Countries use a variety of housing policy measures to pursue social policy objectives, such as assistance with housing costs to prevent material deprivation and, more broadly, access to affordable housing to promote social inclusion. This Policy Brief by Eszter Zólyomi and Katarina Hollan aims to provide an overview of two such housing policy instruments, social housing and housing allowance, focusing on six EU Member States (Austria, Italy, Hungary, the Netherlands, Sweden and the United Kingdom). It also addresses the extent to which housing allowances benefit individuals and households lower down the income scale.
