Commission staff working document – Country fiches accompanying document to the Communication from the Commission to the Council, the European Parliament, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions - Proposal for the Joint Report on Social Protection and Social Inclusion 2010COM(2010)25 final SEC(2010)98
Date: 2010-02-05
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: European social policy, housing, impact study, marginalisation, pension scheme, poverty, public health, report, social integration, social security, unemployment

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COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 

Brussels, 5.2.2010 
SEC(2010) 99 final 

COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT 

Country fiches 

accompanying document to the 

COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE COUNCIL, THE 
EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL 
COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS 

Proposal for the Joint Report on Social Protection and Social Inclusion 2010 

COM(2010)25 final 
 SEC(2010)98 

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Table of contents 

BELGIUM.................................................................................................................................. 3 

BULGARIA ............................................................................................................................... 7 

CZECH REPUBLIC ................................................................................................................ 11 

DENMARK.............................................................................................................................. 15 

GERMANY.............................................................................................................................. 20 

ESTONIA................................................................................................................................. 24 

IRELAND ................................................................................................................................ 30 

GREECE .................................................................................................................................. 34 

SPAIN  37 

FRANCE .................................................................................................................................. 41 

ITALY  46 

CYPRUS .................................................................................................................................. 50 

LATVIA ................................................................................................................................... 53 

LITHUANIA............................................................................................................................ 57 

LUXEMBURG......................................................................................................................... 61 

HUNGARY.............................................................................................................................. 65 

MALTA.................................................................................................................................... 69 

NETHERLANDS..................................................................................................................... 73 

AUSTRIA................................................................................................................................. 77 

POLAND.................................................................................................................................. 81 

PORTUGAL............................................................................................................................. 85 

ROMANIA............................................................................................................................... 89 

SLOVENIA.............................................................................................................................. 92 

SLOVAKIA ............................................................................................................................. 95 

FINLAND .............................................................................................................................. 100 

SWEDEN ............................................................................................................................... 104 

UNITED KINGDOM............................................................................................................. 108 

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BELGIUM 

1. 

CURRENT SITUATION 

The population of Belgium, which stood at 10.85 million at 1 August 2009, grew 0.8% from 
1 January  2007  and  1 January  2008  (the  strongest  growth  since  1965).  The  average  size  of 
households  in  2007,  which  was  unchanged  from  2006,  was  2.31  persons  (it  was  smaller  in 
Brussels  at  2.04  and  larger  in  Flanders  at  2.37).  The  distribution  among  types  of  household 
also  remained  constant  at  around  27%  for  single-person  households  and  around  6%  for 
families.  In  2008  there  were  nearly  5  million  dwellings  in  Belgium.  Single-family  houses 
make  up  the  very  large  majority  (75.3%  in  2001),  except  in  Brussels  (where  they  comprise 
28.2%).  The  percentage  of  households  owning  their  dwelling  is  very  high  (69.5%  in  2001), 
with the exception of Brussels (42.7%). No national statistics are available on the number of 
empty  dwellings,  but  in  2006  the  water  distribution  agency  in  Brussels  put  the  number  in 
Brussels at 15 000 in 2006. 

The risk of poverty is nearly three times higher for a tenant than for someone who owns the 
property they live in (10.2% against 28.4%) and is over three times higher in Wallonia. Those 
at  risk  of  poverty  are  twice  as  likely  to  be  unsatisfied  with  their  accommodation  than  the 
population as a whole. 17% of the population live in housing with a structural problem, which 
is close to the EU average (18.1%). The percentage of the population for whom the cost of 
accommodation exceeds 40% of their disposable income is 3.2% (2007) for owners, 4.5% for 
owners  with  a  mortgage,  11.4%  for  tenants  paying  a  moderate  rent  or  who  pay  no  rent  and 
33%  for  ‘normal’  tenants.  Only  the  latter  category  are  in  a  clearly  less  favourable  situation 
than the European average (25.4%). The median percentage of the share of disposable income 
(with  or  without  a  housing  allowance)  allotted  to  accommodation  is  17%,  which  is  much 
lower than in Germany or the Netherlands. The overcrowding rate is very significantly below 
the European average (5.7% against 16.9%); nonetheless, the rate rises for tenants renting at 
market  prices  (11.6%  against  17.6%  for  the  EU)  and  is  higher  than  in  Germany  and  the 
Netherlands in almost all cases. Lastly, the purchase price of dwellings doubled from 2000 to 
2008. 

There  are  no  national  statistics  on  homelessness,  probably  because  of  Belgium’s  complex 
institutional  set-up.  Flanders  is  the  only  region  with  a  fairly  uniform,  comprehensive  and 
effective  registration  system  (Tellus).  However,  the  number  of  homeless  in  Belgium  can  be 
estimated  at  17 000,  although  the  reliability  of  such  figures  varies  significantly  with  the 
region. A recent survey in Brussels puts the number of homeless in the capital at 2 766 while 
regional  surveys  have  estimated  the  number  at  18 000  in  Wallonia  and  10 315  in  Flanders. 
According  to  a  survey  of  centres  publics  d'aide  sociale  (CPAS  –  municipal  public  social 
assistance centres) under way, young people and those with psychiatric problems or problems 
of dependency appear to make up a growing percentage of the homeless. A Flanders Region 
study covering the period 1982-2002 also notes a clear increase in women, non-nationals and 
persons in debt among the homeless in Belgium. 

2. 

POLICY FRAMEWORK – GOVERNANCE 

The  players  are  the  political  authorities  at  national,  regional  or  community  level,  the 
municipalities (which run the CPAS), charities (which may be subsidised), specialised bodies 
such as the Centra voor Algemeen Welzijnswerk (CAW – centres for general welfare work), 
assisted  by  the  Steunpunten  Algemeen  Welzijnswerk  (SAW  –  support  centre  for  general 

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welfare  work)  in  Flanders,  social  housing  companies,  rental  agencies,  and  organisations  of 
owners  which  rent  out  the  latters’  properties  for  them.  Consultation  bodies,  such  as  the 
Concertation  bruxelloise  de  l'aide  aux  sans-abris  and  La  Strada  in  Brussels,  exist  at  each 
level. All actors also take part in implementing the national social inclusion action plan (PAN-
Inclusion). 

Housing and homelessness are to a very great extent the responsibility of the regions (housing 
and exclusion) and the communities (homeless), while the federal authorities remain mainly 
responsible for legislation on rents, taxation, urban policy and policy on poverty (emergency 
accommodation);  major  land  reserves  belong  to  certain  State  departments.  The  CPAS 
(municipalities) are the most important public actors in the system. This complex situation has 
the  advantage  of  subsidiarity  but  calls  for  extensive  coordination  of  the  actors.  An 
interministerial  conference  on  coordinating  policies  applied  took  place  in  2005  but  did  not 
bring  very  tangible  results.  A  cooperation  agreement  between  the  Federal  State,  the 
Communities 
poverty 
(http://www.luttepauvrete.be/accordcooperation.htm)  was  approved  by  Belgium’s  six 
Parliaments in 1998. 

the  Regions 

continuity 

policy 

and 

on 

on 

of 

The right to lead a life in dignity and the right to housing are recognised by the Constitution 
(Article 23)  and  are  reflected  in  regional  legislation.  Nevertheless,  the  right  to  lead  a  life  in 
dignity,  which  is  implemented  by  the  CPAS,  is  not  enforceable.  Moreover,  rents  are  not 
subject to general surveillance. 

The major national policy framework is the Belgian social inclusion plan. Its general goal is 
to offer decent, adequate accommodation to all and it approaches the housing issue from the 
viewpoint  of  both  access  and  quality.  Its  target  for  2010  is  a  national  percentage  of  social 
housing  in  the  rental  sector  equal  to  8%  of  the  total  number  of  households  (compared  with 
6.2% in 2006); this focus on social housing is criticised by the experts, who would prefer a 
reference  to  a  general  accessibility  target.  The  ‘housing’  programme  of  the  national  urban 
policy also has access and quality as priorities; a total budget of €69 million has been set aside 
for  investment  programmes  at  local  level.  The  regions  and  communities  have  set  other, 
generally  unquantified,  targets  with  the  stress  on  the  supply  of  decent,  accessible  housing 
(without any target for the homeless). Various programmes exist: 

(1) 

Flanders: establishment of supplementary social housing through the development of 
public-private  partnerships;  supported  accommodation  and  introduction  of  a  rent 
allowance scheme;  

(2)  Wallonia:  aid  for  the  establishment  of  community  housing;  improvement  in  quality; 
development  of  public-private  partnerships;  investment  in  public  housing;  utilisation 
of empty property and supply of accommodation vouchers;  

(3) 

(4) 

German-speaking  Community:  aid  for  establishment  of  emergency  accommodation, 
accommodation  designed  to  encourage  residents’  social  inclusion  and  transitional 
accommodation;  

Brussels: easier access to private rental accommodation (with planned supply of 5 000 
extra  dwellings,  reform  of  rent  allowance,  trial  with  subsidised  rent);  support  for 
homeless centres; training of social workers (assistance to homeless in underground); 
supported accommodation and aid for access to property ownership. 

Very little information is provided on spending at national and regional level. 

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3. 

ACCESSIBILITY AND QUALITY OF HOUSING 

3.1. 

