Influence of street outreach work on the lives of marginalised people Invloed van het straathoekwerk op de levens van mensen in marginale situaties in hun eerste acht maanden contact met het straathoekwerk

This study aims to examine whether social street work (SSW), in the first eight months of contact, managed to link clients to services, influenced their self-mastery and stress, considering the working relationship and provided practical support, given clients’ characteristics and SSW metrics. At three-time points, in an eight-month period, questionnaires were filled in (n = 276). Linear mixed model analyses were performed. SSW linked 70% of clients to services. At all three-time points, clients perceived moderate levels of self-mastery and stress. The working relationship was not longitudinally associated with self-mastery or with stress. A small significant positive longitudinal association was found for practical support and stress; a small significant negative longitudinal association was found for practical support and self-mastery. In the first eight months of contact, SSW succeeds in linking most clients to services but does not influence clients’ self-mastery and stress. In this period, workers are able to establish a working relationship with clients and provide practical support, being essential conditions to solve the complex issues in the lives of their clients who frequently avoided the confrontation with their problems for years.