKSSON, 2009; PLEACE e al., 2016). I is based on he Finnish e sion o he p inciple o Housing Fi s which consis s in supplying a o dable housing and a ge ed se ices o a popula ion wi h complex p oblems and high need o social and heal h ca e. The Housing Fis app oach di e om he adi ional “s ai case” model o ackle homelessness. The la e emphasises su icien eco e y om subs ance abuse as a p econdi ion o independen li ing in one’s own apa men . This model p io i izes achie ing abs inence o educed subs ance use goals by means o pa icipa ion in specialized se ices. The p o ision o ansi ional o pe manen housing is ied o he achie emen o hese goals. The Housing Fi s app oach, ins ead, ocuses i s on a aining and secu ing housing o he clien s, in combina ion wi h ea men plans ha hey indi idually nego ia e wi h se ice p o ide s. Wi h he Housing Fi s model one own hosing is gua an eed e en o he clien s who all ou om ea men s o a e no ye eady o engage wi h he suppo se ices. The main challenge o he implemen a ion o he Housing Fi s p inciple is o make a ailable housing uni s. The s a egy a he beginning add essed his challenge by con e ing exis ing buildings used o empo a y and eme gency shel e accommoda ions in o independen suppo ed housing uni s. New housing uni s ha e been buil as well, and o he s a e ound in he ma ke . These apa men s a e o e ed o homeless people in g ea need o suppo , due o addic ion o men al heal h p oblems. They sign long- e m o pe manen en al ag eemen s o li e in hese apa men s wi h igh s and obliga ions like hose o any enan . Using examples om in e iews wi h Housing Fi s clien s and on line wo ke s in Finland, his a icle p esen s a pe spec i e on how he s igma o homelessness can be p oduc i ely coun e ac ed by mobilizing collec i e lea ning and agency. he s IgmA o homelessness As A socIe Ally-In lIc ed “de IcI ” The s igma o homelessness can be conside ed as a “de ici ” ha socie y in lic s on hose who expe ience his condi ion. The de ici o igina es om bo h he pe sonal his o y o he homeless and he widesp ead p ejudicial a i udes owa d hem. Vygo sky’s (1993) no ion o “seconda y de ici ” oge he wi h an ac i i y- heo e ical pe spec i e o socially, cul u ally and his o ically media ed lea ning and agency o m a se o use ul concep ual esou ces o g asping ways o coun e ac ing his s igma. Fo Vygo sky he main obs acle o collec i e lea ning and agency o build inclusi e and non-disc imina o y socie ies is wha he called “seconda y de ici ,” a socially p oduced s igma which adds a sense o unwo hiness o he physical, men al and socio-economic ea u es o di e ence. Despi e i s ele ance and po en ial, his concep is s ill la gely unde u ilized, o ins ance in discussions on he pe asi e de ici hinking in educa ion (HARRY & KLINGNER, 2007; VALENCIA, 2012). In he ollowing I will p esen h ee s o ies om a collec ion o accoun s on homelessness, assembled by he housing guidance counsello Ulla Pyy aa a (PYYVAARA & TIMONEN, 2017) a he No Fixed Abode NGO in Helsinki. These s o ies old by young adul s Joni, Päi i, and Tomi se e as i id examples o how he seconda y de ici is cons uc ed and wha consequences i may en ail. Joni’s accoun ells abou his childhood wi h smalle siblings and d ug-addic pa en s. I is a s o y o neglec , Coun e ac ing he s igma o homelessness 387 Educação (Po o Aleg e), . 41, n. 3, p. 385-392, se .