In 2020, the Rehabilitation, Support and Prevention (RSP) Administration at the Ministry of Welfare and Social Affairs decided to regulate the management of hostels for street dwellers, since they were not operating according to uniform standards, and there were questions regarding the degree to which they were achieving the rehabilitation aims for which they had been established. First, an operational model was developed, setting standards, and issuing new tenders for hostels. In the second half of 2020, the RSP Administration commissioned the Quality Assurance Team at the Myers-JDC-Brookdale Institution to assist in the regulation process.
Three studies were conducted as part of this research project. The first was a review of the international literature to map policies and interventions available to the street dweller population worldwide (Lento et al., 2021 (Heb)). The second mapped the rehabilitation concept and operations of existing hostels in Israel (Lento et al., 2022 (Heb)). The present study addressed the third aspect: developing a measurement system for occupational rehabilitation hostels for street dwellers.
This document summarizes the development of measurement instruments for occupational rehabilitation hostels designed to assess the street dwellers’ progress according to the rehabilitation model and the quality of services provided by the hostels, for the purpose of ongoing learning and improvement.
The measurement instruments were developed jointly with a committee that consolidated the insights and expertise of the stakeholders involved in services for street dwellers. The committee developed a logic model for occupational rehabilitation hostels and two measurement tools: one to be completed by the hostel staff, and the other for self-report by the service recipient. The committee included six representatives from the RSP Administration: the Street Dwellers Area Director, superintendents, and supervisors. The committee held six sessions from October 2022-May 2023.