FEANTSA’S « Ending Homelessness Campaign »

Homelessness - a reality in all EU member states Homelessness is a reality in all EU Member States. Ending homelessness is undoubtedly an ambitious and challenging task, yet many countries in Europe have already taken significant steps towards achieving it.

What is homelessness? Homelessness and housing exclusion are complex and multifaceted. FEANTSA’s ETHOS typology of homelessness sets out a broad definition covering 4 main living situations – rooflessness, houselessness, insecure housing and inadequate housing. The causes of homelessness are multiple, complex and interrelated. The profiles of people who are homeless are diverse and changing.

From managing to ending homelessness in Europe Historically, many responses to homelessness have been reactive and somewhat ad-hoc. They have sought to manage the problem of homelessness. It is time to stop managing the problem and to strive to end homelessness. In some cases, responses to homelessness have in fact become part of the problem. There are often large gaps in service provision due to a lack of overall strategy. There is a clear urgency to move towards more strategic policies with a long-term view on ending homelessness.

The EU context Homelessness and housing exclusion is a priority area under the EU Social Inclusion and Social Protection strategy The European Parliament has taken a number of important initiatives on homelessness, including a Written Declaration on Ending Street Homelessness adopted in The Joint Report on Social Protection and Social Inclusion The report on Homelessness and Housing Exclusion by the EU Network of independent experts on social inclusion The European Year for combating poverty and social exclusion 2010 European Consensus Conference under the Belgian Presidency in December 2010

Five goals to end homelessness Homelessness can and should be ended. In order to achieve this, FEANTSA calls for the development of integrated homelessness strategies which address five goals. These goals:  Relate to the aspects of homelessness which are best addressed by specific homelessness policies  Address visible, reachable and quantifiable target populations  Represent people who are either already using, or could be reached by targeted homeless services  Serve to focus homelessness strategies on pragmatic objectives  Are what FEANTSA considers to be the essential elements of strategies to end homelessness

1. No one sleeping rough Many European countries are tackling rough sleeping in a concerted, ambitious way. Provision of adequate alternatives including emergency accommodation and long-term housing options Needs-adapted emergency or transitional accommodation Tailored case-management approaches to service provision Quality of services Participation of service users Targeted and general prevention

2. No one living in emergency accommodation longer than is an ‘emergency’ Emergency or very short-term accommodation distinct from transitional accommodation Long-term stays in emergency accommodation are common and perpetuate homelessness Blockages in the homeless services system Institutionalistation Long-term stays in emergency accommodation expensive compared to permanent housing options Increasing number of countries committed to reducing time spent in emergency accommodation ‘Housing first’ approaches Emergency accommodation should be a temporary response to crises Right to privacy, shelter and security

3. No one living in transitional accommodation longer than is required for successful move-on Settlement services to encourage transition from emergency shelters and tenancy support schemes Follow-up support services Long-term housing options critical to assuring move-on, including access to public or social housing

4. No one leaving an institution without housing options Hospital, care or prison leavers vulnerable to homelessness Relatively easy group to reach through targeted policies Preventing homelessness amongst this group can reduce the cost of homelessness Housing advice on entering, while staying in, and upon leaving institutions can avert homelessness Housing assessment on admission to institutions Ongoing support and follow-up care Formalisation and implementation of admission and discharge protocols Targeted accommodation provision

5. No young people becoming homeless as a result of the transition to independent living Lack of first-time housing options, services or entitlement to benefits can make young people especially vulnerable to homelessness Situation of young people recognised in number of national homelessness strategies Early intervention e.g. home and housing education Youth homelessness often linked to family breakdown Specific barriers to accessing housing: eligibility housing benefits and social housing, age requirements in tenancy agreements Rent deposit schemes Individualised support to maintain tenancies Holistic approaches including opportunities to access to training and employment

Conclusions  The five goals set out the kind of targets that integrated strategies should address in order to end homelessness.  The goals could provide a framework for EU monitoring of progress on tackling homelessness  These goals are pragmatic and realistic – a number of Member States have already made commitments to, and significant progress towards these goals.

Further Resources ‘Ending Homelessness’ campaign page ‘Ending Homelessness: A Handbook for Policy Makers’ Many other publications and resources at