-dez. 2018 ea and illness ha un olds e e since he ea ly yea s o Joni’s li e. As a musician oday Joni w i es in one o his songs “I did no mean o become a nuisance he e/bad child, bad man and a he ” (PYYVAARA & TIMONEN, 2017, p. 45). I is use ul o pu hese ly ics in he b oad con ex o Joni’s upb inging, con eyed in he exce p om Joni’s accoun epo ed below. My pa en s we e only in e es ed in hei own g oup o d ug addic buddies, hango e medica ion and local ma ke s. I emembe he six-packs in he lowe pa o he s olle o my li le b o he , he d ug use pa aphe nalia on he able, he aces li in da k co ne s, he hunge and he di y oom co e ed wi h da kening cu ains. I emembe he agony and he s ess. I was a aid o be abandoned, o be useless, o be in isible. I wen h ough he p ima y school in Ko so, I s a ed smoking in he i s g ade, in he middle school I al eady d ank alcohol e e y day, I s a ed using in a enous d ugs when I was 16. I o en ook ca e o my wo younge b o he s because my pa en s we e p e y much useless. I would ha e needed ca e mysel . I o en ook my smalle b o he o sa e y o he uppe mos le el o he s ai case o he apa men building. The social wo ke s in e ened in he li e o ou amily, which was a elie . I was aken in o cus ody when I was 12. … I wen o he same special educa ion school1 as Tomi and lea ned no hing he e. Unde he co e o my desk he e was a dull pencil, a da kened e ase , a piece o cheese, a la ened can o bee and ciga e es. Sand on he loo o he special educa ion class, 15 banged-up desks in diso de , he eache aking he oles a he same ime o police, social wo ke and pa en . I was no unusual ha someone in he class passed ou a he end o he day inside he school. The jail was a ough expe ience o a 13-yea old. … When I was 15 I al eady knew he deale s by name, knew how o manipula e my bes iend o accep any kind o ac ions and how poo ly he decision-make s and ci il se an s o his coun y unde s ood he need o help. I le Lappen an a om my os e home when I u ned 18 and ha is when I d i ed in o homelessness. … I wen inally in o ehab when hings s a ed o ge oo hea y. Mo ing o wa d in li e sca es me. Luckily he pe sonnel o he p esen housing uni unde s and people: hey a e no shocked when one happens o ake oo much alcohol o ge in o a hospi al o wo weeks. Now I ha e be e eelings. I lo e ood and music, I eally like o compose and o pe o m. 1 The e a e s ill qui e a numbe o special schools in Finland which se e as he las eso o a pupil wi h se e e beha iou al p oblems whose special needs canno be me wi h he help o special ins uc ion wi hin a egula school. In 1980 he e we e 294 special schools in Finland; he numbe dec eased o 148 in 2008 and o 73 in 2017, wi h he aim o g adual inclusion and in eg a ion o special needs s uden s in o egula schools and u he dec ease in he numbe o special schools. I ha e now he oppo uni y o play music and o hink in peace i I con inue my in e up ed s udies o become a cook o i I go o high school. … This socie y does no suppo you a bi a e you ha e los you c edi and housing. In his si ua ion you ha e o lea n o s eal. I had my i s hea a ack when I was 9-yea old. I was using bu an gas o ge high. I emembe when my iend go eally sca ed and he ambulance ook me o hospi al. My hea al e go des oyed in 2013; I go s aphylococcus bac e ia due o using in a enous Subu ex. Now I ha e a i icial al es and I mus li e wisely wi h hem wi hou d ugs and alcohol. I ha e a oom and a ki chene e. I ha e ime and peace o ga he he pieces o my li e (PYYVAARA & TIMONEN, 2017, p. 43-45). Agains he backg ound o Joni’s accoun , one can see ha he eeling o ha ing become a nuisance is socially buil a he han me ely a esul o indi idual sho comings o eckless ini ia i es. Also Joni’s s o y con eys he ole a place o his own plays in he demanding jou ney owa d o e coming addic ions. Päi i is a 35-yea old mo he wi h a childhood his o y o alcohol abuse and iolence. She has se e e hea p oblems, has had a b ain in a c ion and is pa alyzed wais down. She has expe ienced alcohol abuse and long- e m homelessness, and he wo child en we e aken o cus ody. He accoun o in e ac ions wi h he se ices, epo ed below, con eys a s ong sense o iola ion and i s consequences. Some imes an o icial has laughed a me and explained a he las minu e hings in a di e en way hey we e ini ially mean o be. Do hey hink ha I am an idio jus because I happened o ha e a s oke? As soon as I go ill and my speaking go wo se, hey s a ed o ea me like an idio . One young nu se when she sees me always s a s speaking like o a child. … My whole li e has been spoiled because I ha e no been alued and aken se iously. Bu luckily he e a e also good people. I am a igh e and now I ha e an apa men in Myy mäki. I ge basic social suppo money, I am ang y when social wo ke s change and eplacemen s come in because ha means ha wha has al eady been ag eed on conce ning paymen s and ood and li ing can be denied saying ha ‘Oh I am jus a eplacemen .’ … Some imes I ha e been ea ed and I am s ill ea ed p e y badly, especially in he hospi al. Nu ses ha e said o my ace nas y hings like ‘I do no ha e ime o come and change you pad all he ime’ o ‘Change you pad you sel since you ha e ime’ (PYYVAARA & TIMONEN, 2017, p. 159-160). Päi i’s s o y con eys how pe sis en he s igma o homelessness can be, while a he same ime ecognizing ha “luckily he e a e also good people”. One o he main 388 Annalisa Sannino Educação (Po o Aleg e), . 41, n. 3, p. 385-392, se .-dez. 2018 goals and challenges o he Finnish homelessness s a egy consis in in es ing ime and esou ces o des igma ize homelessness by means o ex ensi e e aining and de elopmen wo k wi h pe sonnel in housing uni s and o he se ices. Tomi’s s o y is abou accumula ed en al deb s and sleeping on ca dboa d in a shel e . In he exce p epo ed below he denounces he ea men he ecei ed when he was a s uden and as a clien o social se ices, explici ly linking hese episodes o an o e all p ocess o p og essi e ma ginaliza ion. Simila ly o Päi i’s s o y, his one also oices posi i e and encou aging openings along wi h s igma ic o ien a ions. I ha e a panic dis u bance and diagnosed ADHD. I ha e ied o educe he doses ha he doc o has p esc ibed and ha ha e o be enewed equen ly. Only one speci ic medicine wo ks and is good o me. I canno concen a e on any hing wi hou my medicine. I jump up and down and I am con used. In he social se ices I did no ge money o Xano (medica ion). They we e ad ising long ehabili a ion o addic ion e en hough no mally I do no e en d ink. When Xano pills inish I ha e o d ink bee o keep calm. … The oughe si ua ion is when he medica ion is suddenly e mina ed. I is almos like a hango e in po ency 1000. I you ha e li ed in a shel e a ew mon hs, hey check you pocke s and make you blow he alchome e , you need o lea e you medica ion unde hei con ol. I you e en go o a iend o sauna and ake a bee and hey ind ha you ha e 0.003 p omilles in you blood, ha means in p ac ice ha you do no ge a oom and you a e au oma ically ans e ed o he so-called we side in which all he d unk a e sleeping p ac ically on he loo . Climbing om ha back o he se ices and o suppo ed housing is e y di icul . You jus ci cle in he same way days and weeks un il you no ice ha you a e no anymo e i o socie y. … I ha e me so much inapp op ia e beha iou ha I could ne e ea people ha badly. They should in es in aining and educa ion and o ien ing he wo ke s p ope ly. No nea ly all he people who wo k wi h he homeless seem o like hei wo k and hey a e bullying people in dis ess and some seem o enjoy when hey use hei powe agains he weake ones. … So i is. When a human being is homeless he o she canno demand se ices o quali y, o he wise he e is a isk ha he o she is le comple ely wi hou . … In he school hey bullied me, pu ing my head in he oile and my new clo hes we e o n. My eache sugges ed changing he school and going in o a smalle class. The special educa ion eache was eading e ening pape and d inking co ee in e e y lesson. The s uden s could pass ou du ing he lesson and i you le and wen home nobody no iced. We b oke in o cons uc ion si es and s ole s u and pu i e in he o es . The police came home o make a sea ch while se e al iends and me we e si ing he e high, lis ening o music. P e iously we s ole s u in nea by s o es. This con inued o wo yea s un il in my class we go a eache who eally pu us guys o wo k ha