Access 

In terms of prevention, joint landlord/tenant committees were set up in 2007 in three cities to 
regulate relations between landlords and tenants, mediate in conflicts and establish a scale of 
rents.  The  trial  does  not  appear  to  have  been  followed  up.  Furthermore,  the  judiciary  must 
notify  the  CPAS  where  persons  are  under  threat  of  eviction.  In  Flanders  and  in  Brussels 
homeless reception centres and supported or guidance centres also play a part in forestalling 
the eviction of social tenants. Rent allowance mechanisms also play a role. 

Various  measures  are  applied  to  stimulate  the  supply  of  housing  for  persons  with  a  low 
income, such as increasing the stock of low-cost housing (new buildings and renovation), rent 
allowances  and  removal  and  installation  allowances.  Construction  of  new  housing  is 
encouraged  by  the  imposition  of  town-planning  rules,  support  for  social  housing  agencies, 
management  of  private  housing  by  the  latter  (and  incentives  for  owners  to  entrust  their 
property to them) and the establishment of public-private partnerships. 

In 2006 Belgium had 62 social housing units for every 1 000 households, not including low-
cost  accommodation  belonging  to  local  authorities  or  entrusted  by  private  owners  to  public 
bodies such as agences immobilières sociales (AIS – social real-estate agencies). These had 
2 000 housing units in Brussels and 3 000 in Wallonia. The supply of low-cost housing seems 
to  be  far  from  adequate:  in  2006  the  waiting  list  was  equivalent  to  60.5%  of  social 
accommodation existing across the country; it was less in Wallonia (45.6%) but much more in 
Brussels (79.2%). Flanders adopted a decree in March 2009 setting a target of an extra 43 000 
social housing units by 2020 (in collaboration with the private sector). Conditions of access to 
social housing vary with the region: Flanders recently made its criteria stricter. 

In  terms  of  access  to  privately  owned  accommodation,  Flanders  has  gradually  extended  the 
rent  subsidy  system  in  the  last  few  years.  Social  housing  agencies  in  Flanders  rent 
accommodation on the private market and sublet it. Aid towards payment of rent guarantees 
has  been  introduced.  Wallonia  is  seeking  to  develop  public-private  partnerships,  the 
establishment  of  collective  accommodation  managed  by  approved  private  associations,  the 
utilisation of empty private property and the supply of accommodation vouchers. Although it 
has been the subject of discussion for several years, no system for controlling rents (currently 
a  federal  competence)  has  yet  been  introduced  and  this  seems  to  be  holding  back  the 
introduction of a rent-allowance mechanism on a wide scale. 

To help former inmates on their release from penal establishments or asylums, the preference 
is for collective accommodation (independent living units with communal areas). In Brussels 
a  system  called  Concertation  de  l'aide  aux  justiciables  was  set  up  in  2006  to  coordinate 
assistance to such persons. 

Emergency  accommodation  (subject  to  an  eight  months  maximum),  managed  by  the  CPAS 
and  financed  by  the  National  Lottery,  has  been  in  place  since  2006  at  federal  level,  with 
assistance  in  searching  for  long-term  housing.  Similar  systems,  at  times  for  certain  target 
groups (such as battered housewives) also exist at regional level. 

The supply of supported accommodation is a regional responsibility. In Flanders the service is 
seen  as  an  intermediate  stage  between  residential  accommodation  and  independent  housing. 
The  support  is  flexible  in  form  and  degree:  special  home  services  may  be  provided.  The 
regions  are  also  responsible  for  finding  long-term  solutions.  Flanders  has  designated  seven 

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pilot  regions  since  2002:  bodies  help  the  homeless  to  find  social  housing  and  to  become 
autonomous.  

Certain services are there for specific target groups in Brussels (shelters for women, who may 
also  have  priority  access  to  social  accommodation)  and  in  Flanders  (special  temporary 
accommodation for young people, men and women; accommodation for battered housewives, 
non-nationals  and  victims  of  human  trafficking).  Lastly,  ensuring  a  social  mix  is  a  political 
goal for each region. 

3.2. 

Quality 

The regions, which are responsible in this area, have set binding quality criteria and clearly 
defined legal categories for housing. Progress in improving quality is encouraged by positive 
and dissuasive incentives: an administrative authorisation is required in Flanders and Brussels 
for renting out certain accommodation against which there is a question mark. Regional and 
federal  urban  regeneration  programmes  have  been  put  in  place  and  renovation  premiums 
introduced. No information has been provided on Structural Fund assistance in this area. 

4. 

HOMELESSNESS AND ACCESS TO SERVICES 

No  clearly  defined  active  inclusion  strategy  seems  to  exist.  However,  social  workers  within 
the social welfare services monitor pathways to integration. A comprehensive approach to the 
problems encountered (education, training, childcare and employment) and networking of the 
actors involved are promoted.  Work experience is offered  in  the  social  economy sector (for 
example,  via  the  wep-plus  plan  in  Flanders)  and  certain  social  groups,  e.g.  women  (M/V 
United  in  Flanders)  and  immigrants  (inburgering),  are  given  priority.  Flanders  also  holds 
training courses in ICT (AKMC). 

Access  to  health  care  is  facilitated  through  medical  centres  open  to  all  and  local  nurses  in 
Brussels and local health centres in Flanders (wijkgezondheidscentra), projects in place since 
2007  to  combat  drug,  alcohol  and  tobacco  abuse,  particularly  among  disadvantaged  groups 
and free vaccination campaigns and campaigns to promote a healthy diet. One of the CPAS’ 
tasks is also to facilitate access to care. 

Quality standards have been laid down by law in Flanders on the quality of services. 

5. 

MONITORING AND EVALUATION 

Belgium  still  seems  to  be  looking  for  a  coherent,  coordinated  policy  on  homelessness.  The 
Service de lutte contre la pauvreté, a body set up by the interparliamentary agreement of 1998 
(see  above)  to  combat  poverty,  has  the  task  of  making  recommendations,  while  the  regions 
have  published  reports  and  convene  coordination  meetings  of  the  actors.  Bodies  like  La 
Strada  in  Brussels  help  with  the  work  of  gathering  the  necessary  data,  which  are  still 
incomplete; in Flanders the CAW are under an obligation to provide the authorities with data 
on registration each year. 

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BULGARIA 

1. 

CURRENT SITUATION 

While there is no official definition of ''homelessness'' and ''housing exclusion'', an unofficial 
definition entered standard use in the last couple of decades and includes only those citizens 
who are clearly without shelter: people who sleep on the streets, in parks and in other public 
places. Information on housing conditions and the housing fund in Bulgaria is collected via 
the  regular  census  of  the  population  (last  one  in  2001).  Following  a  review  of  the  ETHOS 
typology,  it  was  estimated  that  the  National  Statistical  Institute  (NSI)  can  provide  data  for 
some  of  the  13  operational  categories  but  only  under  the  more  generalised  category  of 
primitive dwellings. The Bulgarian Academy of Sciences suggested a typology which was not 
accepted by the government and which, to a certain extent, corresponds to the ETHOS one. 
Experts  on  housing  tend  already  to  use  the  ETHOS  typology,  albeit  informally.  Relevant 
national statistical data does not exist at the moment and, as a consequence, Eurostat is limited 
in the data it can provide for Bulgaria. The next national census is foreseen for March 2011 at 
which point data in compliance with Eurostat requirements and the ETHOS typology should 
be available. 

According to data from national statistics1, the housing stock (as of 31.12.2008) amounts to 3 
767 081 dwellings, 2 391 516 of which are in the cities and 1 375 565 in villages. The rate of 
dwellings  availability  in  2008  is  495  dwellings  per  1000  people  with  an  average  of  2.02 
people living in one dwelling (2.26 in the cities, 1.60 in the villages).The average floorage per 
person for the country is 20.35 square meters –17.87 square meters in cities and 26.45 square 
meters in the villages. 

As per research  data in 20052, the allocation of the available  housing  stock  was  as  follows: 
96.8% private and 3.2% public (municipal or state). The share of the latter was the highest in 
and around the capital (6%) and the big cities (3.6%). 

There  remains  a  serious  need  for  construction  of  financially-affordable  dwellings  and  mass 
renovation of the existing housing stock. Data shows that more than half of the investment in 
construction is in residential buildings. The constructed buildings are primarily in the private 
sector  with  the  share  of  public  investment  barely  exceeding  10%.  Housing  generally  is 
considered to be a private issue and not a concern of the authorities. The municipalities have 
legally-defined responsibilities regarding the care for the housing stock but have no resources 
for  its  maintenance.  Nevertheless,  they  are  entitled  to  undertake  investment  projects  for 
renovation  and  restructuring  of  blocks  of  flats.  At  the  same  time,  the  National  housing 
strategy3 shows that only 3% of all blocks are State or municipal property. 

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National Statistical Institute 
Homeless  and  Homelessness  in  Bulgaria,  Iskra  Dandolova,  Bulgarian  Academy  of  Sciences  -  2005  - 
http://www.cuhp.org/admin/EditDocStore/Dandolova.pdf 
National 
housing 
http://www.mrrb.government.bg/index.php?lang=bg&do=law&type=4&id=220 

strategy 

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6. 

