This book, ‘Outreach work and imminent eviction: RAAK
research’, is a report of the results obtained from the examination
of these innovations.
The first chapter contains a description of the pilot projects,
which brought together care workers from the Blankenberg
Foundation and Dynamo for early intervention aimed at
preventing threatened evictions. In these interventions, they
tried to stay a step ahead of a crisis by getting involved early
on the basis of information housing corporations had about
their residents’ payment problems. Chapter 2 is a report of a
later investigation of the long-term effects of these interventions.
The third chapter describes the pilot projects developed by
Dynamo and PuurZuid, which made use of the expertise
available in the general public, specifically the network of
family, friends and neighbours surrounding people with rent
payment debts. The expectation was that care workers would
be able to provide more effective help using the decisionmaking
model of the Family Group Conference. Additionally,
the Family Group Conference would add to the strength of
the client perspective, offering scope for a range of definitions
for problems and their solutions.
Chapter 4 describes knowledge and methodology aspects of
innovation research such as were involved in this project,
specifically, the new knowledge of innovation processes and
outreach work that this research has brought to light. The
project has also helped to define the De Karthuizer centre’s
core activity more precisely, describing how it can provide
support and solidarity for developments in the field that will
lead to innovation that will transcend the boundaries
between social work institutions.
Finally, Chapter 5 will address the lessons we have learned
during the course of the project.