Co-production for improving social housing programmes

Abstract

The city of Helsingborg in Sweden has since 2010 been conducting a development work of its social housing programme. The city has built up a Housing First service, which today comprises 60 tenants, and has good results. Through two pilot projects, the city has also tried to develop the other parts of the social housing programme that previously was built on the staircase model. The ambition was to enhance co-production and service user involvement within the programme. Our aim with this paper is to describe and analyse the development work and discuss drivers and barriers that either facilitates or hinders the development of social housing programmes. The method of the research project was practice research. Theoretically, the project was inspired by
theories that highlight the importance of co-production and trust.

The methods used in the development work to stimulate involvement, participation and co-creation include dialogue meetings and future workshops. Our study shows that this kind of methods, where professionals' knowledge and homeless people's own experience can meet on equal terms leads to co-operative processes. Our studies also show that by working for co-production,
change processes are initiated that live beyond the initial project's ambitions. Although the development work has sometimes encountered resistance, many social workers have been positive and committed to the development work and expressed appreciation of being able to work relationship-oriented. Another result of the study was the importance of anchoring the objectives of the project not only in the direction of the organisation and at the service users, but equally important is that the staff working in the front line in the housing units are engaged and are participating in the project.

Abstract (Swedish)

The city of Helsingborg in Sweden has since 2010 been conducting a development work of its social housing programme. The city has built up a Housing First service, which today comprises 60 tenants, and has good results. Through two pilot projects, the city has also tried to develop the other parts of the social housing programme that previously was built on the staircase model. The ambition was to enhance co-production and service user involvement within the programme. Our aim with this paper is to describe and analyse the development work and discuss drivers and barriers that either facilitates or hinders the development of social housing programmes. The method of the research project was practice research. Theoretically, the project was inspired by theories that highlight the importance of co-production and trust. The methods used in the development work to stimulate involvement, participation and co-creation include dialogue meetings and future workshops. Our study shows that this kind of methods, where professionals' knowledge and homeless people's own experience can meet on equal terms leads to co-operative processes. Our studies also show that by working for co-production, change processes are initiated that live beyond the initial project's ambitions. Although the development work has sometimes encountered resistance, many social workers have been positive and committed to the development work and expressed appreciation of being able to work relationship-oriented. Another result of the study was the importance of anchoring the objectives of the project not only in the direction of the organisation and at the service users, but equally important is that the staff working in the front line in the housing units are engaged and are participating in the project.

• author: Knutagård, Marcus and Kristiansen, Arne
• organization: School of Social Work
• publishing date: 2018-09
• type: Contribution to conference
• publication status: published
• subject: Social Work
• conference name: FEANTSA 13th European Research Conference on Homelessness
• conference location: Budapest, Hungary
• conference dates: 2018-09-21 - 2018-12-21
• language: English
• LU publication?: yes
• id: 31c1766e-eb4c-43c7-b5ca-e8dfd2d51d09
• date added to LUP: 2018-12-13 15:05:22
• date last changed: 2020-09-18 02:16:26