Extent and nature of homelessness and housing exclusion in Europe

• Author: Isabel Baptista - Eric Marlier
• Pages: 23-53

National strategies to fight home lessness and housing exclusion Synthesis Report

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1 EXTENT AND NATURE OF HOMELESSNESS AND HOUSING

EXCLUSION IN EUROPE

Homelessness is an extreme manifestation of poverty and social exclusion; it reduces a person’s

dignity as well as their productive potential and is a waste of human capital (European Commission

2013). At present, there is no consensus concerning the most valid and reliable methods to

measure and monitor homelessness and housing exclusion (HHE) in Europe. Definitions and

measurements vary significantly across Europe, making it difficult to assess the extent of the

phenomenon in comparative terms.

In fact, the term HHE refers to a varied typology of living situations, from the most visible (rough

sleeping) to the situation of people living in forms of inadequate and insecure housing, or in more

“hidden” situations (e.g. people temporarily living with acquaintances or relatives during a spell of

housing exclusion). These forms of hidden homelessness are not visible to the public as people

may have temporary housing, but they lack the stability of having a permanent address and they

are not the same as staying with family or friends out of choice (Crawley et al. 2013). Measuring

homelessness based on administrative data on those people who are in contact with services may

lead us to underestimate these “hidden” situations. Women experiencing homelessness are often

underrepresented if the extent and nature of homelessness is measured using only administrative

data (Pleace 2016).

Defining homelessness is also important “because the wider the definition of homelessness, the

wider the range of services and supports that tend to be provided. If homelessness is just defined

as people living rough, only a relatively small range of services focused on a comparatively small

population is required. If the problem is seen as encompassing hidden homelessness, there are

more women, more families, and a much wider range of homeless people more generally, as well

as bigger numbers of people involved.” (Pleace et al. 2018). At the 2010 European Consensus

Conference on homelessness (which brought together key experts to address six key questions on

homelessness policy at EU level), stakeholders and the European Commission agreed on a

European Typology of Homelessness and Housing Exclusion (ETHOS)7, which has been

acknowledged as the standard definition of homelessness (Jury of the European Consensus

Conference on Homelessness 2011).

A specialist version of ETHOS, known as ETHOS-Light, was also developed by FEANTSA with a view

to simplifying the comparable measurement of homelessness both within and across countries.

This harmonised definition has been developed for use in surveys and for statistical purposes. It

contains six operational categories of HHE as well as definitions which correspond to 12 different

living situations (see Annex A).

This section begins by contextualising the evidence to be provided on the nature and extent of

homelessness across Europe. It does so by presenting the existing official definitions of

homelessness, including the identification of those ETHOS-Light categories which current country

definitions define as homelessness (Sub-section 1.1). This sub-section provides the basis for an

overall analysis of the existing evidence on the extent and profile of homelessness across Europe,

which is the focus of Sub-sections 1.2 and 1.3. Finally, Sub-section 1.4 highlights the main

homelessness trends over the last ten years, and discusses the major findings arising from the

assessment made by ESPN national experts of the main drivers explaining those overall trends.

7 The ETHOS typology is available at https://www.feantsa.org/en/toolkit/2005/04/01/ethos-typology-on-homelessness-

and-housing-exclusion.

National strategies to fight home lessness and housing exclusion Synthesis Report

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1.1 Defining homelessness and housing exclusion: harmonisation challenges

The so far unsuccessful use of a shared standard (e.g. the definition of homelessness used by

Member States in the 2011 Population and Housing Census) has made it difficult to assess the

extent of homelessness across EU countries (Baptista et al. 2012). Yet, progress is being made in

defining and measuring homelessness in Europe, and the use of harmonised definitions, even if

these are not fully adopted by each and every country, is an important step towards a more

comparable overview of the prevalence of homelessness.

The 35 ESPN national experts were asked to provide existing (if any) official definitions used in

their countries in the context of national/regional strategy(ies) addressing HHE. They were also

asked to review the categories of the ETHOS-Light typology, indicating which of the situations listed

in this typology are included in the definition of homelessness used in their country and which are

not. Tables 1 and 2 below present an overview of the national situation in each country.

Table 1: (Official) Definitions of homelessness currently used in Europe

Countries

Definitions of homelessness

AT (Austria)

No official national definition.

Administrative definitions usually address roofless people (people living rough and people

in emergency accommodation/night-shelter) and people living in short-term or longer-

term accommodation for homeless people.

BE (Belgium)

No national definition.

Administrative definition (used by the municipal public centres for social welfare): A

homeless person is a person who does not have their own housing, who does not have

the resources to provide this on their own or is residing or staying temporarily in a home

until housing is made available.8

BG (Bulgaria)

A homeless person is a person who does not own a home, is unable to rent a home with

their own funds and is not placed in a municipal dwelling under the Municipal Property

Act and/or who, due to incidental circumstances (fire, natural disasters, collapse of a

building, etc.), has remained without shelter.

CY (Cyprus)

No official definition of homelessness.

Definition used by the Council of Community Volunteering of the municipality of

Germasogeia (in relation to the building of a temporary accommodation centre for the

homeless): Homelessness includes cases of persons without secure housing or persons

who live in rough conditions. Homeless persons are all those living legally in the country

and without or with only insecure access to adequate owned or rented housing (adequate

housing is housing that fulfils all the necessary requirements and has the basic water

and electricity amenities). In particular, people living rough on the street, in temporary

facilities or who are temporarily hosted in the homes of relatives are regarded as

homeless, as well as those living in inappropriate accommodation.

CZ (Czechia)

Homelessness is understood as a process, from losing one’s home to the possibility of

returning and the actual return to the common way of life, or as a situation which covers

any stage of this process. The risk of losing one’s home is a process which begins with

the occurrence of the risk of being excluded from housing.

DE (Germany) No official definition of homelessness.

DK (Denmark)

No official definition of homelessness.

Yet, according to article 110 of the Law on Social Services, municipalities have an

obligation to offer temporary housing to persons with special social problems who do not

have or cannot stay in their own home, and who need housing provision and offers of

activation support, care and subsequent help.

In addition, the biannual measurement of homelessness uses a definition covering the

various ETHOS-Light categories (except for category 5). Its definition is referred to by

other actors, including public authorities.

8 The municipal public centres for social welfare (“CPAS”/ “OCMW”) provide a substantial part of assistance to homeless

people throughout the country. This definition is set out in a law of 26 May 2002 concerning the right to social

integration.