FEANTSA is the European Federation of National Organisations Working with the Homeless, comprising over 130 member organizations across 26 EU member states and others. Its objectives include promoting effective homelessness measures, conducting research, raising awareness, and facilitating best practices among members. The organization has a structured decision-making body and various working groups, and it receives funding from the European Commission, alongside membership and conference fees.

1. FEANTSA
European Federation of National Organisations
Working with the Homeless
Presentation

2. Membership
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Fé dé ration europé enne des associations
nationales travaillant avec les sans-abri
(European Federation of National Organisations
Working with the Homeless)
More than 130 member organisations in 26 EU
Member States and other European countries
National and regional umbrella organisations of
service providers for homeless people
Full/associate/corresponding members

3. Objectives
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FEANTSA works closely with the EU institutions, and has
consultative status at the Council of Europe and the United Nations.
It receives financial support from the European Commission.
FEANTSA is committed to:
 Engaging in constant dialogue with the European institutions and
national and regional governments to promote the development
and implementation of effective measures to fight homelessness.
 Conducting and disseminating research and data collection to
promote better understanding of the nature, extent, causes of,
and solutions to, homelessness.
 Promoting and facilitating the exchange of information,
experience and good practice between FEANTSA’s member
organisations and relevant stakeholders with a view to improving
policies and practices addressing homelessness.
 Raising public awareness about the complexity of homelessness
and the multidimensional nature of the problems faced by
homeless people

4. Decision-Making Structure
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Democratically organised
General Assembly (GA)
Administrative Council (AC)
Executive Committee (EC)
Finance Committee (President, Treasurer,
Director and Finance Officer)
Office (implements the work programme)

5. General Assembly
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Is composed of all full members; other members may assist in
a consultative capacity.
Has the following responsibilities:
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To decide on basic policy (work programmes)
To approve the budget and accounts.
To elect and dismiss members of the Administrative Council.
To amend the statutes.
To expel members.
To dissolve the association.
Decisions are taken by a simple majority. The votes are
distributed on the basis of 10 votes per Member State.
Meets once a year (usually in connection with the Annual
Conference). Voting takes place every two years.

6. Administrative Council
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One representative from each EU Member State with a full
member, Meets 3 x / year
Elected by the General Assembly for 2 years (renewable)
Elects Executive Committee
Responsibilities:
 Membership applications
 Adopt and develop the annual work programme and the
annual budget
 Adopt policy statements
 Establish working groups
 Decide on personnel structure and organisation of work of
the Secretariat, dismissal of Director
 Decide on internal regulations of the secretariat
Decisions by simple majority. Consensus is striven for.

7. Executive Committee
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Elected by and from the Administrative Council for 2
years (renewable)
Maximum 7 members, including the President, 2 vicepresidents, the treasurer and the secretary.
Responsibilities:
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Prepares and implements longer-term strategies
Prepares issues for Administrative Council decision
Monitors and implements the annual work programme
Supervises staff management
Monitors research carried out by the Observatory
Decisions are taken by majority voting, strives for
consensus
Meets 4 x per year

8. Working Groups I
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Appointed by the AC (based on
applications)
Aim: Develop thematic expertise and
facilitate exchange of good practices
Prepare policy documents, background
documents, toolkits, databases, etc.
Prepare conferences
Meet 2 x per year

9. Working Groups II
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Housing (6 members, 1 Research Expert)
Employment (6 members)
Housing Rights (4 members, 2 observers)
Health and Social Protection (5 members)
Participation (6 members)
Migration (6 members, 1 observer)

10. Transnational Exchange
Initiatives
Public Fora
•Local authorities
•(HABITACT)
•Ministries Forum
FEANTSA
Thematic Fora
•Health
•Housing Rights
•Employment
Knowledge Forum
•Research Observatory
•Data Collection

11. Transnational Exchange
Initiatives
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European Network of Homeless
Health Workers (ENHW)
 Housing Rights Watch
 HABITACT
 Ministries Forum
 European Employability and Homelessness Fo
 Housing Practitioners’ Forum

12. European Network of
Homeless Health Workers
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Virtual network of about 350 contacts across
Europe, mainly health professionals working
with homeless people.
LinkedIn Group
Newsletter three/four times a year :
Exchange and mutual learning,
Information about available resources and
relevant events.

