Meeting Report: FEANTSA Housing Exclusion in the EU 2020
by Abriel SCHIEFFELERS
Considerations for The Salvation Army
-Take the opportunity provided by the COVID-19 crisis to advocate for sustainable solutions such as the housing first initiative throughout Europe and make use of national and EU funds to implement these solutions
-Participate in research into homelessness in Europe and advocate for the development of statistical tools and thorough data collection regarding homelessness in member states in order to make the issue more visible
-Raise awareness in situations of inadequate housing and social protection throughout Europe and advocate for long-term solutions on all levels
The Salvation Army European Affairs Office participated in a meeting to launch FEANTSA’s 5th Overview of Housing Exclusion in the European Union 2020. The timely report highlights asylum seekers who are facing homelessness as well as the impact of COVID-19. The full report can be found here.
The report outlines a concerning trend, with an increase of 70% over the last decade of people experiencing homelessness. This number is expected to increase in the aftermath of the pandemic.
COVID-19 and Homelessness in Brussels
Mauro Striano from Bruss’help presented about the impact of COVID-19 on homelessness in Brussels. He highlighted that a significant number of homeless couldn’t access health services in the beginning of the crisis, and that the closure of day centres resulted in lack of food and access to services for the homeless. There was also an increase in the number of homeless initially, due to tightened restrictions on the number of people allowed in residential centres. This was addressed through the creation of temporary accommodation in hotels and confinement centres for those who contracted the virus. Currently, there is a need for long-term solutions including funding for accommodation for the homeless that were temporarily housed at the height of the crisis but who are now facing homelessness again.
Key Findings
Chloé Serme-Morin (FEANTSA) and Sarah Coupechoux (Fondation Abbé Pierre) shared the key takeaways from the recently released report. Foreign nationals are over-represented among the homeless, and longer periods of homelessness have become the norm. Homeless people experience poorer health and die at a much younger age than the general population, and one in five LGBTIQ people experience homelessness in Europe.
The report highlights the situation of asylum seekers, noting that reception conditions continue to vary considerably between Member States, both in terms of organisation of the reception systems and in terms of guaranteed minimum standards for asylum seekers. Inhumane conditions in Reception and Identification centres and violations of asylum rights have been documented particularly in Italy and Greece.
For more information on these trends and country specific statistics, please find the full report here.
"The report shows that the migration crisis turns out, really, to be a reception crisis – another consequence of the Europe-wide housing crisis."
Recommendations
One of FEANTSA’s key recommendations is calling on the EU to reaffirm that everyone has the right to shelter and access to basic services, regardless of administrative status. Additionally, FEANTSA urges member states to not automatically apply the Dublin procedure, but consider individual situations. In emergency situations member states ought to provide housing and not allow inhumane conditions, such as in overcrowded refugee camps. The current crisis presents an opportunity for member states in terms of the budget available to eradicate homelessness through the housing first system and energy renovation, for example. Another important recommendation emphasizes the need for the development of statistical tools to gain knowledge on the state of homelessness in Europe.
Nicolas Schmit (EU Commissioner for Jobs and Social Rights) concluded the meeting by reiterating the need for increased protection for the most vulnerable, noting that measures taken during the pandemic to address homelessness were necessary but not sufficient. Structural investment is needed in the long term to turn the tide of the increase in homelessness in Europe. COVID response funds can and must be mobilized to ensure housing and social protection for the most vulnerable.
The Salvation Army’s Response
The Salvation Army affirms FEANTSA’s recommendations to the EU, particularly calls to implement sustainable solutions such as the housing first initiative throughout Europe. As noted by FEANTSA, with just 3% of the subsidies provided for in the Post-COVID Recovery Plan budget, the European Union and Member States could immediately rehouse all homeless people across Europe in dignified conditions for an entire year. In the wake of this global pandemic, the opportunity to provide housing for every person affected by homelessness in Europe is possible, and it is an opportunity that should not be missed.
Tags: Europe