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European institutions, EU governments and civil society have for the first time committed to working together towards combatting homelessness in the EU. At a high-level conference in Lisbon yesterday, they launched the European Platform on Combatting Homelessness to trigger dialogue, facilitate mutual learning, improve evidence and monitoring, and strengthen cooperation among all actors that aim to combat homelessness.

Combatting homelessness – a priority for Social Europe

The high-level conference in Lisbon is co-organised by the Portuguese Presidency of the Council of the EU, the European Commission and the European Federation of National Organisations Working with the Homeless (FEANTSA). At the event, national ministers as well as representatives of EU institutions, civil society organisations, social partners and cities signed the “Lisbon Declaration on the European Platform on Combatting Homelessness” launching the Platform. They all pledged to work together under the umbrella of the platform and to deliver actions within their respective competences.

The platform launch is the beginning of a process to establish a common understanding and commitment and ensure concrete progress in Member States in the fight against homelessness. It offers an opportunity to engage and work with local actors, including cities and service providers. This will enable all actors to better exchange their knowledge and practices, and identify efficient and innovative approaches, to make progress on eradicating homelessness.

In the Declaration signed yesterday, they agreed on the following objectives:

• no one sleeps rough for lack of accessible, safe and appropriate emergency accommodation;
• no one lives in emergency or transitional accommodation longer than is required for successful move-on to a permanent housing solution;
• no one is discharged from any institution (e.g. prison, hospital, care facility) without an offer of appropriate housing;
• evictions should be prevented whenever possible and no one is evicted without assistance for an appropriate housing solution, when needed;
• no one is discriminated due to their homelessness status.

EU funding is available to support inclusive policy measures aiming at combatting homelessness. Member States will invest an important proportion of their European Social Fund Plus (ESF+) allocations to support social inclusion and poverty reduction. InvestEU also offers opportunities to support investment in social infrastructure, including social housing.

The new platform is also a concrete deliverable of the European Pillar of Social Rights Action Plan. It helps to deliver on the renewed commitment of EU institutions, Member States, civil society and social partners taken at the Porto Social Summit in May to support a strong social Europe and a fair and inclusive recovery from the pandemic.

European Commissioner for Jobs and Social Rights, Nicolas Schmit, yesterday said:

“Homelessness is the most extreme form of social exclusion and it has been growing across the EU. We must act now. The European Platform on Combatting Homelessness will help partners to share experiences and policy measures that have worked in their regions and cities, so we can radically reduce homelessness in Europe. Housing and assisting the homeless is Principle 19 of the European Pillar of Social Rights - and it is a moral imperative if we are serious about building a fair and inclusive society.”

Portuguese Minister of Labour, Solidarity and Social Security, Ana Mendes Godinho, yesterday said:

“We need to seriously tackle homelessness and give back human rights to people who have lost hope. We are very proud to have the Lisbon Declaration on the European Platform on Combatting Homelessness signed by the EU Member States during our Presidency. We really believe that a stronger social Europe is a Europe where social rights belong to all, and where everybody has a voice and lives in dignity.”

Goodwill Ambassador for the fight against homelessness and chair of the Steering Board of the new platform, Yves Leterme, yesterday said:

“The fight against homelessness can only be won if we work together: local authorities, regional and national governments and European institutions. The involvement of civil society organisations, the social economy and people with experience of homelessness is also of utmost importance. We need to work towards integrated approaches that combine prevention, access to housing and the provision of enabling support services. We want to combat homelessness because housing is a right for every woman, man and child.”

Ending Homelessness Award 2021

During the high-level conference, three projects from EU Member States, which have been supported by the European Social Fund (ESF) and the Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived (FEAD), have received the Ending Homelessness Award 2021. In the third edition of the Ending Homelessness Awards, the goal was to raise awareness about the opportunities in the new Multiannual Financial Framework to tackle homelessness effectively. The ‘Housing First' project for the Moravian-Silesian Region in Czechia involving a wide range of services and activities is the Gold Prize winner. The Portuguese project ‘É Uma Mesa' that promotes the social integration of homeless people by providing them training, job referrals and employment is the Silver Prize winner and Italy won the Bronze Prize with ‘Housing First' Trieste project.

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