OVERALL POLICY FRAMEWORK AND GOVERNANCE 

The two most important levels of policy management are the national and municipal ones. At 
national  level,  the  Ministry  of  Regional  Development  and  Public  Works  (regarding  the 
implementation of the national housing policy) and the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy, 
State  Agency  for  Child  Protection  and  Agency  for  Social  Assistance  (regarding  the  social 
inclusion  aspects)  are  the  main  stakeholders.  The  government  adopted  in  2004  the  National 
Housing Strategy which, although not limited in time, does not contain clear measurable and 
comparable outcomes. Moreover, there is no evidence of what funding has been allocated to 
implement the strategy and what has been achieved as regard targets for the last five years of 
implementation. 

In  reality,  responsibility  to  undertake  action  regarding  the  needs  of  housing  of  homeless 
people  rests  at  municipal  level.  While  each  municipality  should  have  its  own  strategy, 
permanent lack of financial resources does not allow for any real action on the ground. 

It  remains  unclear  to  what  extent  the  central  level  supports  the  development  and  most 
importantly the implementation of the municipal strategies on homelessness within a concise 
policy and especially those in big cities where the most vulnerable appear to reside. 

In  relation  to  the  Roma  population  in  particular,  there  is  an  operational  strategic  document 
related to real funding - the National Programme for Improvement of the Housing Conditions 
of  the  Roma  in  Bulgaria  until  2015  which  was  adopted  by  the  government  in  2006.  The 
programme  involves  ambitious  measures  and  not  insignificant  financial  resources  -  1.26 
billion  BGN  until  2015  -  from  the  State  and  municipal  budgets  and  EU  Structural  Funds. 
Funds absorption, however, is extremely low (only 10 million BGN for 2007 and 20 million 
BGN in 2008 were used). 

It is clear that, at national level, the authorities should take political commitment in the field 
of  housing  policy  and  homelessness  which,  at  present,  remains  marginal  to  the  social 
inclusion process. There is a need of a new realistic strategy having timeline objectives and 
activities linked to specific funding, not only from the EU funded Operational Programmes, 
but  also  from  the  state  budget  with  responsibility  clearly  defined  in  reference  to  the 
implementation of these policies. 

In general, although there is legislation regarding housing,  in reality  there are difficulties in 
guaranteeing  shelter  and  residence  to  citizens  who  are  in  serious  housing  need.  Moreover, 
social  services  for  people  without  housing  are  not  well  developed.  It  is,  accordingly, 
necessary  to  enforce  the  existing  legislation  and  create  special  one  if  needed,  backed  up  by 
appropriate  funding,  which  could  ensure  temporary  or  permanent  housing,  as  well  as 
accessible  social  services,  to  people  who  have  found  themselves  without  shelter.  This  is 
particularly necessary for big cities where the number of homeless people grows steadily as 
reported by NGOs.  

7. 

ACCESS TO AND QUALITY OF HOUSING 

Given  the  general  situation  and  the  overall  policy,  it  is  evident  that,  in  general,  access  to 
housing  is  extremely  limited.  In  practice,  preventive  measures  do  not  exist  with  a  resulting 
lack of support for people who have been evicted or are in danger of being evicted from their 

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homes. In effect, the issue is left to the local governments with no state involvement as such. 
Data  from  of  the  Social  Assistance  Agency4  clearly  show  that  the  existing  12  Temporary 
accommodation centres in the country have the capacity to accommodate 713 people. There 
are 30 Centres for Home-Type Accommodation in the country. The centres are for children 
and  have  capacity  for  353  people.  There  are  4  Shelters  in  the  country  with  capacity  of  65 
people  with  all  of  them  for  children  and  not  adults.  There  are  11  centres  for  street  children 
with capacity of 186 people. There are 94 services providing protected housing for 783 people 
(all of them are adults). All of these services are funded by the state budget. Such services are 
also  provided  by  private  providers  but  their  number  is  rather  limited.  Accommodation  for 
homeless  people  is  provided  by  specialized  institutions  as  well.  Urgent  placement  in 
temporary accommodation was extremely difficult until November 2009 especially for people 
who have lost their IDs and do not have health insurance. Obtaining accommodation in such 
institutions  required  8  different  documents  and  allows  the  person  to  stay  there  for  up  to  3 
months.  However  after  November  2009  all  the  necessary  paper  work  is  done  by  the  social 
workers, including for obtaining ID cards. Unlike in the mid 90s when a lot of street children 
existed,  according  to  the  NGO  sector  observations,  the  number  of  homeless  adults  is  now 
visibly higher with all their attendant needs. 

In  general,  the  reports  of  different  experts  from  the  NGO  sector5  conclude  that  the  social 
policy  of  Bulgaria  in  this  particular  area  is  inadequate.  There  is  no  statistical  data  and, 
moreover  no  adequate  social  services  based  on  modern  social  work  type  approaches  to 
overcoming  housing  exclusion  related  issues  and  homelessness.  Access  to  independent 
housing  is  also  very  limited.  What  remains  a  serious  issue,  although  limited  services  are 
available, is the access to housing for the most vulnerable and helpless people who have lost 
their housing – mostly people with mental and personality disorders, people who have gone 
out of institutions, drug addicts, alcoholics, etc. 

As  regards  the  quality  of  the  housing  stock,  it  is  evident  that,  again  due  to  the  lack  of 
regulation  and  overall  policy  strategy,  the  quality  varies  depending  on  the  level  of 
commitment  of  the  local  authorities.  Issues  like  illegal  housing  for  Roma,  deteriorating 
housing conditions on State-owned properties, although well below acceptable standards, still 
do not elicit an adequate political response.  

8. 

HOMELESSNESS AND ACCESS TO SERVICES 

As  homelessness  is  not  in  the  focus  of  social  policy,  very  limited  number  of  services  are 
provided to people without shelter. Moreover, there is no data to what extent the social work 
for  integration  of  people  with  housing  problems  that  is  in  place  in  relation  to  access  to  the 
labour market – training, retraining, employment initiatives, communication skills etc. gives 
tangible results and leads to a change of the life of the homeless people or the children from 
the Centres for street children. 

While in theory opportunity for access to health care exists (the state budget provide funds for 
the health insurance of the people subject to social assistance and for diagnosis and medical 
treatment of people without incomes and/or property that allow their personal participation in 
the health insurance process ), in reality this is a very complicated issue. The latest changes in 

4 
5 

http:// www.asp.government.bg 
HOMELESSNESS  IN  BULGARIA.  Douhomir  Minev.  Prepared  for  FEANTSA  –  September  2003  - 
http://www.feantsa.org/files/enlargement/research_bulgaria.pdf 

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the  Law  on  health  insurance  seem  to  add  additional  burden  on  the  homeless  people  in  that 
respect. 

9. 

MONITORING AND EVALUATION 

There  is  limited  statistical  data  on  homelessness.  Information  so  far  is  available  only  by 
research  commissioned  by  NGOs  or  the  Council  of  Europe6.  Since  November  2009 
registering of homeless persons in Social Assistance Directorates has been introduced. As per 
the Law on Census of the population and the housing stock, the next census will be in March 
2011. It is at that point that all the current gaps in statistics might at least be partially filled. 
The Law on Census of the population states that a preliminary pilot census is to be carried out 
as a first phase in order to test the process and the means for the census. It is at that stage that 
a careful analysis of the indicators on homelessness and housing is to be made and corrective 
actions  taken  if  needed.  This  will  help  the  policy  makers  adapt  the  required  actions  to 
homeless  people  which,  by  that  point,  should  be  supported  by  an  appropriate  system  for 
monitoring of progress and evaluation of results.  

6 

TRENDS AND PROGRESS IN HOUSING REFORMS IN SOUTH EASTERN EUROPE – October 2005 
- http://www.coebank.org/upload/infocentre/Brochure/en/Housing_reforms_in_SEE.pdf 

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CZECH REPUBLIC 

1. 

CURRENT SITUATION 

According to the Population Census of 2001, there were 4,366,293 flats in the Czech Republic 
(427 flats per 1000 inhabitants) and since then the number of private flats and houses being 
constructed has been increasing but there has been almost no construction of rental housing. 
The main problem remains a lack of financially affordable flats for low income households. 
Significant  part  of  the  housing  stock  transferred  to  municipalities  from  the  state  after  1989 
was sold and only very small part is recently used for social purposes. In recent years the state 
expenditure on housing has been 0.7-0.9% of GDP. 

The share of population with housing costs exceeding 40% of the total income was 10.3% in 
2007, which was lower than the EU average (12.3%). However, when broken into categories 
by tenure status, only the share of tenants with reduced price or free (9.7%) was lower than 
the  EU  average  (13%),  households  of  outright  owners,  with  mortgage  or  market  price  rents 
was  above  the  EU  average.  The  overcrowding  rate  is  very  high  (32%  in  2007,  EU:  17.3%) 
with  a  considerable  difference  between  non-poor  (28.8%)  and  poor  citizens  (63.1%).  The 
proportion of people  deprived  was  lower than the EU average, 81.5%  of people  reported to 
live in acceptable living standards (EU: 75.2%). However, there are several seriously deprived 
localities inhabited mostly by Roma with worsening conditions. 

