Estimations suggest that more than 400,000 people sleep in the streets of European cities per night. Moreover, more than 4 million people experience homelessness per year. Efforts to reduce homelessness have largely failed as the number of people sleeping rough has been increasing or remained stable in most European countries in the last decade. Against this background, the European Centre has conducted a study by order of the Swedish Ministry of Health and Social Affairs that aims to provide a comparative analysis of national policies and their outcomes in preventing and tackling homelessness across ten EU countries. At the core of the analysis is a multi-dimensional framework that builds on a rights-based approach and monitors the extent to which States uphold the right to housing and provide support for people affected by homelessness.
