Dal lavoro in strada alla sperimentazione dell’housing first:pratica professionale ed empowerment delle persone senza dimora nell’esperienza di una cooperativa sociale del Sud

This paper proposes a reflection on the practice of professional social work with homeless people. The essential features of the homelessness condition and the weaknesses of policies to combat extreme poverty are briefly described. The effects of working with homeless people on the practitioners of a social cooperative are investigated. The territorial context where the experience was developed is a medium-sized city of the South of Italy, characterized by the weakness of the welfare system.