Eurodiaconia, and our co-hosts Nueva Vida, are thrilled that you are joining us in Santander to take part in this year’s Joint Extreme Destitution and Employment Network Meeting.

In Santander, our members will exchange best practices, discuss their challenges, and develop policy recommendations. We will be discussing the linkage between poverty and employment from two different perspectives:

We will firstly focus on the access to employment for people in vulnerable situations. Many different groups face a broad range of difficulties and barriers in accessing the labour market. Nueva Vida will give us insights into their approach on how to integrate people from disadvantaged backgrounds, such as women in prostitution contexts or women trafficked for sexual exploitation, refugees, homelessness or former prisoners and what role non-for-profit organizations can play.

Secondly, we will shed light on in-work poverty. In the context of the cost-of-living crisis the disposable income is shrinking for many people, making it harder for families and people at risk of poverty and social exclusion to cover their costs. Consequently, despite having a job, their income might not be enough to make ends meet and break the cycle of poverty. We will discuss the current situation in Europe, specific challenges faced by people in vulnerable situations, and possible policy approaches on how to support those in need.

All presentations from the two days will be available from the “Materials” button.