The EU’s commitment

On December 9-10 the first consensus conference on the homeless was held in Brussels. With a concerted working method, the Belgian EU presidency, the European Commission and FEANTSA (Fédération européenne des associations nationales travaillant avec les sans-abri – European Federation of national associations for the homeless) sought to give new impetus to action in favour of the homeless at European level. In fact, European national social policies coordination was being threatened by Member States’ disagreements on the definition of the term ‘homeless’ and the approach to be adopted in the fight against this scourge. An independent jury of experts from diverse social service sectors was appointed to follow the debate and propose recommendations of consensus. A few days ago the jury presented their recommendations. Now it’s up to European leadership to implement the policy recommendations of the Jury. The EU Commissioner in charge of employment and social policy, László Andor, welcomed the publication of the report, which he described as “a concrete outcome of the European Year on Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion”. Follows a summary of the six major questions.What does homelessness mean? The jury concludes that a homeless person is not merely someone who sleeps on the street: homelessness is a complex, dynamic and differentiated process with different routes and exits, or “pathways”, for different individuals and groups. The jury recommends the adoption of the European Typology of Homelessness and Housing Exclusion (ETHOS), which uses physical, social and legal domains of a “home” to create a broad typology that classifies homeless people according to four main living situations of rooflessness; houselessness; living in insecure housing; and living in inadequate housing.Ending homelessness: a realistic objective? The jury concludes that homelessness is a grave injustice and violation of fundamental human rights that can and should be ended. The jury thus recommends ongoing prevention and intervention measures, in the context of national/regional integrated homelessness strategies, which can both prevent people from entering homelessness and ensure that long-term solutions are secured. The jury thus considers that homelessness can be gradually reduced and ultimately ended.Political approaches. The jury calls for a shift from using shelters and transitional accommodation as the predominant solution to homelessness towards ‘housing led’ approaches. This means increasing access to permanent housing and increasing the capacity for both prevention and the provision of adequate floating support to people in their homes according to their needs.Participation of homeless people in the development of homelessness policies. For the jury, people in homeless living situations should be informed, consulted and heard in relation to decisions affecting their lives. The jury also recommends to diversify participation mechanism so as to avoid overlooking the ‘hidden’ nature of some homelessness. The jury considers that it could be useful to build on existing informal European networks, such as the virtual HOPE (Homeless People) network.Access to services regardless of their citizenship. The jury highlights the problem of homelessness amongst migrants and non-national EU citizens in a number of Member States. The jury states the right to housing must not depend on juridical or fiscal status. The jury highlights the particular responsibility of Member States’ migration policy in preventing this and points out that Homeless services must not be systematically used to compensate for inconsistent migration policies that lead people to situations of destitution and homelessness.EU homelessness strategy. European Union strategy must be evidence-based, which requires robust data collection and research, and they must focus on clear targets. The jury hopes that the prevention of homelessness, the promotion of quality services for homeless people and access to affordable housing with support to maintain this as necessary will be central priorities. The strategic framework must support, monitor and coordinate the development of integrated national/regional strategies in the Member States through an appropriate monitoring framework, a strong research agenda with a social innovation stream a mutual learning and transnational exchange programme, the promotion of quality services, sustainable links to EU funding opportunities and mainstreaming of homelessness across relevant policy areas.