SIMS Perstorp

During the refugee wave of 2007, Perstorp municipality was one of the municipalities in Skåne that received the most new arrivals. The need for a Contact Center was evident and the project achieved just that.

With various initiatives, the aim was to improve integration in the municipality of Perstorp. An important goal was to establish a new and accessible service location. Increased participation and togetherness were the common thread of the project.

A contact center was set up with newly arrived people as the target group. Gradually, the target group was broadened to include all residents of the municipality.

During the course of the project, approximately four language cafés were arranged each month. Among the activities carried out were visits to the bowling alley, the Red Cross and mini golf. A couple of evenings, meetings were arranged with the municipality's associations. The participants also took part in various labour market measures such as lectures about CSN, a CV writing workshop and a focus on offering internships for work experience.

Eleven participants received increased labor market training and five participants began their studies through the project and its efforts. In total, the municipality's new contact center handled approximately 11,000 cases during the course of the project. A full 96% of visitors gave the center top marks in terms of service and hospitality. Five different meeting places were created, new forms of collaboration between the municipality and associations were established, and 7,000 residents of the municipality all had access to improved service. After the project ended, the Contact Center became part of the municipality's regular operations.