d. I alue his woman a lo . My ma hema ic g ades ose om 6 o 10. I was happy a e a long ime. This eache made me unde s and ha I g asped a lo o hings and ha I wasn’ s upid a e all (PYYVAARA & TIMONEN, 2017, p. 111-112). Tomi is e y c i ical abou he way he was ea ed in school, in social se ices and in shel e s, and links i o a pa h h ough which one ac ually becomes un i o socie y. A he same ime, he also sha es he g a i ude he eels owa d one special educa ion eache who made him ealize ha he in ac was no a all s upid. Tomi ecen ly ob ained a suppo ed apa men and is ecei ing help wi h mon hly inancial discussions o ex inguish his deb s. In line wi h hese accoun s by Joni, Päi i, and Tomi, ample e idence is a ailable ac oss social bounda ies and cul u al bo de s abou widesp ead p ejudicial pe cep ions implying ha hose a he ma gins lack lea ning capabili ies and indi idual agency, ins ead o being pe cei ed as ic ims o lack o collec i e lea ning and ans o ma i e agency wi hin he ci il socie y. The emphasis on “ac i a ing” he homeless and he s ic ly beha io is ic measu es o ewa ds and punishmen s which cha ac e ize he widely sp ead “s ai case model” o social housing p o ision a e examples o how poo ly collec i e lea ning and agency ha e been a play in esponses o homelessness. S uc u al s igma izing and pola izing endencies in ou socie ies o en push and keep he needies ou side he basic se ices i al o hem. Fo ins ance, a eco d o c edi de aul s icks o a pe son o se e al yea s a e she migh ha e clea ed he deb s. Such a eco d p ecludes he pe son om ob aining home insu ance which is in u n a p e equisi e o en ing an apa men . This is how icious ci cles o ma ginaliza ion migh enew hemsel es a high cos s o he clien as well as o he socie y. The s o ies by Joni, Päi i, and Tomi epo ed abo e a e ne e heless also s o ies o a emp s made wi hin he Finnish homelessness s a egy o b eak hese icious ci cles by means o Housing Fi s suppo ed solu ions. nego IA ed plAns As key medIA o s And he oundA IonAl wo k In housIng unI s One o he key s eng hs o he heo e ical app oach sugges ed he e is he dis inc ion be ween di e ence and de iciency. The eleological di ec ionali y o mode n socie ies ocused on linea pa hs o success commonly acili a es icious ci cles which ein o ce aliena ion and ma ginaliza ion. The way ou acco ding o he Vygo skian pe spec i e sugges ed he e is o shi om emphasizing Coun e ac ing he s igma o homelessness 389 Educação (Po o Aleg e), . 41, n. 3, p. 385-392, se .-dez. 2018 unde de eloped o absen capaci ies o mee he no m owa d in es ing in media ed ac i i ies ha enable lea ning and agency. This pe spec i e sees human de elopmen as always wo k in p og ess and ejec s he idea o de ia ions om he no m as conclusi e de iciency e en in he mos challenging cases. The e hos o he Finnish homelessness s a egy has e y s ong esonance wi h his pe spec i e. The shi en ails lea ning new modes o nego ia ion and collabo a ion in which all pa ies a e alued as capable and esponsible. This is local hands-on wo k done sys ema ically a he g ound le el as much as i is a ma e o policy and go e nance. The s igma o homelessness o en ansla es in ecip ocal p ejudice among bo h he clien s and he se ice p o ide s as con eyed by he h ee exce p s om Joni, Päi i and Tomi epo ed in he p e ious sec ion o his a icle. Media ing e o s a e he e o e needed o es ablish dialogue, and his equi es sys ema ic ini ia i es on he pa o he ci il socie y. The Finnish homelessness s a egy p o ides aluable examples o such ini ia i es, as i will be discussed in he ollowing. Once he con ac be ween he homeless and one o he key on line se ices is es ablished, a long chain o wo k can s a . This wo k is a lea ning and agency o ma ion jou ney owa d he unknown, ull o obs acles. This lea ning goes beyond he acquisi ion o well- es ablished se s o knowledge and he pa icipa ion in ela i ely s able p ac