Every year, cumulatively more than four million people in Europe experience homelessness. Efforts to reduce the phenomenon have largely failed – in the last decade there has been a trend towards increasing numbers of people sleeping rough in most European countries. Against this backdrop, this Policy Brief highlights key issues of national policies in preventing and tackling homelessness in ten EU countries (selected based on their representativeness for different welfare types) and provides related recommendations. The analysis is based on a rights-based approach employing a multi-dimensional framework which covers five domains:
I. Legal recognition and enforcement of the right to housing,
II. Access to adequate housing,
III. Access to homelessness services,
IV. Social security and access to adequate income,
V. Highest attainable standard of health and access to healthcare.
