2023 Award "Best Practice in Citizen Participation"

17th Edition

Phase 6 of 7

Publication Preparation 18/09/2023 - 06/11/2023

Process phases

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Quito: Implementation of the Social Innovation Laboratory of the Unidad Patronato Municipal San José

Official proposal

08/06/2023 10:18

The experience "Implementation of the Social Innovation Laboratory of the San José Municipal Patronage Unit (PATRONATOLAB)" originated in the Metropolitan District of Quito, where 793 people with experiences of living on the streets live.

Its background is: the practical experience of the institution in the intramural service it provides to this population; the first situational diagnosis of street dwellers living in the Metropolitan District of Quito and the experiences of employability in Colombia, Peru and Ireland. The most relevant legal basis is the Metropolitan Ordinance Reforming the Municipal Code (2023), which addresses the problem of homelessness.

The general objective is: to improve the public policy implemented by the Unidad Patronato Municipal San José (UPMSJ) through the active participation of citizens. A methodology was followed based on the training of the institution's staff in the application of the Design Thinking methodology with a view to contributing to the generation of economic income for the street inhabitants of the DMQ.

The main result was the employability of three street dwellers, users of the UPMSJ: two linked to recycling work and one hired in the institution itself for maintenance work. The main lessons learned were: the provision of services for street dwellers should focus not only on emergency and crisis care, but should be conceptualised as a comprehensive programme to restore their rights and strengthen their capacities for economic and social reintegration; the main barriers for street dwellers to generate a livelihood are their mental health, substance use and lack of documentation; attention to this population requires the construction of an inter-institutional network to meet their needs.

The novelty of the experience is the creation of the PATRONATOLAB, the only one of its kind in the municipal public institutions of the DMQ, with the active participation of street dwellers, private companies, public institutions and civil society associations. For the first time, the Desing Thinking methodology was applied to decision-making at the UPMSJ in order to increase the effectiveness of the actions carried out in the institution and to strengthen co-responsibility with users.

The application of this methodology, in the improvement of the service for homeless people, showed that collaborative work is a challenge for civil servants, citizens and companies that have traditionally worked within a hierarchical structure and a departmental organisation; therefore, it is of great importance to create spaces that connect institutions transversally and allow the creation of synergies between departments. The three prototypes developed in response to the needs of users can be replicated and scaled up, so that they can transcend to the different management areas of the institution or to the different levels of public administration, thus promoting true innovation in public policy and processes and maximising the social impact of the experience.

Official Website: https://www.patronato.quito.gob.ec/