The user organization SAND should represent Denmark in FEANTSA
17-09-2009

Most homeless organizations in Denmark and others, who read this newsletter, know FEANTSA, the European umbrella organization for NGO’s working with the homeless. At least you should, because FEANTSA’s publications and the organization’s website contribute a lot to the discussions on homelessness. Useful, provocative, serious and formal knowledge are being put forward here.

Every EU country has a certain number of FEANTSA-members, and they are – depending on whether they are seen as national or regional members – divided into groups of “full membership” or “associated membership”. It is only the group of members with full membership, who can vote at FEANTSA’s General Assembly and be elected to be a part of the board.  

Denmark only has two full members and these are SBH (Confederation of Housing Options for Homeless people in Denmark) and SAND (the National Organization of the Homeless), whose members are homeless or former homeless people. For years it has been SBH, which has been the Danish member of the FEANTSA board.

This year the annual FEANTSA conference is being held in Denmark with projekt UDENFOR and SAND as co-organisers and co-hosts of the conference. The FEANTSA General Assembly is being held at the same time, at during this assembly the board members are being elected. Both SBH and SAND run for board membership this time.

It is not a secret that I hope that SAND ends up getting the board membership. First and foremost because throughout the last four years, FEANTSA has focused on including the users more in the work they do. FEANTSA has made a working group based on participation, and SAND has been very much involved in this working group. Having such a well functioning users organization in Denmark, it would  be a good opportunity to show that we – and FEANTSA – take it very serious to include the users.

Is there reason to believe that SAND cannot carry out the task? For those who do not know SAND’s history, I will provide you with a small summary. SAND was established in the spring of 2001 and has been supported by the Ministry of Social Affairs. The last few years the organization has been supported through government grants, which means that there have been enough resources to cover the expenses of running a secretariat and several activities. SAND plays an important part as a counterpart to the public sector, when it comes to the effort of reducing the number of homeless people and to improve the living conditions of this group of people.   

The way SAND influences the field of homelessness is through hearing statements, meetings with government officials and meetings with local authorities and through the Section 110 Types of Accommodation for homeless people.

In relation to the 2007 structural reform, the Law on Service was revised and SAND was included in the guidance made in relation to the law as the professional organization within the field of homelessness.

Besides having a very informative website, SAND issues a newsletter every month to all residents in the Section 110 Types of Accommodation, which equals approximately 2200 persons and all active SAND members, who have moved away from the different types of accommodation offered to homeless people. SAND is also in charge of organizing seminars and meetings for all members, and members are also invited to different, relevant conferences.

I am very certain that SAND can manage the task of being the Danish member of the FEANTSA board, and thus being the link between FEANTSA and the Danish organizations working with the homeless. I hope that SBH and other organizations will agree with me, and I hope that all FEANTSA’s member organizations will join in on this idea of letting the users speak up for themselves by becoming a full member of FEANTSA.

Preben Brandt