ices. Each clien escued om long- e m homelessness has speci ic cons ella ions o issues o add ess which equi e suppo i e in e ac ions and ailo ed solu ions co-designed be ween mul iple se ices and he clien , and changing as he clien p og esses o eg esses. I is wo k made by a lexibly de eloping coali ion in ol ing many social ac o s pu suing one and he same mo i e: he unc ional independen li ing o he o me homeless in a home o one’s own. In ac i i y heo y, his kind o lea ning is called expansi e lea ning (ENGESTRÖM, 2015). A key quali y o his lea ning is he enac men o wha I call ans o ma i e agency by double s imula ion (SANNINO, 2015; SANNINO & LAITINEN, 2015; SANNINO, 2016; SANNINO, ENGESTRÖM & LEMOS, 2016; SANNINO & ENGESTRÖM, 2017). This agency o ma ion p ocess, illus a ed in Figu e 1, consis s in in en ionally mobilizing media ion o gain con ol in complex si ua ions. The clien s a e o n be ween li ing a heal hy li e in he apa men en ed o hem s. con inuing o use d ugs and alcohol, o ins ance. The signed en al ag eemen and nego ia ed ca e plans se e as media o s and suppo ing agency o ma ion ancho s, wha Vygo sky called “second s imuli.” Thei exis ence and enewal play a key ole when new p oblems a ise o ins ance in he o m o excessi e use o alcohol. These a e no a e occasions. Clien s who mo e o apa men s in housing uni s o en know each o he and when old acquain ances mee , old pa e ns end o epea (PYYVAARA & TIMONEN, 2017). Tangled up be ween al eady consolida ed modes o ac ion and new demands om he housing uni s and he on line wo ke s, he clien s mus es ablish new modes o ac ion. The en al ag eemen and he ca e plan gene a e and suppo such no el modes o ac ion. In e iews wi h senio supe iso s in housing uni s, om which some exce p s a e epo ed in he ollowing sec ions o his a icle, indica e ha his lea ning and agency o ma ion Figu e 1. Lea ning and agency in he clien s’ li es and among he on line wo ke s in a housing uni 390 Annalisa Sannino Educação (Po o Aleg e), . 41, n. 3, p. 385-392, se .-dez. 2018 p ocess is a he co e o he g oundwo k done wi hin he Finnish s a egy by he housing uni wo ke s and he clien s. The in e iewee in he ollowing in e iew exce p e e ed o his wo k as “ ounda ional wo k”. Resea che : Is he e agg essi e beha iou ( om clien s in his housing uni )? In e iewee: Yes, occasionally i occu s. Resea che : How do you pe sonally cope wi h his kind o agg essi e beha iou ? In e iewee: I he e is a clien in on o me who is d unk and he si ua ion ge s ense, I may call he police. We ake he keys away and di ec he clien o a uni which se es as an acu e ecep ion se ice. Bu in any case, when he clien is sobe and capable o discussion, we s a a nego ia ion. In his discussion we s a cons uc ing goals which he clien will ac ually commi o. The e is no o he way. The clien mus be pu in a si ua ion in which he himsel o she he sel se s he own goals and makes commi men s. This mus be accomplished e e y ime. An example is a clien o ou s who uses d ugs. The e we e equen isi s wi h ou side s coming o he uni du ing he nigh . Following hose nigh isi s which we e b ie and di icul o moni o made me suspec ha selling (o d ugs) migh be happening. We o ganized a nego ia ion which was a ended no only by he clien and mysel , bu also he social wo ke s and o he people who we e in ol ed in he case and ea men o his clien . In his nego ia ion we eached an ag eemen wi h his clien ha o one mon h he e will no be a single nigh isi . This was whe e we wan ed o d aw he bounda y and we d ew he bounda y oge he and i is necessa y. Resea che : And his was ag eed oge he . In e iewee: Yes, and he clien ac ually kep he ag eemen . You could conside ha his is in e e ing wi h he clien sel -de e mina ion. Howe e , he o he al e na i e would ha e mean immedia e expulsion. Resea che : Is i ypical ha you make hese ag eemen s? In e iewee: In hese si ua ions, yes. In complex si