Recommendations

• Author: Isabel Baptista - Eric Marlier
• Pages: 18-22

National strategies to fight home lessness and housing exclusion Synthesis Report

18

RECOMMENDATIONS

While progress is being achieved by an increasing number of the European countries engaging in

the development of integrated strategic approaches to homelessness and housing exclusion (HHE),

there has been an overall upward trend in HHE across Europe over the last decade.

Increasing research evidence on what actually works has shown that a demonstrable effective

strategic response to ending homelessness can be successful both in preventing HHE and in

ensuring stable and sustainable ways out of HHE exclusion.

This section primarily proposes recommendations to the 35 countries under scrutiny and

recommendations to be handled at EU level. These recommendations build on the main outcomes

of the comparative analysis of the national reports prepared by the 35 ESPN Country Teams, and

on the priorities for improvement identified in these reports.

Recommendations to countries

Adopting harmonised and legally binding definitions

• Countries should adopt an official definition of HHE and apply it consistently. The

definition should build on the European Typology on Homelessness and Housing Exclusion

(ETHOS) adopted by the Jury of the 2010 European Consensus Conference on

Homelessness.

• Definitions of HHE used by countries should move beyond the current narrow formal

definitions, which limit the understanding of the nature and extent of the phenomenon in

Europe. Too often, many living situations which are not immediately obvious (e.g. people

living temporarily with family and friends due to a lack of housing, or people living in

institutions and due to be released with no home to go to) are currently not being

recognised or counted.

• Countries should ensure that existing official definitions of HHE result in a legal obli gation

and/or implementation of policy measures aiming at the provision of accommodation

and/or other necessary support.

Strengthening data collection mechanisms and research evidence

• Countries should set up proper long-term arrangements with regard to data collection on

HHE, based on an agreed common EU framework and guidelines for measuring and

monitoring the extent and evolution of HHE.

• Data collection mechanisms should be anchored in inclusive definitions of HHE and

regular monitoring exercises.

• There should be a strengthening among relevant stakeholders of capacity building with

regard to collecting and analysing HHE data.

• The use of EU indicators on housing should be promoted, as a means to emphasise the

housing-related drivers contributing to HHE.

• Research evidence on HHE should be strengthened. Even in countries where homelessness

research is more extensive, there is scope for strengthening the existing evidence base

on less visible forms of homelessness or less investigated areas (e.g. family

homelessness, women’s homelessness, impact of homelessness on children, youth

homelessness, homelessness among the elderly, homelessness among migrant

populations).