The European Federation of National Associations on homelessness (Feantsa) has said in a new report that the EU was facing a “worrying” increase in homelessness.
The report, published Thursday, comes as the EU races against time to achieve its ambitious goal of ending homelessness by 2030.
Which EU countries have the highest homelessness rates?
By numbers: Germany. Europe’s largest-economy that 531,600 people are without a permanent shelter in the country, although the figure covers different kinds of homelessness, including people staying with friends and family.
Calculated in proportion to inhabitants, the Czech Republic has the most homeless people, with more than 230,000 people living in another type of housing or are homeless out of the country’s population of 10 million.
According to the Feantsa report, homelessness figures are also rising in several EU countries, most notably in Finland, Denmark and Ireland.
The median rent has increased in many European cities, making low-income households unable to afford housing without spending more than 33% of their income on rent.
According to calculations by the Housing Foundation and Feantsa, this is the case in Berlin, Madrid, Rome, Paris, Amsterdam and Dublin, with the median rent per square meter at €31.50.
What does the data mean?
Feantsa deputy director, Ruth Owen, said the researchers sought to highlight who the housing crisis affects and how.
“The picture is quite complicated because the data quality and scope varies enormously, but the report gives us that kind of headline that homelessness is a substantial and worsening problem in the European Union,” Owen told DW.
Lower numbers, according to Owen, are often due to underreporting, rather than countries being particularly good at tackling the issue. Some countries, like Bulgaria or Croatia, do not even have up-to-date or sufficient data.
“Although probably this housing crisis affects us all, it doesn’t affect us all equally and if we want proper policy responses we need to really understand the needs and put the support in to help those who need it the most,” she added.
The report also highlights that the plans to counter the housing crisis often finance housing for the middle classes, which would mean less support for low-income households.
Could the EU end homelessness by 2030?
Analysts and social workers don’t think so.
“I don’t see that happening by 2030,” said Richard Rosenberger, a social worker with Caitas, Germany’s largest welfare organization.
“In my opinion, the problem is becoming more pressing than ever, especially in Berlin. It’s getting worse, I’m experiencing the problem myself. And not just quantitatively, but also qualitatively. We are in a worse state of health,” he added.
The Feantsa report also notes that a political shift toward the right in Europe contributes to rolling back measures that were meant to counter the growing housing crisis.
In Finland, for example, there was a recorded increase in homelessness figures in the last two years, marking the first rise in the last decade.
In Hungary, the figures are low, but analysts assume that’s likely due to pressure on monitors and NGOs under Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s government.
Listen to the full report on DW’s Inside Europe podcast:
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