ua ions o c isis si ua ions, he only al e na i e we ha e is o ask he clien : “Do you wan o con inue li ing he e? And, i so, wha kind o goals do you se so ha you can ac ually con inue li ing he e? We ha e hese ules. Wha a e you willing o do so ha you can con inue li ing he e?” We canno dic a e hese goals o he clien . Tha would be comple ely u ile. I mus come om he clien him- o he sel . We si as long as i akes un il his (ag eemen ) is es ablished. I is e y impo an i he e is any p oblema ic si ua ion. Ob iously i he clien is d unk o ou o con ol, we canno s a he e. Bu immedia ely nex mo ning, when he o she is in he shape o s a e lec ing on i , we s a wo king on how o esol e his by se ing goals and commi men s. Nego ia ions a e no done when he clien is d unk! O cou se he e a e s ill some imes expulsions when no hing else wo ks, bu hey a e a e. P elimina y e idence indica es ha he sel - con idence gained by eaching con ol o e , o ins ance, alcohol abuse wi h he help o he ag eemen and he ca e plan, may lead also o gaining con ol o e o he p oblem a eas in he li es o hese clien s, o ins ance by inding and main aining a job and paying one’s deb s. A he same ime, he clien ’s p ocess con ibu es o he cons uc ion o new, wide and mo e complex knowledge in he on line wo ke s’ ac i i ies, he ac i i y o he housing uni as a whole and he su ounding neighbo hood. In o he wo ds, he expansi e lea ning o each clien means quali a i e ans o ma ions no only in he li e o he indi idual clien bu also in he collec i e ac i i ies o he se ices and he b oade socie y. Tha is why he agency o ma ion p ocess sys ema ically pu sued in he housing uni s is uly “ ounda ional wo k.” he oundA IonAl wo k In housIng unI s As educA IonAl wo k o collec I e leA nIng And Agency A way o coun e ac seconda y de ici s consis s in “cons uc ing posi i e, u u e-o ien ed en i onmen s ha suppo he possibili ies equi ed o success ul adap a ions, hus elimina ing he s igma ic con ex ha p oduces seconda y disabili ies” (SMAGORINSKY, 2012, p. 73) and “c ea ing empa hic se ings ha p o ide al e na i e means o pa icipa ion in social ac i i y” (SMAGORINSKY, 2012, p. 74). Delibe a ely p omo ing collec i e ac i e pa icipa ion o he b oade socie y in daily ac i i ies and ou ines wi h Housing Fi s clien s is an impo an esou ce o coun e ac he s igma o homelessness wi h he Finnish s a egy. This is how he wide socie y can be e-educa ed o engage in collec i e lea ning and agency pa hways agains ma ginaliza ion. The ci il socie y has unlimi ed possibili ies o c ea i ely de ise al e na i es o he dominan endencies o pi ying o condemning di e ence. Di e ences can be conside ed as aluable oppo uni ies o socie ies o imp o e hemsel es: “Accep ing di e ence as a di e en so o no m helps o cons uc inclusi e en i onmen s ha , a he han cas ing some as in e io and objec s o pi y and sco n, iews hose who a e diagnosed as di e en as asse s whose pe spec i e can en ich es ablished ways o o de ing socie y” (SMAGORINSKY, 2012, p. 75-76). In o he wo ds, coun e ac ing he s igma o home- lessness equi es e-educa ing ac o s and ins i u ions o engage in in e ac ions in which he Housing Fi s clien is an in e locu o and a esponsible agen . In he pas en yea s he Finnish Housing Fi s uni s and o he key ac o s in he homelessness s a egy ha e ini ia ed sys ema ic e o s o each ou o g ound le el decision-making o ice s and neighbo ing ac o s and communi ies by Coun e ac ing he s igma o homelessness 391 Educação (Po o Aleg e), . 41, n. 3, p. 385-392, se .