13. Housing Rights Watch
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www.housingrightswatch.org
Links voluntary organisations, lawyers and academics committed to
promoting the right to housing for all.
Aims at: sharing information on legislation and case-law, monitoring
the housing situation from a rights-based perspective, supporting
national and European public policy change with the aim of better
implementing the right to housing.
15 national correspondents
Housing Rights Expert group
Newsletter
Conferences
Campaign: Poverty is Not a Crime www.povertyisnotacrime.org
LinkedIn group

14. HABITACT
European exchange forum on local homeless strategies
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8 founding cities, 16 partner cities
5 project streams: policy exchange, communications, project development,
partnership development, promotion
Policy Exchange
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Communications
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Research proposal on local welfare systems and homelessness under the Seventh
Framework Programme of the European Commission
Life-Long Learning
Partnership Development
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e-bulletin
Website www.habitact.eu
Project Development
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Peer Reviews
Policy Bank
Extending network
Funding opportunities
Promotion

15. Ministries’ Forum
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Forum of ministries responsible for homelessness
Brings together regional and national policy makers responsible for
homelessness in the Member States
Allows mutual learning and transnational exchange on homelessness
policies
FEANTSA facilitates the forum
Latest events
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Workshop: Housing First: A Key Element of European Homelessness Strategies, 23rd
March 2012, hosted by the French Permanent Representation to the EU
EU Housing Ministers’ Meeting, 10th December 2013
More information

16. European Employability
and Homelessness Forum
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FEANTSA is developing a European Employability and Homelessness
Forum in order to reach out to partners outside the homelessness sector
The forum aims to provide a platform for transnational exchanges on
employment and homelessness
Resources
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"Employability and Homelessness" newsletter
Online database of employment initiatives
More information

17. Housing Practitioners’
Forum
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FEANTSA is currently working with CECODHAS (Housing Europe) and
EASPD (European Association of Service Providers for Persons with
Disabilities) to develop a European forum of housing practitioners focusing
on meeting the housing needs of vulnerable people
More information

18. European Observatory on
Homelessness (EOH)
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www.feantsaresearch.org
Understanding homelessness and evaluating services is key to developing
homelessness strategies, preventing homelessness and promoting good
practice in homelessness services
FEANTSA’s statutory bodies decide on the Observatory’s research strategy,
annual research programme and research themes
Annual European Research Conference
Two issues of the European Journal of Homelessness and one
Comparative Study per year
LinkedIn Discussion Group
Recent work:
• Review of knowledge on homelessness for 2010 Consensus Conference
• 2011 study of barriers to social housing for homeless people in the EU
• 2012 study of the enumeration of homelessness in the 2011 censuses
• 2013 cost of homelessness study

19. Communications Tools
FEANTSA website
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Public section
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Members’ only section
Publications
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Homeless in Europe Magazine
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Flash Newsletter
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LINK (internal members’ newsletter)
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Press Releases
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Videos
Social Media

20. Policy Tools/Resources
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FEANTSA has produced a wealth of Resources, including:
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Annual Reports
Books
Databases
Lists of Services by Country
Homelessness Monitoring
Policy Statements
PowerPoint Presentations
Toolkits and Handbooks
It also collects key documents produced by the European Institutions
and has a directory of existing Strategies to End Homelessness
and gives information about Collective Complaints it has launched

21. FEANTSA History
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1985 – 12 countries participated in the first
European Seminar on Poverty and
Homlessness in Cork, Ireland.
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The seminar ended with a resolution entitled
Homelessness in the European Community.
It made 8 main recommendations including
"European funding for an association of
organisations working with homeless people in the
Member States"
April 1989 – FEANTSA legally recognised

22. Annual Themes
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1997 – Services for Homeless People
1998 – Support and Housing in Europe
1999 – Women and Homelessness in Europe
2001 – Access to Housing
2002 – Immigration and Homelessness in Europe
2003 – Co-operation and Networking to fight Homelessness
2004 – Prevention of Homelessness
2005 – Social Emergency and Crisis Intervention in Large European Cities
2006 – Health and Homelessness
2007 – Employment and Homelessness
2008 – Housing and Homelessness
2009 – Participation and Homelessness
2010 – European Consensus Conference on Homelessness
2011 – Quality in Social Services from the Perspective of Services Working with
Homeless People
2012 – Migration and Homelessness
2013 – Youth Homelessness

23. 2010 - European Consensus Conference
on Homelessness
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Innovative policy process seeking to establish common
understandings on fundamental questions about
homelessness + provide basis for policy progress.
Initiative of Belgian Presidency of EU Council, coorganised with European Commission.
FEANTSA co-ordinated the process
French Government a key partner
Resources:
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Experts' contributions on the key questions
Homelessness and Homeless Policies in Europe: Lessons from
Research
2010 European Consultation of Homeless People
Outcomes: Policy Recommendations of the Jury
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Also available in Dutch and Italian
Executive summaries in all EU languages

24. Funding
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FEANTSA receives partial funding from
the European Commission
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The rest of the funding is made up of
membership fees, conference fees and
grants

25. More Information
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information@feantsa.org
 +32(0)2 538 66 69
 Chaussé e de Louvain 194,
1210 Brussels,
Belgium
 www.feantsa.org