How Ϸվ wants to end homelessness in the EU
Ϸվ wants to end homelessness in the EU by 2030. Find out what measures it is calling for.
In a resolution adopted in November 2020, MEPs called on the EU and its member states to stop homelessness by 2030. They advocated an EU framework of national strategies and called on EU countries to decriminalise homelessness and continue to raise funding to tackle the problem.
Why homelessness is an important issue
Housing is a fundamental human right, Ϸվ noted, but every night many people are sleeping rough in Europe’s streets.
The Covid-19-crisis, the economic recession and job losses made the problem worse.
Homelessness is [...] one of the most severe forms of poverty and deprivation that needs to be abolished by targeted and integrated policies
Homeless people are often targets of hate crimes and violence, including social stigmatisation. The profiles of Europe’s homeless population is changing, with more and more children, migrants, minorities, women and families on the streets.
Ϸվ’s solutions to homelessness
Ϸվ called on EU countries to:
- provide equal access to public services such as health care, education and social services
- support the integration of homeless people into the labour market via employment programmes, training and tailored schemes
- provide constant access to emergency shelters as a last resort (in addition to prevention and support measures)
- work on a common definition, improved data collection and coherent indicators to be able to better understand and assess the extent of the problem
Additionally, Ϸվ urged EU countries to adopt the principle of "housing first"’, already successfully introduced by several countries. Contrary to more traditional approaches, the "housing first" model seeks to move homeless people into permanent housing as quickly as possible before addressing other issues.
Lack of affordable housing is a growing problem
The lack of affordable housing is a growing problem in Europe, with house prices rising on average by 47% in the EU in 2023 compared to 2015.
This is a particularly big concern for low-income owners or renters: In 2023, 10.6% of households in cities and 7% of households in rural areas spent more than 40% of their disposable income on housing.