-dez. 2018 se ing as media o s be ween hem and he clien s. In his he Finnish homelessness s a egy ep esen s a powe ul example o a la ge-scale expansi e lea ning p ocess. One e idence o his lea ning consis s in he epo ed changed a i udes among social wo k o ice s. In e iewee: Wo king wi h social wo ke s is eally easy. They make isi s o us he e o assess he si ua ion o he clien s and once a mon h hey make sys ema ic assessmen o each clien . When hey come he clien has a chance o mee wi h he social wo ke and ake up conce ns he/she migh ha e. Resea che : Was i so smoo h when he p og am s a ed? In e iewee: No. Resea che : So his means ha a lea ning p ocess has occu ed. In e iewee: Yes and i is ex emely impo an ha he social wo ke s ha e lea ned o go “on oo ” o he clien s, coming ou o hei o ices. Tha is a big shi . In he ea ly days he e we e o cou se e y clea ules, o ins ance ha he e was ze o ole ance owa d agg essi e beha iou o he clien . E e ybody knew ha i a clien a acked ano he clien o a wo ke i was immedia e dismissal. They we e basically expelled ( om he housing uni ). You ha e o unde s and ha i a clien d inks o weeks, he clien basically does no beha e anymo e in a a ional way. This was a big challenge in he ea ly yea s o ha e o expel di icul clien s. So we hough ha d on how on ea h we could p e en his om happening, a oiding o ge back o he same icious ci cle. We c ea ed a wo king g oup which consis ed o some wo ke s o he housing uni and hen social wo ke s and hen he ci y chie physician o open se ices (se ices which a e no deli e ed in hospi al bu ou side). This wo king g oup me se e al imes and de eloped a model ha wo ked qui e well and signi ican ly educed hese expulsions. … The model was ha hese challenging clien s would be sen o a special uni o a pe iod o wo weeks o one mon h o clea hei head. This would allow hem o hink wha i means o me o ha e my own apa men . This was a well- unc ioning model because many o hese clien s who had been agg essi e had his cooling o pe iod, hinking how impo an i is o ha e one own apa men . They changed hei beha io . This mean ha hey we e no kicked ou . Beside he challenge o changing a i udes among social wo k o icials, he Finnish s a egy aced also widesp ead p ejudice and esis ance among local ac o s and inhabi an s in he a eas whe e he housing uni s a e loca ed. Communi ies ou side housing uni s end o be e y suspicious and unhappy wi h such an es ablishmen in hei neighbo hood, in line wi h he common NIMBY (No in My Backya d) phenomenon. In e iewee he ea ly days we did a lo o his kind o wo k which was mean o acili a e he clien s aking cha ge o hei li es, sending ou a lo o lye s o he esiden s in he a ea (o he housing uni ) elling abou ou ac i i ies, wan ing hem o unde s and wha we do. We asked hem “i you expe ience any dis u bance om ou clien s, please in o m us.” Fo ins ance wi h a nea by g oce y s o e, when we know ha he e is a challenging clien who needs o go and make pu chases, he i s ime s/he isi s he s o e a wo ke will go wi h him/he and p esen he clien o he s o ekeepe and each a so o pe sonal ela ion be ween hem, so ha i is no only conside ed “he e comes a dis u bance.” We made an ag eemen wi h he s o ekeepe ha any ime he e is some p oblem, he will immedia ely call us. And occasionally he e we e calls om he shopkeepe . Fo ins ance once du ing my wo k shi I ecei ed a call om he shopkeepe saying “ he e is his guy he e comple ely d unk who is d inking alcohol s aigh om he bo le and ea ing ood s aigh om he shel . Wha am I supposed o do?” So I come ( o he shop). Then we made an ag eemen wi h he shopkeepe ha he makes an es ima e o how much he clien had consumed and pu he cha ges on his accoun . And he clien was also in ag eemen ha his will be pu on his accoun . In e iewee he beginning when people in he communi y hea d ha such a housing uni would be es ablished he e he e was a huge, open, e y s ong esis ance. This has all e apo a ed and he e is no mo e ejec ion. Fo ins ance, igh opposi e o he o he housing uni in he neighbou hood, he e is a single amily house which was e y esis an o his. We ha e hese open doo e en s. Be o e a ending his open doo day, his neighbo had said ha hey mus sell he house due o he loca ion o his housing uni . A yea la e he lady o he house came o he open