The  Czech  definition  of  homelessness  covers  only  "roofless"  and  "houseless".  There  is  no 
system  of  regular  collection  of  data  neither  monitoring.  Partial  data  can  be  obtained  from 
three sources: the Population Census of the Czech Statistical Office (CZSO), the Ministry of 
Labour  and  Social  Affairs  (MoLSA)  data  on  people  living  in  institutions  and  shelters, 
occasional surveys of NGOs working with the homeless. There are thousands of citizens that 
can be classified as homeless in the Czech Republic, concentrated in the largest cities.7  

The  homeless  are  mainly  men,  middle-aged,  long-term  unemployed,  disabled,  alcohol  and 
drug  users.  The  main  reasons  for  homelessness  are  broken  family  relationships,  economic 
problems  (unemployment,  over-indebtedness,  etc.), 
lost  of  housing,  addictions, 
psychological and mental problems. People released from prisons, institutions and children's 
homes are also vulnerable in this respect. Present crisis factors are increasing prices of rents 
and energies and the lack of social housing. Special housing benefits and housing supplement 
allowance  are  provided  for  people  in  need,  but  latter  only  in  case  of  legally  contracted 
housing.  

the 

7 

According to the NGOs statistics, the numbers are following for roofless: Prague (3074 in 2009), Brno 
(452 in 2006), Ostrava (2158 in 2009); houseless: Prague (1696 in 2009), Brno (380 in 2006), Ostrava 
(521 in 2009), in the CR (4484 in 2005 according to NGOs and 4542 in 2007 according to the MoLSA). 
According to the CZSO, there were following numbers of people in insecure housing (17213 subletting 
according  to  the  2001  Census);  inadequate  housing:  222  in  mobile  housing,  3232  in  unfit  provisory 
housing, 12519 in recreation chalet or country house and around 129 thousand of people, who do not 
live in standard housing (institutions, austerity shelters, recreation objects). 

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10. 

OVERALL POLICY FRAMEWORK AND GOVERNANCE 

The Czech legislation does not acknowledge the right to housing, only specific social benefits 
for  housing  are  guaranteed  for  low-income  groups.  The  system  of  administration  is 
decentralised and thus responsibility for housing is with the municipalities. The government 
(Ministry for Regional Development) sets the rules and provides financial contributions to the 
local governments for the construction of municipal flats via targeted programmes. Otherwise 
it does not have a tool to influence municipalities to allocate specific number of flats to people 
in need or to influence their way of dealing with socially excluded localities and people facing 
eviction. The Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs is responsible for the methodology and 
for  setting  the  rules  for  social  services  that  are  delivered  by  the  regions  and  municipalities. 
The regions must elaborate the Medium Term Plans for the Development of Social Services 
on  the  basis  of  the  Act  on  Social  Services.  A  key  role  in  delivering  social  services  for  the 
homeless is played by NGOs that are well organised and trusted. 

There are weaknesses in the housing policy. The social housing sector is almost non-existent 
and there is a preference to target directly citizens with special social benefits than support the 
building  of  social  housing.  There  is  no  prevention  strategy  with  regarding  to  loosing  one's 
home and to homelessness, and financial support to NGOs working in this field is insufficient. 
Municipalities use only a very small part of their stock of flats for people in need and before 
social work and solving the situation of people in danger of loosing their housing they prefer 
zero  tolerance  and  evicting  people  to  sub-standard  housing  usually  in  the  suburbs.  As  a 
consequence, problems with socially excluded localities have been increasing. 

In 2005, the Concept of Housing Policy was approved by the government with fairly vague 
objectives  to  increase  financial  affordability  and  overall  offer  of  housing,  its  quality  and 
preservation,  etc.  In  2000,  the  State  Housing  Development  Fund  was  established  with 
fluctuating  budgets,  reaching  16,899  Mio  CZK  in  2008,  however,  the  share  devoted  to 
municipal  rented  housing  is  small  and  decreasing  due  to  EU  regulations  of  state  aid.  Since 
2003, the Programme for the Construction of Subsidised Housing for socially disadvantaged 
groups (the elderly, people with disabilities, people leaving the institutions, etc.) of Ministry 
for Regional Development is in place, however, also with decreasing allocation. 

11. 

ACCESSIBILITY AND QUALITY OF HOUSING 

As already mentioned the sector of social housing is underdeveloped and there are not enough 
dwellings for low-income groups. The government support is focused especially on support to 
ownership of dwellings and on reconstruction of prefabs built before 1989 (1.5 billion CZK), 
where significant part of the middle and low income groups live. Special social benefits are 
available: the housing benefit (since 1995) and the new housing supplement allowance (since 
2007) that is, however, provided only in case of legally contracted housing. People living in 
non-standard  housing  cannot  get  this  allowance.  Moreover,  the  amount  is  limited  by  the 
normative costs in the particular locality. 

The leases are protected by the Civil Code, which lays down the obligation in certain cases to 
provide substitute housing in case of lease termination. The municipalities are not obliged to 
help people without housing to access one and furthermore, they prefer evicting people with 
arrays. Social work is ongoing in socially excluded communities (inhabited mainly by Roma) 
carried  out  by  NGOs  and  some  municipalities  but  their  capacity  is  insufficient  to  meet  the 
demand. 

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Temporary  accommodation  for  the  homeless  is  provided  by  means  of  low  threshold  day 
centres  and  overnight  shelters,  hostels,  temporary  housing.  The  maximum  length  of  stay  is 
one year in one facility, many people move among different facilities over the years. Supply 
of provisions is not sufficient.8 For example according to the 2004 Prague's Survey only 37% 
of  the  homeless  were  living  in  temporary  accommodation.  Several  thousand  places  are 
available for women with children but there are no places for men with children.  

As there is almost no social housing, transition from emergency to permanent accommodation 
is  almost  impossible.  Only  the  programme  for  supported  housing  (2003)  is  implemented 
through  direct  subsidies  to  municipalities  for  the  construction  or  modernisation  of  housing 
without  barriers  for  the  disabled,  the  elderly  and  people  in  difficult  life  situation.  Rents  in 
these  dwellings  should  not  exceed  the  average  market  price.  As  regards  the  entry  flats,  the 
target  group  is  defined  by  low  income  and  by  difficulties  in  accessing  the  rental  market 
(people  leaving  institutions,  children's  homes,  hostels  for  the  homeless,  members  of  ethnic 
minorities, refugees). Contracts are for two years and it is possible to renew them. 

Low-income groups of the population have problems with the affordability of housing due to 
high selling prices. At the same time the rental market is getting expensive as well due to the 
gradual rents' deregulation and increases of energy prices. In 2006 an act was approved by the 
government  with  the  aim  to  align  regulated  rents  with  market  prices  by  2010.  This  change 
will affect approximately 20% of the population. After the rapid rent growth in years 2006 – 
2009, the government decided, according to social impacts of deregulation, to divide the last 
phase finalizing deregulation in 3 following years (2010, 2011, 2012) in the selected cities.  

All new buildings are governed by regulations to ensure the minimum building quality, such 
as  the  Building  Act  and  the  Act  on  Public  Health  Protection.  Otherwise,  there  are  no 
minimum standards guaranteeing the quality of temporary housing for the homeless. This type 
of housing is defined as social service, and thus has to follow the standards of quality of social 
services. 

A large part of the housing stock (the panel apartment blocks) that was built before 1989 from 
the prefabricated technologies does not have the satisfactory technical parameters. Moreover, 
dwellings  are  fairly  small.  Thus  the  improvement  of  quality  of  these  houses  is  one  of  the 
biggest priorities of the Czech housing policy with significant amount allocated (for loans and 
subsidies) through the programme PANEL. The overcrowding rate is high as compared to the 
EU, but the proportion of people deprived is significantly lower in all monitored categories.9 

Since  2001  Program  on  recovery  of  panel  housing  estates  of  Ministry  for  Regional 
Development has been in force. The subsidy is provided to municipalities for reconstruction 
of public areas within panel housing estates in order to make these parts  of town attractive. 
Subsidies of this national program do not cover reconstruction of the block of flats that is the 
reason why the Czech Republic has taken advantage of drawing financial sources from ERDF 
and  created  Integrated  Operation  Programme  (IOP).  IOP  includes  activities  on  renovations, 
reconstructions  and  modernisations  of  the  blocks  of  flats  in  socially  deprived  localities  and 

8 

9 

According  to  the  Ministry  of  Labour  and  Social  Affairs  2007  Statistics  Yearbook,  there  were  4208 
places in 162 night shelters; 334 places in 29 halfway houses; 459 places in 29 hostels. As regards half-
way houses (for persons up to 26 years of age), which provide also mediation, therapy and advocacy, 
there is around 330 places but more than 1000 youngsters are released from children's homes each year. 
Proportion  of  people  deprived  in  2007:  leaking  roof  15.6%  (EU:  18%),  bath  or  shower  0.8%  (EU: 
3.3%), indoor toilet 1.2% (EU: 3.6), dark dwelling 4.4% (EU: 8.1%) 

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also  targeted  projects  aiming  at  prevention  and  reduction  of  spatial  and  social  segregation 
estates  especially  inhabited  by  Roma.  Moreover,  the  Regional  Operational  Programmes 
support the creation of the Integrated Development Plans of the cities.  

12. 

HOMELESSNESS AND ACCESS TO SERVICES 

Attention is paid to active inclusion to support entering the labour market, but especially by 
means of increased conditionality of benefits. A complex social protection system is in place 
but as regards the employment services still more needs to be done to increase their capacity 
and ensure individualised approach. No specific strategy is focusing on the homeless, who are 
usually long-term unemployed. The Act on Social Services (in force since 2007) created the 
basis for the obligatory standards of quality together with the Inspection of Quality. The scope 
and  quality  of  services  have  been  increasing  and  positive  development  has  been  stimulated 
also by the community planning of social services (based on the Act as well). 

