- You probably remember that I met some of you in the Church of Jacob during last year’s award ceremony when I listened to what you presented there? Anyway, I thought I ought to come and visit you all to find out more about this, commented Norway’s Minister for Local Governmental Affairs, Magnhild Meltveit Kleppa, when explaining why she took the initiative to visit the TOG Dept. at Oslo Prison. It was during November last year that the TOG Dept. was awarded the Government New Initiatives Prize for homeless persons, by Magnhild Meltveit Kleppa. On Friday 22nd February she came to learn more. (TOG is a Norwegian abbreviation which stands for Initiatives for Repeat Offenders)
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Text and Photos: Knut-Erik Rønningen, published 24.02.08.
The TOG Dept. is a joint cooperation scheme involving Oslo Prison and Oslo Probation Services. Its goal is to ensure that no person is released from prison without first having secured suitable accommodation. But finding accommodation is only one essential aspect! –Once secure in their own accommodation, it is important that they manage to keep it. Continuous post monitoring and support is therefore important, comments Project Manager, Hege Kongerud. –And ongoing support measures are conducted by each local district of Oslo City, or by different voluntary organizations. –It represents therefore a unique form of communication between all the different public and voluntary organizations participating in the project, which is extremely valuable, she concluded.
Since its inauguration two years ago, the project has managed to find accommodation for all persons released from the TOG Department.
Involvement
-Combating homelessness is one of the Norwegian Government’s goals too, and in order to reach this goal, we depend on initiatives such as this one, commented Magnhild Meltveit Kleppa, after first receiving a thorough description of the scheme. –The enthusiasm, commitment and dedication that I notice you all have for the work you do must obviously represent a huge source of energy!
-I know what it means to me to have a place where I can organize my life and work externally, so I can only assume that it must mean a great deal more for those leaving prison, she continued.
Well-prepared release
Afterwards the Minister was given a tour of the department where she was able to meet several of the inmates living there. –We have our own individual plans, we receive social and daily life training, we can go and visit apartment accommodation, and we get the opportunity to prepare ourselves as well as possible for release, explained one of the inmates who was clearly looking forward to moving soon to his own accommodation.
Knowledge transfer
Meltveit Kleppa closed her visit with an encouraging greeting to all prison employees present: -I want to wish you all, as forcibly as I am able, good luck for the future with this very important work. You lead the way with these pioneering initiatives, you won a prize and you show with your statistics that you are succeeding. –Knowledge transfer is important and I really believe that knowledge learned from projects of this nature is potentially valuable when transferred to other similar schemes. I am convinced there will eventually be several more projects like this one!
Read more:
New Initiatives Prize for Released Offenders
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Ole Johannesen, Dept. Manager, informs the
Minister of the Social, Housing and Daily Life
Training Schemes provided by the TOG Dept.
Hege Kongerud, Project Manager, and Reidar
Espedal, Manager for Oslo Probation Services,
discuss with the Parliamentary Secretary.
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