Muurame: Alternative ways to provide day-centre activities
for substance abusers - A description of a HuIA process
Background
The activities offered by a day centre for substance abusers in
Muurame have intermittently been discussed by the Social Committee
and also at other forums. In spring 2007, it was regarded as
necessary to hold a special meeting to ponder alternative ways of
organising activities at the day centre.
Currently the day centre operates in a rented detached house
('Kettula') a few kilometres from the centre of the municipality.
The Jyväskylä Street Mission has responsibility for its activities.
The day-centre also runs a flea market. Half of the working hours
of a person working for the Jyväskylä Street Mission are assigned
for the activities of the day centre. This person is assisted by
one to two long-term unemployed persons in subsidised
employment.
The HuIA process and participants
The representatives of the social department of the municipality
of Muurame, the Jyväskylä Street Mission and the Muurame parish
were convened under the lead of the experts of STAKES and the
Jyväskylä University of Applied Sciences (JAMK) to consider
alternative ways of organising the activities of the day
centre.
A SWOT analysis had previously been conducted on the current
situation of the day centre. At the meeting the matter was
discussed further using HuIA. This resulted in a summary table
presenting the advantages and disadvantages of different
alternatives. The HuIA process took three hours to complete.
Alternatives and impacts
The following alternatives were assessed in the HuIA
process:
Alternative 1: Activities will be continued as
they are; an agreement will be made between the municipality and
the Street Mission on carrying out the activities on a permanent
basis over at least 3 to 6 years.
Alternative 2: The activities of the day-centre
will be discontinued on 31 December 2007 at the latest.
Alternative 3: The activities of the day centre
will be made part of the municipality's activities. No major
changes in the activities will take place except that the flea
market will not be run by the municipality. The municipality will
fund half of the worker's work contribution. The activities of the
workshop for the long-term unemployed and the day-centre will be
partly combined.
Alternative 4: A sub-regional model. The
municipality will purchase services from the Jyväskylä Street
Mission to the same extent as currently. As there would be no
service units in Muurame, it would become necessary to go to
Jyväskylä for services.
The alternatives were compared with regard to the following
impacts and aims: Prevention of social exclusion, providing the
clients with peer support, establishing a co-operation network and
co-operation, the quality and role of substance abuse prevention,
health impacts and cost effects.
See the
table
Consideration by the Committee
The matter was considered by the Social Committee on 12 June
2007. The results of the impact assessment were described
succinctly in the drafting documents, which also included the SWOT
analysis and the summary table. Taking into account the results and
the changes to be expected in the day-centre activities, the
draftsman regarded it as appropriate to propose that the activities
of the day centre should be continued in their current form.
Further information
Kari Jaatinen
Director of Social Services
Municipality of Muurame |