Presentation given by Freek Spinnewijn, FEANTSA Director at the FEANTSA/French Permanent Representation to the EU seminar, 'Housing First: A Key Element of European Homelessness Strategies', 23rd March 2012.

1. EU strategy on homelessness:
between dream and reality
Seminar Housing First
French PermRep
March 2012
BRX

2. Political quasi-consensus
 European Parliament
 Written Declarations 2008 & 2010
 Resolution 2011
 578+ // 51 - // 22 °
 « Calls for the development of an ambitious, integrated EU strategy, underpinned by national and regional strategies, with the long-term
aim of ending homelessness within the broader (EU) social inclusion framework »
 Committee of the Regions
 Own Initiative Report 2010
 Unanimity
 The Committee of the Regions urges the Member States to work together through the EU in order to develop an overarching,
integrated homelessness strategy and then to ensure that such a strategy is underpinned by the national policy-framing that is needed in order
for it to be effective.
 Economic and Social Committee
 Own initiative report 2011
 98+ // 6°
 The European Commission should develop an ambitious strategy on the issue of homelessness and support the Member States in
developing effective national strategies, in accordance with the guidelines proposed in the 2010 Joint Report on Social Protection and Social
Inclusion and taking account of the recommendations made by the jury of the European Consensus Conference on Homelessness .
 Council
 Joint Report Social Protection & Social Exclusion
 Strategies to address … homelessness have an important role in building socially and environmentally sustainable economies, and they should
be an integral part of post-crisis strategies .
 EY2010 Declaration
 Particular attention should be given to vulnerable groups such as migrants, the Roma and other ethnic minorities and to extreme forms of
poverty such as homelessness . No one should be left behind.

3. Building blocks for action available
 EU consensus Conference 2010
 Outcome
 Definition: ETHOS
 Objective: End
 Intervention: Housing-led
 Scope: ≈ Migration
 Role EU: Strategy
 EPAP Flagship initiative 2010
 EU 2020 Strategy
 Developing appropriate and integrated responses, both to prevent and
tackle homelessness, shall remain an important element of the EU’s social inclusion strategy .
 Commitments
 Follow up CC
 Quality standards
 Structural Funds
 Wider network
 FEANTSA & Satellite networks
 NGO
 Research comunity
European OBS
 Public authorities
 Ministries Forum
 HABITACT
 Homeless people
 HOPE
 Housing, Health, Employment sectors
 ENHHW, Housing Practioners Forum, Employability Network
 …

4. Opportunities / Threats
 Political
 Impact of economic crisis
 Increasing levels of homelessness
 Esp. in countries under supervision: GR, IRE, PORT
 Up to 20% increase
 Cost-Benefit argument
 Housing-First
 US - 5.5 billion $ over 10 years
 Free movement
 Homelessness amongst EU citizens abroad
 Rough sleeping
 Financial
 Cohesion Policy 2014 - 2020

5. Strong Mandate
 EP
 Written questions
 Other means…
 MS
 Individual demands
 Strong engagement of policy makers
 NRPs
 Requirement?!
 Council
 Irish Presidency
 People Experiencing Poverty
 Annual conference
 2011 focus on homelessness
 Public
 Barometer surveys …

6. EU strategy: what?
 Hesitation around the concept strategy
 Basic principles
 Realistic
 Longer term planning
 Workload
 Voluntary
 Limit bureaucracy
 No heavy reporting duty on MS/EC
 Build on existing momentum/dynamic
 Outcome oriented
 Centered around knowledge gaps
 Focused on practice
 In line with subsidiarity
 Support MS
 OMC

7. EU Strategy: What?
 Visible dynamic in which stakeholders can tap into
 Strength of EU framework
 Streams of action
 Mutual learning (+)
 Research (+)
 Innovation (+)
 Monitoring (+-)
 Awareness raising (-)
 Funding (+-)

8. Conclusion
 FEANTSA (and partners)
 Development
 Flexible/open about form
 Implementation
 Through EPAP/other Flagship Initiatives & OMC
 Responsibility for success
 Process & Output

9.  Thank you for listening
 Freek.Spinnewijn@feantsa.org

10.  Thank you for listening
 Freek.Spinnewijn@feantsa.org