Contribution FEANTSA to SAD conference on homelessness
Ostrawa – 7 Sept 2010
HOMELESSNESS IN A EUROPEAN
CONTEXT
SOME GOOD REASONS TO BE OPTIMITIC …
FEANTSA (1)
 Structure

Membership
 NGOs


Decision-making
Office
 office@feantsa.org

Budget
 European Commission
 Activities

Mutual learning
 Conferences, expert groups, projects …

Research
 European Observatory

Lobbying
 EU …
 Member States

Communication
 www.feantsa.org
FEANTSA (2)
 Impact
 Source of expertise and innovation
 Comparison
 Concrete
 ETHOS
 Definition of homelessness
 Mphasis
 Toolkit for homelessness information strategy
 Litigation
 Collecoms against France & Slovenia
 EP commitment on homelessness
 Written Declaration 2008
 …
European Forum to Combat
Homelessness
 Why?
 Solutions
 Transsectoral cooperation
 What?
 Local authorities
 HABITACT
 National/Regional authorities
 Informal
 Health
 ENHHW
 Employment
 Homelessness and Employability network
 Other…
HABITACT
 Membership
 12 cities
 East Europe?
 FEANTSA coordinates
 Activities
 Exchanges
 Conference
 CoR
 Local homelessness strategies
 Peer review
 Projects
 Centre of expertise
 www.habitact.eu
 Policy bank
EU policy context
FROM WORDS TO ACTION….

European Parliament call for EU commitment on homelessness – 2008


End rough sleeping by 2015
More ambitious EU intervention
Democratic basis for action

Homelessness thematic priority of EU social inclusion strategy - 2009


27 national report
Reference /Comparative basis for action
EU agrees to develop national integrated strategies on homelessness 2010


Joint Report
EPSCO
Commitment to act

Consensus conference – 2010

Belgian Presidency
Consensual basis for action
Poverty Platform
EU policy context (2)
JOINT REPORT – WHAT IS IN IT?
 Call for national homelessness strategies
 Guidance

Targets
 Rough sleeping; Duration of homelessness; Quality of services; Prevention

Information & evaluation
 Proper data collection

Governance
 Role of NGOs & Local Authorities

Approach
 « Housing First »

Emerging profiles
 Poor workers & Migrants
 EU Role


Promote and monitor progress
Member States can ask SUPPORT!!
EU policy context (3)
CONSENSUS CONFERENCE – WHAT & WHY?



Belgian EU Presidency event
Break deadlock because of disensus
Methodolody



Questions







PrepCom, Experts, Jury
Research & Homeless People
Understanding/Definition
Aim
Housing First
Participation
Migrants
EU role
Basis for future policy making at EU (and national) level
EU policy context (4)
 GENERAL FRAMEWORK
 EU 2020 agenda
 Poverty is priority
 Mention of homelessness
 Poverty target
 Reduce with 20 million people living in poverty
 Relative poverty, Material deprivation, jobless households
 120 millioon
 Homeless not captured
 Translation in the national/regional targets
 Autumn 2010
 Lobbying opportunity
 Joint Report
 EU Poverty Platform
 Stream of action on homelessness?!
EU funding
 European Regional Development Fund

New funding facility
 Housing intervention for marginalised groups
 Homeless & Roma
 All EU member states

≠ new funding
 Reallocation required
 Max 3% of ERDF funding for UK and max 2% of total ERDF funding
 4 billion €

Housing interventions
 Building, upgrading/humanising, tranforming shelter/hostel provision
 « Housing First »

ERDF managing authority
 Underspending

Until 2013
 Mid-term review

Future Structural Funds regime 2014 – 2021
 Take up necessary
EU data
 Census 2011

Obligation to include/count the homeless
 EU directive
 First time
 Quality ?!
 EU-SILC

Possible question on past experience of homelessness
 Coordination with US, Canada, Australia…
 Follow up Mphasis project

Monitoring progress towards comprehensive homeless information
strategies
Transnational comparaison possible in the
future …
EU awareness raising/campaigning
 EY 2010 against poverty
 Dissappointing!
 National level
 Very few projects on homelessness
 Visibility?
 EU level
 Waste of resources
 Campaign without message
 Political impact ??
FEANTSA activities
 European campaign « ending homelessness is possible »
 Managing vs. Ending
 Campaign objectives
 No one sleeping rough (1)
 No one in emergency accommodation than situation is emergency
(2)
 No one longer in temporary accommodation than necessary for
reintegration (3)
 No homelessness after institutional release (4)
 No young homeless in transition to independent living (5)
 Campaign tool
 Handbook for policy makers
 Variety of activities
 Potential support of the European Parliament
 Written Declaration
FEANTSA

Priorities for future

Migration & Free movement
 Call for EU intervention incl. funding

Quality of services
 EU quality system for homeless services?!
 See open EU services market
 Link with European Social Fund?!

Impact of the crisis
 Identify good practices…

Interesting projects

Housing Rights Watch
 Facilitate legal action
 Slovenia – tenants rights

HABITACT
 Mobilise local authorities
 Large research project…

HOPE in Stations
 Mobilisation of railway companies

Housing First
 Pooling test sites
Inspiration from abroad …
 Finland
 Closing all hostels by 2015
 Innovation in supported housing
 Ireland
 Funding
 Focus on time in shelters
 Denmark
 Quality of life
 Freak housing
 France
 Justiciable right to housing
 Norway
 Institutional release
 Prison
 Austria
 Prevention of evictions
Inspiration from abroad (2)
 Spain

Employment – Social economy
 Belgian

Pivate rental market
 Scotland

Homelessness Etc Act
 Solution

Responsibilisation of social housing sector
 England


Rough sleeping
Quality of shelters
 Places of change programme
 Netherlands

Local authorities

European dynamic
« Housing First »
 « Housing First » vs Continuum of care //
« Housing ready »
 Housing as tool of integration vs housing as
« reward » of integration process
 Most excluded homeless
 « Assertive » provision of services but no
condition
 US >>>>> UK, Scandinavia…
 Impact housing stability
 Cost-benefit
 Housing supply?!
 Thank you for listening
 www.feantsa.org