All citizens are entitled to health care that is based on compulsory health insurance; however, 
the  homeless  usually  do  not  pay  insurance  and  therefore  are  sometimes  refused  treatment. 
Only one specialised medical service exists in Prague. The homeless have approximately ten 
times  higher  prevalence  of  TBC  and  also  are  more  often  exposed  to  chronic  diseases, 
infections, and mental disorders. 

13. 

MONITORING AND EVALUATION 

No regular monitoring system or evaluation is in place. NGOs have been carrying out surveys 
on  an  irregular  basis  in  the  largest  cities.  Sources  of  data  are  incomplete  and  not  entirely 
reliable.  Some  evaluations  were  elaborated  by  researchers  and  representatives  of  the  NGO 
sector, for example the National Reports on Homelessness 2005 and 2006.10 

10 

http://www.nadeje.cz/index.php?q=node/28 

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DENMARK 

1. 

CURRENT SITUATION 

A  national  definition  of  homelessness  has  been  adopted  as  part  of  the  national  count  of 
homelessness which was carried out in 2007 and 2009. It consists of a conceptual definition 
and  an  operational  definition  with  8  categories,  which  are  based  on  the  ETHOS  typology 
adapted to the Danish context.  

The  national  count  of  homeless  people  showed  that  approximately  5000  individuals  were 
homeless in the reference week (week 6, 2009). This corresponds to 1 per 1000 inhabitants (in 
Copenhagen  2.9  per  1000).  It  is  estimated  that  11000  to  13000  persons  are  affected  by 
homelessness per year. Of the 4998 persons registered in the national count, 506 persons were 
sleeping rough, 1952 were sleeping in homeless hostels, and 1086 were staying temporarily 
with  family  and  friends.  The  rest  belong  to  the  remaining  categories.  2432  (49%)  of  the 
homeless were registered in the Copenhagen metropolitan area.  

Homelessness in Denmark is to a very large extent related to substance abuse and/or mental 
illness. A majority of homeless are men (78%) and 22% are women. Around 20% among the 
homeless  are  young  (18-29),  while  more  than  50%  are  30-49  year  olds  and  few  (5%)  are 
above  60  years.  Approx.  20%  belong  to  ethnic  minority  groups.  For  20%  of  the  homeless, 
evictions were mentioned as an important reason for their situation. The number of evictions 
has increased during recent years from 1823 in 2002 to 3762 in 200811. 

There  is  substantial  regional  variation  in  waiting  lists  for  public  housing  but  no  official 
national  statistics  are  available.  There  are  relatively  short  waiting  lists  in  most  provincial 
towns  and  cities  but  relatively  long  waiting  lists  in  the  Copenhagen  area.  Waiting  lists  for 
public housing are open to all Danish residents, but municipalities can refer at least 25% of 
vacancies to individuals with social needs.  

The share of population living in a household where housing costs represent more than 40% 
of the total household income was 13.4% in 2007 (EU average: 12.3%). By tenure status, the 
share is bigger for the tenants paying a market price rent (25.4% (EU average: 25.4%)). 

The overcrowding rate is very low (6.8% in 2007, EU: 17.3%). As to the proportion of people 
deprived, it was significantly below the EU average in 2007 (the rate of population reported to 
live in acceptable living standards was 85.0% in Denmark, 75.2% in EU).  

Denmark’s social expenditure destined to housing benefits (% of total benefits) was 5.3% in 
2006 (EU27: 2.3%). 

14. 

OVERALL POLICY FRAMEWORK AND GOVERNANCE 

While  there  is  no  statutory  right  to  housing  in  the  Danish  legislation,  the  law  on  social 
services  defines  a  range  of  interventions  such  as  homeless  hostels,  medium-term  supported 
housing, long-term supported housing, social support attached to the individual, social drop-in 

11 

Figures provided by the Danish Courts 

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centres and substance misuse treatment. The provision of these services is the responsibility 
of local authorities (municipalities). The law on public housing enables municipalities to refer 
25% of vacancies in public housing to socially vulnerable groups. The Ministry of the Interior 
and  Social  Affairs  has  the  overall  administrative  responsibility  for  policies  and  services  for 
homeless  people.  The  Ministry  of  Employment  has  the  responsibility  for  general  labour 
market activation policies and social assistance to homeless people.  

A  national  strategy  to  combat  homelessness  has  been  adopted  for  the  period  of  2008-2011 
with  four  objectives:  a)  reduction  of  the  number  of  people  sleeping  rough;  b)  young  people 
should be offered better options than staying in a homeless hostel; c) the average time spent in 
a  homeless  hostel  should  be  reduced  to  3-4  months;  d)  housing  problems  should  be  solved 
prior to release from prison or treatment centres. The strategy links efforts to the principle of 
"housing first".  

The  Danish  government  has  reserved  funding  of  €66  Mio  for  the  implementation  of  the 
strategy. The main part of the funding will be distributed to selected municipalities with the 
largest homeless populations. An important aim is to develop methods with documentation of 
their  effectiveness  and  to  distribute  this  knowledge  to  municipalities  in  other  parts  of  the 
country. Each selected municipality will adopt an action plan to reduce homelessness within 
one or more of the four national objectives. The action plan will also include an obligation to 
continue  the  initiatives  after  the  4-year  period.  The  main  stakeholders  are  municipalities, 
central government and NGOs.  

NGOs also  play an important role in services for the homeless. They often operate  services 
such  as  homeless  hostels  and  social  drop-in  centres.  The  management  of  social  drop-in 
centres  is  generally  supported  by  municipalities  but  also  partly  funded  by  the  NGOs 
themselves.  

A national user organisation (SAND) has been established among the homeless facilitated by 
the central government. SAND is often consulted in matters such as policy development and 
implementation.  

15. 

ACCESSIBILITY AND QUALITY OF HOUSING 

15.1.  Accessibility 

The  law  on  social  services  specifies  a  municipal  obligation  to  provide  temporary 
accommodation  for  the  homeless  (individuals  who  have  no  dwelling  or  cannot  use  the 
dwelling they have due to social problems). Homeless hostels exist in almost all larger cities 
and towns and are organised in a national association. The supply of places generally meets 
demand, though normally places are utilised to a high degree. It can occur that hostels are full 
for the night and that users will have to  use emergency  night shelters. There are no  general 
national  standards  for  quality  of  accommodation,  but  the  hostels  are  like  all  other  public 
institutions subjected to rules of general inspection. 

The  most  important  general  mechanism  for  accessing  permanent  accommodation  is  the 
referral to social housing via municipal waiting lists. In the Copenhagen region in particular, 
there is excess demand for public housing and relatively long waiting lists. Social housing is 

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generally  open  to  all  but  locally  there  can  be  barriers  which  act  against  the  re-housing  of 
certain groups. This may be the case for example of active substance users, making up a large 
proportion of homeless people, who could be a problem for the neighbours.  

According  to  the  law  on  social  services,  social  support  in  own  home  can  be  provided.  A 
continuous challenge is to provide sufficient social support to individuals in there own homes 
in order to enable them to stay there. One of the key priorities in the national homelessness 
strategy is to strengthen the provision of social support at municipal level.  

Social housing is non-profit (cost) based. Segments of the private rental stock (based on age 
and status of renewal) are subject to rent control. Individuals with low income can uphold a 
rent subsidy based on income, rent and size of the dwelling.  

The number of evictions has increased over the last years. A new initiative  aims to  provide 
counselling  for  people  who  are  at  risk  of  eviction  and  obliges  housing  authorities  to  notify 
municipalities of individuals with eviction orders.  

Institutional  release  can  be  a  pathway  into  homelessness.  A  recent  project  has  focused  on 
better  procedures  with  regard  to  release  from  prisons.  One  of  the  four  goals  of  the  national 
homelessness  strategy  is  to  secure  that  a  housing  solution  is  established  upon  institutional 
release and projects under the strategy will focus on strengthening procedures of coordination 
in this area.  

Besides the referral to social housing, there are targeted forms of supported housing available 
for  groups  with  specific  needs  in  the  law  on  social  services.  An  example  is  the  so-called 
alternative nursing homes for individuals who are in need of care due to long term substance 
use and where there is a relatively high staff ratio to provide specialised care. A continuous 
challenge is to provide more places of supported housing for those with special needs. The so-
called ‘skaeve huse’ (untraditional housing) consist of small independent housing units with 
social  support  attached  and  provide  a  housing  alternative  for  those  who  do  not  fit  into 
ordinary housing.  

It  is  an  objective  to  have  a  socially  sustainable  composition  of  dwellers  in social 
housing areas.  Thus,  rules  may  be applied  locally  to  the  effect  that  priority  is  granted  to 
people with stronger resources in order to create a more balanced composition of dwellers in 
the area. 

15.2.  Quality 

There are no national definitions of inadequate or overcrowded housing. The rental housing 
stock is generally subject to municipal supervision. There is a general emphasis on renewal of 
the  public  housing  stock  through  both  large  scale  renewal  of  estates  and  local  renovation 
projects.  

There  has  generally  been  emphasis  on  providing  area  based  interventions  in  disadvantaged 
neighbourhoods. Many larger housing areas have undergone intensive renewal programs and 
there  is  a  tradition  for  programs  of  social  activities  and  interventions  in  disadvantaged 
neighbourhoods.  Social  services  in  disadvantaged  neighbourhoods  are  generally  integrated 
into mainstream municipal social services.  

