“Binding” and Responsibility: Aspects of Non-Governmental Organizations’ Work with the Homeless. The Case of Religious Organizations

Abstract

Many different organisations work with the homeless in Russia, yet this issue has as yet received little attention in the scholarly literature. This article compares state and non-governmental (and particularly religious) organisations whose remit is to tackle homelessness. To begin with, homelessness as a research topic is briefly discussed, including the findings of research on the issue outside of Russia. This is followed by an analysis of several differences between religious and state organisations. A description of existing work being carried out with the homeless is based on data collected from in-depth interviews with managers and staff of relevant organisations. Two categories which help to describe the homeless in non-governmental organisations are put forward: ‘binding’ and responsibility.

Whereas state organisations often aimed to get individuals “off the streets”, to end their reliance on others for basic needs, and to live a ‘normal’ life, the research found that help was not usually provided on a long-term basis and could be dependent on the status of the individual (e.g. whether they had the correct documents and registration). A religious component to NGOs was found to point to lower "barriers to entry" to help, and a greater stress on working with “hard to reach” categories of homeless people in comparison with the public sector. Unlike research findings from other countries, the author argues that it is not possible to say that the non-state sector offers a more holistic approach to homelessness, partly because the public system does not itself provide a  wide ranging service against which something more holistic may be contrasted. However, non-governmental organizations do show greater innovation in their practices, and also act as a link between different actors involved in helping the homeless (both governmental and non-governmental). They are able to mobilise social capital for individuals via community links and resources, and benefit from a more flexible approach to the complex social issue of homelessness.