The high rise in homelessness is burdening Europe. The European Union is building a platform to help the Member States eradicate homelessness in just eight years. The platform should be the key to success. The Action Plan for the European Pillar of Social Rights is primarily represented by the European Federation of National Organizations Working with the Homeless (FEANTSA).
The EU Combat to Homelessness
Portugal, together with the European Commission, the Member States, and the social partners, launched a new European platform to combat homelessness at a conference in Lisbon on June 21. The new platform’s goal is to get all people off the streets by 2030.
Although it is up to each Member State alone, the platform is there to help them. The project will provide funding, improve monitoring, facilitate mutual learning, and strengthen cooperation between all stakeholders who want to eradicate homelessness.
The Platform’s Main Goals
The main common goals include, for example, ensuring safe, affordable, and emergency accommodation in EU countries – this is a temporary solution, followed by the search for full-fledged housing with the assistance of the relevant authorities and organizations. At the same time, the project wants to prevent the forced eviction of people as much as possible and look for alternative solutions.
In addition to the main state bodies, separate regions and cities should be involved. Eradicating homelessness requires a local approach, as towns and municipalities provide social housing and address social exclusion. Local authorities have an overview of each problem’s extent.
There are currently around 700,000 people homeless in the EU, an increase of about 70% over the last ten years. The European Parliament points out that the numbers could increase, both in the wake of rising housing unavailability and due to the coronavirus crisis. According to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Germany, Luxembourg, Latvia, Slovakia, and Sweden have the highest ratio of homeless people to the total population.
Source: oecd.org, featured photo by Ev on Unsplash
