The Influence of State Social Services on the Re-socialization of the Homeless

Abstract

The article describes the causes and social risks affecting the social exclusion of homeless people and social exclusion of young people. The main causes of homelessness are family situation, serving in places of detention, unfair real estate transactions. The alienation of the young people is often related to the change of their social situation: loss of job, divorce. In addition, young people tend to distrust the authorities, which may explain the low uptake of social assistance institutions by homeless citizens. The author describes state social services and non-profit organizations working with homeless citizens and analyzes the statistics of the Russian Ministry of Labor on organizations providing social assistance to homeless citizens. He identifies a tendency to re-profiling of the institutions of social assistance to the homeless people into the centers of social adaptation. These institutions can offer homeless citizens a wider range of services, including social and psychological, educational, and legal services. The author points to the need for closer cooperation between the state and non-profit organizations, the creation of low-threshold services in the provision of services to the homeless. Particular attention should be paid to the prevention of homelessness, this may be services carrying out the identification and patronage of socially vulnerable groups, including those released from prison, because they are often rejected by their families, starting to fall in the “funnel of homelessness”.