Las rutas de la inclusión social desde la calle. Investigación en base a relatos de vida de personas sin hogar en chile

Abstract

This doctoral thesis, entitled ROUTES OF SOCIAL INCLUSION FROM THE STREET: RESEARCH BASED ON LIFE STORIES OF HOMELESS PEOPLE IN CHILE aims to provide the necessary elements to analyze the kind of social policies that people living on the streets requires, especially related to social and labour inclusion. The thesis develops the idea that people living on the street are ¿policy subjects¿, and that different types of policies are related to different "worlds of wellbeing", ie, these policies are a direct consequence of poverty conception, and of the perspective of excluded and homeless people used to built social policies. To support this idea, a brief analysis is made about the predominant socio-cultural, psychosocial and economic trends in the contemporary western society, and how these trends reproduce social exclusion and vulnerability, having a direct impact in poverty and urban marginalization, particularly in homeless people. A field study was done with people living on the streets, using the methodology of 'life stories', and identifying through them, 'vital paths of social and labour inclusion'. It is observed that the main strategy in its way to social and labour inclusion starts with the reconstruction of socio-community links, and later on by the implementation of appropriate programs that value and rescue their skills, capacities and knowledge, as a part of a greater inclusive and promotional paradigm in social policy terms. In this context, it seems that ¿mixed relational model¿ would be the most suitable. To end with, the thesis develops some of the main characteristics of this model, and provides guidelines for social and labour inclusion policies for people living in the streets, using ¿good practices¿ examples from civil society and State organizations. Therefore, as a result of the bibliographic revision, the analysis of personal experiences and related policies, and of the field studies made, the thesis main objective is to define which might be the characteristics of a new ¿world of wellbeing¿, defined by a clear commitment to restore the social links; which will translate into a dignifying social inclusion for people living in the streets, taking into account their own context, potential and interests, and considering their needs. This will eventually become a quality social policy based on relevant and fair empirical evidences.