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At  6.8%  in  2007,  the  overcrowding  rate  is  very  low  (EU  average:  17.3%).  As  to  the 
proportion of people deprived, it was significantly below the EU average in 2007. 

16. 

HOMELESSNESS AND ACCESS TO SERVICES 

The  services  for  homeless  people  are  specified  in  the  law  on  social  services  and  thereby 
included  into  general  social  service  provision.  As  described  above,  the  national  strategy  on 
combating  homelessness  aims  at  strengthening  service  provision.  Particular  aims  are  to 
strengthen  the  municipal  provision  of  individualised  social  support  for  individuals  with 
complex needs. 

Homeless  people  receiving  cash  benefits  are  subject  to  the  legislation  on  activation,  where 
consideration  of  individual  resources  should  be  given.  Counselling  services  at  local  job 
centres  are  available  to  individuals  without  employment.  The  national  count  of  homeless 
people showed that 14% among the homeless were participating in labour market activation. 
This  indicates  that  there  is  a  considerable  distance  to  the  labour  market  for  most  of  the 
homeless people, and this generally reflects the complex social problems of many homeless 
individuals.  

Homeless  persons  are  like  other  inhabitants  in  Denmark  covered  by  universal  health  care 
services free of charge. There can be practical barriers of access, for instance due to lack of 
knowledge  of  the  particular  needs  of  the  homeless  among  staff  in  the  general  health  care 
system,  or  due  to  individual  circumstances.  Specialised  outreach  health  care  services  have 
been set up in some larger cities to reach homeless people with health needs who do not seek 
assistance from the general health care system.  

Street  outreach  work  is  aimed  to  render  general  support  to  rough  sleepers  and  to  facilitate 
their  use  of  existing  services.  The  law  on  social  services  gives  the  legal  base  for  so-called 
social contact persons aiming at social outreach work in municipalities. Social drop-in centres 
(many run by NGOs) exist in most large cities to provide support to rough sleepers.  

There are no national standards for quality of social services for homeless people.  

17. 

MONITORING AND EVALUATION 

There is a national system of documentation of the use of homeless hostels. Numbers of users 
are  registered  together  with  basic  client  information.  Annual  statistics  are  published.  A 
national  count  of  homeless  people  was  carried  out  in  2007  and  2009  and  a  third  count  is 
planned in 2011 as part of the monitoring of the implementation of the national strategy. The 
reporting system is generally good, even if it remains difficult to estimate with accuracy the 
number of rough sleepers. 

No general policy evaluation has been carried out recently. An evaluation of the so-called city 
programme  ("Storbypuljen"  2003-2005)  in  2007  concluded  that  the  programme  had 
succeeded  in  establishing  more  targeted  interventions  towards  the  most  marginalised 
individuals  including  the  homeless,  but  that  there  was  a  continued  need  to  further  develop 
services and interventions.  

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GERMANY 

1. 

CURRENT SITUATION 

In  official  reports  (such  as  its  Report  on  Poverty  and  Wealth12),  the  German  government 
refers  to  a  definition  of  homelessness  ("Wohnungslosigkeit")  used  by  the  BAG  W13,  an 
association of public and private bodies and institutions that offer services and assistance to 
people  suffering  from  homelessness.  According  to  this  definition,  a  person/a  family  is 
considered as "homeless", when they live in a dwelling without having a leasing contract for 
it  or  being  the  owner  of  that  dwelling.  The  definition  encompasses  both,  dwellings  that  are 
provided by an institution or on an informal basis (e.g. by friends). The government operates 
with  the  notion  of  "people  in  very  difficult  life  situations"14  and  links  it  with  the  issue  of 
homelessness. The government does not make references to the ETHOS-typology.  

The  Government  quotes  estimates  presented  by  the  BAG  W  according  to  which  254,000 
people  (0.3%  of  the  total  population)  have  been  homeless  in  2006  (18,000  rough  sleepers), 
suggesting  that  the  overall  number  of  homeless  people  has  halved  since  1998.  25%  are 
estimated to be women, 64% men and the remaining 11% children or adolescents. 

There is a lack of empirical data but it appears that the overall situation on the housing market 
is  good  in  view  of  the  overall  offer  of  accommodation,  its  quality  and  its  price  level:  the 
different dimensions of deprivation show low figures (e.g. leaking roof: 14% for DE (2008) 
and 18% for EU27 (2007); bath/shower: below 1% to 3%; indoor toilet 1 % (2008) to 4% for 
EU27  (2007)  etc).  "Overcrowding"  is  not  an  issue15  .  Between  1997  and  2007,  rents  have 
increased more slowly than the general inflation rate. While for the time being16, no data are 
available on the share of housing costs in total disposable income and the share of population 
whose  housing  cost  burden  exceeds  40%,  housing  costs  in  general  or  access  to  housing  for 
people with a low income do not appear to be of major concern.  

Data  on  waiting  periods  for  social  housing  and  the  different  dimensions  of  the  ETHOS-
typology are not available.  

As  to  the  reasons  for  homelessness,  the  government  sees  primarily  an  accumulation  of 
problems  people  have  been  or  are  still  confronted  with  (such  as  unemployment,  high  debt, 
problems  within  the  family,  social  problems,  psychological  problems  etc).  In  view  of  the 
relaxed  situation  on  the  housing  market  and  of  the  effectively  working  social  protection 

12 

13 
14 
15 

16 

Lebenslagen  in  Deutschland.  Der  3.  Armuts-  und  Reichtumsbericht  der  Bundesregierung  ("Life 
Situations  in  Germany".  The  German  Federal  Government's  3rd  Report  on  Poverty  and  Wealth),  in 
particular chapter XI 1. 
Bundesarbeitsgemeinschaft Wohnungslosenhilfe e.V.  
"Personen besonderen Lebensverhältnissen mit sozialen Schwierigkeiten" (Achtes Kapitel SGB XII)..  
The respective rates are low, amounting to 4% for all households (17% for EU27) and even lower when 
one-person households are excluded, amounting to 3% (18%. for EU27). They do not show any gender 
gap  with  higher  figures  for  the  young  (5.1%)  and  a  very  low  rate  for  people  above  65  (1%  –  EU27: 
7%). Overcrowding occurs more often in densely populated areas (4%; EU27: 17%) than in rural areas 
(2%; EU27: 24%). In terms of household composition families composed of two adults and one or two 
children  are  better  off  (2%  and  3%  respectively)  than  families  with  3  or  more  children  (6%)  or  lone 
parents (12%).  
It is expected that data will be available in 2011. 

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20 

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system, the government doubts that homelessness could be explained in general by a shortage 
of affordable housing space. 

18. 

OVERALL POLICY FRAMEWORK AND GOVERNANCE 

At  the  Federal  level,  the  Ministry  of  Transport,  Building  and  Urban  Development17  is 
responsible for housing allowances (Wohngeld); the Ministry of Justice is responsible for the 
law  of  tenancy,  the  Ministry  of  Labour  and  Social  Affairs  for  social  assistance  benefits, 
including  housing  costs  (Kosten  der  Unterkunft).  The  competence  for  providing  social 
accommodation is with the regions (Länder) and the task to provide  rough sleepers with an 
accommodation or shelter lies with the local authorities (Kommunen).  

The  government  identifies  as  the  overall  objective  ensuring  an  appropriate  provision  of 
housing  space  for  all  households  that  do  not  have  enough  resources  at  their  disposal  to 
provide themselves with sufficient housing space.  

In  view  of  preventing  and  combating  homelessness,  the  government  uses  legal  provisions 
(protecting  tenants),  benefits  and  allowances,  the  provision  of  –  affordable  -  social 
accommodation and other legal instruments (such as the referral of people that run the risk of 
becoming rough sleepers into temporary accommodation).  

Explicit  target  groups  are  low-income  households,  households  with  children,  lone-parents 
households,  pregnant  women,  older  and  disabled  people,  homeless  people  and  other  needy 
persons. The German Constitution obliges to mainstream the gender aspect in all policy areas.  

Given that the relevant action is organised at the federal, regional and local level, there is not 
a  single,  nation-wide  dedicated  budget  to  fight  homelessness.  Within  the  Operational 
Programme  for  the  federal  level  (Bund),  the  ESF  lends  financial  support  (€124  Mio)  to  a 
programme  "Die  Soziale  Stadt  –  Bildung,  Wirtschaft,  Arbeit  im  Quartier  (BIWAQ)"18  that 
sets out to  integrate  measures in  the field of housing, employment  and social inclusion  in a 
local context. 

Social housing policy is implemented primarily at the level of and by the local authorities in 
cooperation with social NGOs fighting homelessness (freie Träger der Wohnungslosenhilfe).  

The  German  Constitution  contains  a  general  social  policy  objective  that  encompasses  the 
housing dimension; however, this provision does not give rise to an individual right.  

19. 

