Horvat, M., & Bežovan, G. (2023, May). Analiza održivosti sustava socijalne integracije beskućnika u Hrvatskoj / Analysis of the sustainability of the homeless social integration system in Croatia. In Tomić-Koludrović, I. et al. (Eds.), Book of Abstracts, 9th National Sociological Congress of the Croatian Sociological Society (pp. 38-39), Split, Croatia.

Homelessness is a complex social problem facing large cities in Croatia, a country that has made the transition from state socialism to a free market economy. During this period, the “give-away” privatisation of public rental housing took place and the state withdrew from the housing market, which is increasingly dominated by speculative interests. In view of the increasing number of homeless people, the government introduced programmes in 2011 to care for the homeless, which are managed by the major cities. The existing social integration programmes for the homeless are mainly run by civil society organisations. Previous studies have analysed the causes of homelessness and their demographic characteristics. The achievements of innovative practices such as “Housing First” speak to certain positive outcomes. This paper reflects the current status of homelessness in Croatia by looking at national and local policies, and briefly introduces how homelessness is perceived in the neighbouring transitional (ex-communist) countries. The paper aims to understand the sustainability of the system of social integration of homeless people in Croatia, taking into account three components: financial sustainability of organisations, institutional capacity and social sustainability. The data collection was conducted through a survey, and a focus group is planned to follow. The research will provide answers to the main challenges related to the sustainability of organisations dealing with the social inclusion of homeless people and propose the necessary measures that would strengthen the system and thus contribute to more efficient and effective policies in the system. The research findings will be presented to the public and placed in the context of necessary policy changes.