Source: European Parliament
Question for written answer E-002172/2025
to the Commission
Rule 144
Elena Kountoura (The Left)
Homelessness has been rising steadily in recent years, as a result of the ever-increasing cost of housing, the impact of the economic crisis, the reduction of social protection and the lack of effective policies to address it, disproportionately affecting the most vulnerable sections of the population. According to recent data, approximately 1.3 million people in the EU are homeless, including almost 400 000 minors.[1]
Considering that:
– access to decent and affordable housing is a fundamental human right, enshrined in the European Pillar of Social Rights and the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU;[2]
– the 27 Member States committed in 2021, in the Lisbon Declaration, to work towards ending homelessness by 2030;
– the EU has not yet developed a European strategy to end homelessness by 2030[3]:
- 1.Will the Commission propose a single European definition of homelessness and develop a European strategy to end homelessness by 2030?
- 2.Will the Commission propose legislative measures to ensure the right to housing in practice and promote the widespread implementation of ‘Housing-Led’ social inclusion models, providing housing security, such as the ‘Housing First’ model[4] in all Member States?
- 3.Does the Commission intend to propose the creation of a dedicated European Fund to Combat Homelessness, allowing local authorities to manage part of the funds directly, under the next MFF?
Submitted: 30.5.2025
- [1] For more information, see https://www.feantsa.org/en/report/2024/09/19/report-9th-overview-of-housing-exclusion-in-europe-2024.
- [2] In practice, the right to housing varies considerably between Member States and housing is still treated mainly as a commodity, rather than a social right.
- [3] The European Parliament has repeatedly called on the Commission in its resolutions to propose a common definition of homelessness in the EU and a European strategy to end homelessness in the EU. See e.g. https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/TA-10-2025-0032_EN.html.
- [4] The European Platform to Combat Homelessness, in the framework of the Lisbon Declaration, promotes the exchange of good practices and support for Member States in implementing the ‘Housing First’ model. The ‘Housing First’ model prioritises the immediate provision of permanent and independent housing to people experiencing homelessness, without conditions.