ACCESSIBILITY AND QUALITY OF HOUSING 

19.1.  Accessibility 

There is a broad range of instruments in place to reduce the risk of eviction: (1) the tenancy 
law protects tenants against eviction to a large extent. In principle, lease contracts run without 
any limit of time. A termination of a contract is possible only in case of serious reasons e.g. if 
the landlord shows that he needs the dwelling for himself or for close relatives. In any case, 
the tenant can contradict the termination if it constitutes a non acceptable burden. A landlord 

17 
18 

Ministerium für Verkehr, Bau und Stadtentwicklung.  
http://www.esf.de/portal/generator/834/programm__soziale__stadt.html 

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21 

   EN 

                                                 
that  wants  to  terminate  a  contract  has  to  motivate  his/her  decision  with  reasons  that  can  be 
checked.  (2)  households  with  low  income  can  apply  to  receive  a  housing  allowance 
(Wohngeld). The amount depends on the number of people living in the household, the total 
income  and  the  rent  to  be  paid.  (3)  in  the  framework  of  minimum  income  provisions,  the 
amount of benefits covers housing costs. In the case of impending loss of accommodation, the 
competent public body pays the costs for housing and heating directly to the landlord. There 
is  also  a  possibility  to  bail  out  a  tenant  that  has  not  paid  the  rent  for  some  time;  (4)  in  the 
framework  of  the  promotion  of  social  accommodation  (soziale  Wohnraumförderung),  the 
state  provides  affordable  accommodation  to  households  facing  problems  in  accessing 
housing; 
to  social 
(5) 
accommodation/shelter.  

in  emergency  cases, 

is  a  possibility  of 

referral 

there 

In view of temporary accommodation, the local authorities are obliged to provide, equip and 
maintain appropriate facilities to offer housing space for homeless people and their families. 
In case of need, it is a subjective right to get access to a temporary accommodation in at least 
some  sort  of  shelter  (Notunterkunft).  In  the  case  of  emergencies,  the  provision  of  a  shelter 
should be temporary (in principle not longer than 6 months but de facto it happens that some 
people  (have  to)  stay  much  longer).  The  local  authorities  can  work  together  with  -  and 
delegate  parts  of  their  task  to  provide  accommodation  to  -  social  NGOs  (such  as  the  Red 
Cross).  

Although there are no empirical data, it appears that the supply of temporary accommodation 
is  generally  sufficient.  Quality  standards  are  defined  at  the  regional  level.  Given  that  such 
accommodation is supposed to be temporary, their standards, in terms of size and equipment, 
are below normal accommodation. Jurisprudence has ensured that, on grounds of respecting 
the human dignity, a minimum standard has to be respected.  

There is no nation-wide policy on how to support the move from emergency accommodation 
to  more  permanent  solutions;  these  vary  from  region  to  region  and  sometimes  from  city  to 
city. Evaluations about the effectiveness of these policies are not available.  

In view of affordability, a combined approach is used: legal stipulations ensure that the rent 
cannot  be  increased  in  an  inappropriate  way;  the  construction  of  affordable  accommodation 
for low-income households is subsidised by the State and households with a low income can 
receive the housing allowance or housing costs in the framework of social assistance benefits.  

19.2.  Quality 

In the case of non-social accommodation, the tenant has the right to reduce the rent when the 
quality  standard  is  insufficient.  In  the  case  of  social  accommodation,  quality  standards 
reached such a high level that the respective stipulations were not needed any longer and were 
abolished in the mid-eighties.  

In  view  of  the  links  between  policies  to  promote  adequate  housing  and  other  urban 
regeneration policies, the mainstream policy (soziale Wohnraumförderung) described above, 
is complemented by targeted action at the local level (BIWAQ-programme).  

20. 

HOMELESSNESS AND ACCESS TO SERVICES 

Most  people  affected  by  homelessness  are  considered  as  "capable  of  work"  (erwerbsfähig) 
and are entitled to the same benefits as any other job-seeker (in the first place a job-seeker’s 

EN 

22 

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allowance). They are also entitled to receiving support to find or keep a dwelling. The same 
applies  for  employment  measures  (such  as  training,  job  counselling  etc),  however  public 
authorities usually take into account the specific problems linked to being homeless and focus 
on establishing first of all a stable relationship between them and the client before considering 
activation  measures  (such  as  an  insertion  contract  that  encompasses  obligations  and 
sanctions).  

Since the last health care reform, all citizens have a right to be ensured. In addition, a range of 
measures tries to reach out to people more distant from the mainstream medical system (e.g. 
medical streetwork; medical visits in temporary accommodation/shelters). Streetworkers also 
try to get in contact with rough sleepers to help them make use of the possibilities offered by 
the social protection system.  

To  the  extent  that  homeless  people  are  considered  fit  to  work  and  therefore  are  entitled  to 
receive the entire range of benefits and services for job seekers, the quality control for these 
measures  is  carried  out  by  the  Public  Employment  Service  (and,  in  the  case  of  so-called 
accompanying measures, such as debt advice service or counselling for drug addicts, by the 
local authorities). 

21. 

MONITORING AND EVALUATION 

There  is  not  nation-wide  statistics  on  homelessness.  The  government  did  not  report  on  any 
evaluations carried out.  

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23 

   EN 

ESTONIA 

1. 

CURRENT SITUATION 

For a total population headcount of 1.340 million living in Estonia (Statistics Estonia, 2009), 
there  were  638,200  dwellings  (2007)  with  96%  of  them  in  private  ownership.  In  2006,  the 
estimated  number  of  households  was  573,400,  the  average  household  had  2.3  members. 
Approximately  85%  of  households  live  in  dwellings  wich  they  own,  and  15%  are  tenants. 
65.7%  of  dwellings  are  in  urban  areas,  and  34.3%  in  rural  areas.  One  third  of  the  total 
households lived in Tallinn or in its surroundings in 2006.  

Housing costs represent 15.2% of the expenditure of households in 2006, and household costs 
5.9%.  Housing  costs  were  the  highest  in  Tallinn.  The  share  of  population  living  in  a 
household where housing costs represent more than 40% of the total household income was 
5.2% in 2007 (EU average: 12.3%). By tenure status, the share is bigger for the tenants paying 
a market price rent (24.6% EU average 25.7%). In case of social housing, the housing lease 
and other costs are generally paid by local government while the person pays rent and other 
utility costs. 

Statistical data on people needing social housing or night shelters is available from year 2000, 
when the Ministry of Social Affairs19 started gathering data from the local governments that 
are responsible for providing social care and housing services. At the end of 2006 the number 
of  places  in  establishments  providing  night  shelter  services  was  383  (as  Tallinn  has  the 
biggest number of homeless peoplme, the number of places was 130 in 2006 and 160 in 2009) 
and  there  were  11establishments  providing  24h  services.  This  service  was  used  by  1535 
people  (2006):  1250  (81%)  were  homeless  and  285  (19%)  had  other  reasons.20  NGOs  have 
been very active and have the biggest experience in dealing with homelessness.21 

The  peak  for  the  need  for  night  shelter  services  was  in  2004,  the  number  of  homeless 
decreased  by  21%  in  2006  compared  to  that  of  2003.22  In  2007  the  number  of  homeless 
people  in  night  shelters  was  1346  and  in  2008  it  had  decreased  to  957.  There  are  very  few 
homeless people in the counties and in those that provided such service, the demand was fully 
met (average occupancy rate of one shelter place was 59 % in 2007). 

19 

20 

21 

22 

The Ministry of Social Affairs provides national and regional annual statistical data on: 1) night shelter 
services for the homeless (the number, age, sex, etc.) 2) shelter services and rehabilitation services to 
people  released  from  penal  institutions;  3)  housing  services  in  the  form  of  social  housing,  premises, 
support homes. 
An expert opinion puts the number of homeless people in Estonia in 2006 at 3000-3500, Norway 2006, 
National  strategy  to  prevent  and  tackle  homelessness,  Comment  paper,  Estonia,  Jüri  Kõre,  Tartu 
University. 
In Tallinn the Centre of Welfare Services provides shelter and counselling service; Tallinn Centre for 
Social Work provides social accommodation, shelter services and emergency social care (clothes, food), 
since 2006 they also provide debt counselling service, and since 2007 counselling those who own rent 
for municipal dwellings (so-called social counselling). Catering for the homeless in soup kitchens are 
organised  in  Tallinn  by  the  Estonian  Red  Cross  Tallinn  section,  JK  Taverni  OÜ,  Salvation  Army  in 
Estonia, SA Social Work Centre Sõbra Käsi (Friend’s Hand). In Tartu NGO Iseseisev Elu (Independent 
Life)  is  providing  homeless  day  centre  services  and  the  service  of  supported  housing  (living);  SA 
Varjupaik (Shelter) provides lodging service, etc.  
The Environment Strategy until 2030 

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National  statistical  data  is  collected  on  the  basis  of  service  users  and  for  this  purposes  a 
person is considered homeless23 if he or she does not have any legal relationship (ownership, 
tenancy, permanent accommodation agreement) with any dwelling, room or part of these that 
can  be  qualified  as  a  living  area.  People  in  this  group  do  not  have  a  residence;  they  do  not 
earn the income to purchase or rent a residence, and they lack the social abilities to change the 
situation they are in.24 

22. 

OVERALL POLICY FRAMEWORK AND GOVERNANCE 

The  principle  of  the  social  State  is  reflected  in  the  Constitution  where  it  is  stated  that  "the 
State  cannot  let  a  citizen  down,  it  must  take  care  of  those  who  cannot  earn  a  living  by 
themselves as well as guarantee subsistence for them”. The right to housing as a social right 
has been indirectly recognised by the Civil Chamber of the Supreme Court.25  

The right to housing (right to State assistance in case of need) is realised with mechanisms set 
in place under the Social Welfare Act (1995). These include: 1) the right to apply for social 
housing  from  the  local  government  in  case  the  person  or  family  is  not  able  to  ensure  it  for 
itself and 2) the right to receive inevitable social assistance that also includes the opportunity 
to use temporary shelter.  