day and old ha she has s a ed a eno a ion o he house and ha she is no going o mo e. This was good eedback. This is an example o his lea ning p ocess also in he communi y, bu i equi es a lo o wo k. O he key ac o s in he Finnish s a egy also se e as media o s be ween he clien s and he socie y, making i possible o signi ican ly coun e ac s igma ic o ien a ions owa d homelessness. Technically a enan can li e inde ini ely in a housing uni , bu de ac o he enan s end o wan o become independen om he se ices. This leads o new wa es o di icul ies, as he u bulen pas o he p ospec i e enan s egula ly becomes an obs acle o ind a us ing landlo d o o ob ain a home insu ance. The s a egy o e s se e al examples o how lowe ing he h eshold o p i a e owne s o en hei apa men s 392 Annalisa Sannino Educação (Po o Aleg e), . 41, n. 3, p. 385-392, se .-dez. 2018 o enan s wi h a his o y o homelessness is made possible by he media ing ac ions o housing p o ide s, NGOs o he municipali y. In collabo a ion wi h he Minis y o En i onmen , one o he main social housing p o ide s in he coun y (Y-Founda ion) and he Ci y o Tampe e became in e media ies be ween enan s and p i a e apa men owne s. The municipali y selec s he apa men and he Y-Founda ion leases he apa men and ca ies he associa ed inancial isk o he enan . Simila ly, ejec ions o home insu ance applica ions a e common easons o homelessness. No exis ing home insu ance in Finland used o co e damages pu pose ully a ec ed unde he in luence o d ugs o alcohol. Also, insu ance companies do no g an home insu ance o clien s wi h a his o y o paymen de aul s. On he ini ia i e o he Minis y o he En i onmen , a isk insu ance is cu en ly pilo ed wi h a la ge insu ance company in collabo a ion wi h a NGO. The “apa men secu i y insu ance” is no aken by he enan s bu by he landlo d, gua an eeing co e age o damages o he apa men a e no i ica ion o he police and e ibu ion o he owne as well as o hi d pa ies. The insu ance can be included in he en . concludIng emA ks The heo e ical pe spec i e p oposed he e wi h he help o Vygo skian and ac i i y- heo e ical concep s, and wi h he help o examples om he Finnish homelessness s a egy p o ides a con as ing o ien a ion o he scena ios o impossibili y and despai ha a e o en associa ed wi h he challenge o e adica ing homelessness. This pe spec i e, ins ead, o e s op imis ic openings o sys ema ically nego ia ed and enac ed solu ions which expand om he g ound le el owa d a b oad in luence among mul iple ac o s and ins i u ions. The s udy poin s ou he ex en o which he social con ex ha p oduces seconda y de ici s can be mo e p oblema ic han he objec i e physical, men al and socio-economic condi ions o di e ence. This is due o he pe asi e e ec ha he s igma o homelessness o en has in c ea ing eelings o in e io i y and a s eep di ide be ween people who expe ience homelessness and he es o he socie y. Re-educa ion a a b oad socie al scale is needed o coun e ac ing pe sis en s igma izing endencies. This equi es hands-on wo k, such as he wo k done wi hin he Finnish homelessness s a egy, o de ise al e na i e lea ning and agency o ma ion pa hways which can e eal un ecognized po en ials o posi i e ans o ma ions. e e ences CHRISTIANO, Ann; NEIMAND, Annie. S op aising awa eness al eady. S an o d Social Inno a ion Re iew, 2017. A ailable in: <h ps://ssi .o g/a icles/en y/s op_ aising_ awa eness_al eady>. Accessed on: 08/08/2018. ENGESTRÖM, Y jö. Lea ning by expanding: An ac i i y- heo e ical app oach o de elopmen al esea ch. 2nd edi ion. Camb idge: Camb idge Uni e si y P ess, 2015. HARRY, Be h; KLINGNER, Jane e. Disca ding he de ici model. Educa ional Leade ship, . 64, n. 5, p. 16-21, 2007. PLEACE, N. e al. The s a egic esponse o homelessness in Finland. In: N. NICHOLS, N.; DOBERSTEIN, C. (Eds.). Explo ing e ec i e sys ems esponses o homelessness. 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