Local  governments  have  according  to  the  Local  Government  Organisation  Act  (1993) 
responsibility  for:  provision  of  public  services  and  amenities,  social  care,  welfare  services, 
housing  and  utilities,  spatial  planning,  etc.  The  financial  resources  for  provision  of  the 
services to the homeless are included in local government budgets. Every local government is 
free  to  set  exact  rules  on  who  is  eligible  for  public  housing.  Many  local  governments  have 
specified priority target groups in their procedures for allocating social apartments that aim to 
prevent people from becoming homeless. These target groups include single parents, elderly 
people living alone, disabled people, and people who start independent life after being raised 
in a substitute home. 

The main policy instrument for housing in Estonia is the Estonian Housing Development Plan 
(EHDP) 2008-201326. On the basis of EHDP the state shall invest into: increasing municipally 
owned  housing  stock,  making  available  housing  services,  enhancing  the  quality  and  energy 
efficiency of the housing stock and into works needed to develop residential areas. The budget 
for EHDP is nearly 140 MEUR. This EHDP until 2013 is a follow-up to the previous plan for 
2003-2008. The objectives and measures of the EHDP served as a basis for planning the state 
budget resources as well as for funding from the EU Structural Funds and the Cohesion Fund 
during the period of 2007- 2013.  

23 

24 
25 

26 

There is no definition in law, neither is ETHOS typhology officially used though all the categories of 
that typhology receive support.  
FEANTSA Annual Theme 2008 Housing and Homelessness – National Report Estonia. 
Decision of the Civil Chamber of the Supreme Court, 18 October 2000 (3-2-1-104-00). – Riigi Teataja 
(The State Gazette) III 2000, 25, 278 (in Estonian). Namely, it is forbidden to evict from a municipal 
dwelling in case the local government is obliged to provide social assistance to the person living in the 
apartment,  and  the  rent  debt  has  arisen  for  valid  reasons.  The  court  in  delivering  its  judgment  also 
referred  to  section  of  the  Constitution,  which  stipulates  that  families  with  many  children  and  people 
with disabilities are under the special care of the local governments. 
http://www.valitsus.ee/failid/_eluasemevaldkonna_arengukava_2008_2013.pdf 

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Both  the  Estonian  National  Report  on  Strategies  for  Social  Protection  and  Social  Inclusion 
2008-2010 and especially the EHDP foresee measures to support families with difficulties to 
cope  to  cover  housing  expenses  and  help  to  find  possibilities  for  housing  acquisition.  The 
themes  and  objectives  of  the  Estonian  Environmental  Strategy  2030  and  National 
Environmental Action Plan of Estonia for 2007-2013 are closely related to EHDP. 

23. 

ACCESSIBILITY AND QUALITY OF HOUSING 

23.1.  Accessibility 

In  order  to  buy  a  120  m²  property  in  early  2009,  23  years  of  rent  were  needed,  which 
corresponds to the EU average. Nevertheless, in early 2009, the ratio of the square metre price 
on disposable income per capita for Estonia was still around 35% higher than that in the EU.27 

In  2000,  housing  provision  was  divided  between  sectors  as  follows:  81%  were  in  owner 
occupied sector, 4% co-ops, 11% in private rentals, and only 4% in public rentals (of which 
25% was state owned and 75% constituted municipal housing fund). Such distribution of the 
housing stock is the result of the large-scale privatisation and restitution programmes that took 
place in the 1990s. The share of public housing dropped from 61% in 1992 to 4% by 2000. As 
a  result,  the  public  sector  has  retained  only  a  minimal  opportunity  to  directly  influence 
housing  provision  by  offering  affordable  rental  dwellings.28  Therefore  between  2003  and 
2006, local governments used state financing (EHDP) for building 1032 municipally owned 
dwellings. 

According to the legislation, a distinction should be made between the social housing (which 
is also in a municipal ownership) and municipal housing in general (includes dwellings which 
have not yet been privatised as well as ‘social dwellings’). Usually, the same rent level and 
rental conditions apply to both types of social dwellings and other dwellings in a municipal 
ownership.29  At  the  end  of  2007,  157  local  governments  (69.2%  of  local  governments) 
possessed  social  or  municipal  housing.  In  total,  local  governments  owned  6,393  residential 
spaces that could be used to provide the housing service at the end of the 2007. 302 or 4.7% 
of these residential spaces had been adapted for people with special needs; 5.796 or 90.7% of 
the  residential  spaces  were  occupied.  The  use  of  social  housing  is  generally  regulated  by  a 
contract with a term of one or two years, which can be extended if the need persists. Social 
housing services are also provided by private or the non-profit sector.  

There are no direct limits on housing costs, although regulations exist on prices of electricity, 
thermal energy (heat), water and sewage services, natural gas where prices must be approved 
by local municipalities or by Estonian Competition Authority. Some local municipalities have 
also set rent controls on municipal buildings. 

In  2006  subsistence  benefits,  foreseen  by  the  Social  Welfare  Act,  were  paid  to  19,229 
households (ca 3.4% of the total number of households) and an estimated 46% of the amount 
was  used  to  compensate  housing  costs.  The  global  economic  and  financial  crisis  has  had 
considerable impact on Estonia. The local governments have paid out 92.1% more support in 

27 

28 
29 

Balázs  Egert  &  Dubravko  Mihaljek,  2007.  "Determinants  of  House  Prices  in  Central  and  Eastern 
Europe," CESifo Working Paper Series CESifo Working Paper 
FEANTSA Annual Theme 2008 Housing and Homelessness – National Report Estonia. 
FEANTSA Annual Theme 2008 Housing and Homelessness – National Report Estonia. 

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Q2 2009 than in Q2 2008 in order to guarantee the minimum income for its inhabitants (64 € 
per first person and additional 51 € per person).  

23.2.  Quality  

In 2006, around 50% of the housing stock dated back to before 1970, while the stock of low-
quality Soviet era apartment blocks, built during 1971-1989, accounted for some 44% of the 
total housing stock. Around 20% of them were of very low quality. Dwellings of less than 15 
years  of  age  accounted  for  only  6%.  Fewer  than  1000  dwellings  were  added  annually  from 
1996 to 2001. Construction activities accelerated to 5100 units in 2005 and more than 7000 in 
2007.  

70.5% of all households live in an apartment, 19.5% in family dwellings and terraced houses 
and 10% in farmhouses. In the first half of 2007, 91.8% of the dwellings were permanently 
inhabited.  The  average  floor  area  per  capita  was  28.9  m²  in  2008.30  Two-room  apartments 
make up the largest share of dwellings, i.e. 229 860 apartments or 36% of the total. 

The  quality  and  energy  consumption  of  the  housing  stock  is  poor.  Dwellings  in  Estonia  are 
smaller, older and in some cases have poorer standard amenities and the share of apartments 
is  larger  than  that  of  private  houses.  In  addition  to  the  amortisation  of  the  structures  and 
technical systems of residential buildings the supporting infrastructure and utility systems are 
obsolete. However, only one tenth of the households regarded the condition of their dwelling 
as poor, more than 40% of the households regarded the conditions of their dwellings as good, 
and almost a half of the households thought that it was satisfactory.31 

Housing deprivation by item is higher than EU-27 average (21.6% and 18.0%, respectively), 
whereas  deprivation  proportion  is  higher  than  average  in  the  case  of  more  than  one 
deprivation  item.  The  rate  of  population  reported  to  live  in  acceptable  living  standards  was 
64.7% in Estonia in 2007, whereas it was 75.2% in EU.  

Comparison  to  the  other  EU  countries  demonstrates  that  the  Estonian  overcrowding  rate 
(42.8%) is one of the highest compared with other EU countries (EU-27 17.3%). At the same 
time  the  number  of  1-person  households  that  are  excluded  from  such  statistics  is  also  very 
high  (44.9%,  the  EU  average  18.1%).  Overcrowding  by  gender  is  the  highest  for  females 
(43.4%;  EU-27  16.8%);  by  age  groups  the  highest  for  0-17  (54.6%;  EU-27  22.1%);  by 
poverty  status  for  poor  (47.3%;  EU-27  26.8%);  by  degree  of  urbanisation  for  intermediate 
(55.9%; EU-27 10.8%); by tenure status for tenants - market price (70.7%; EU-27 17.6%); by 
quintiles for the first quintile (46.9%; EU-27 25.5%); by households with dependent children 
for other household type (68.4%; EU-27 44.2%); by households without dependent children 
for other household type (43.3%; EU-27 19.4%). 

According  to  a  study  analysing  the  housing-related  problems  17%  of  households  claim  that 
their  dwelling  is  too  small  and  that  the  number  of  rooms  is  not  sufficient,  compared  to  the 
overcrowding  rate  of  nearly  43%  it  might  be  surprising.  However  overcrowding  occurs  in 
apartments that are mainly in the capital where people prefer to come to work from all over 
Estonia,  therefore  they  tend  to  put  up  with  overcrowding  while  attempting  to  improve  their 
situation.  11%  of  the  households  claims  that  the  lack  of  conveniences  is  a  very  important 

30 
31 

http://ec.europa.eu/economy_finance/publications/publication15590_en.pdf 
Anneli Kährik, Ene-Margit Tiit, Jüri Kõre, Sampo Ruoppila. Access To housing for vulnerable groups 
in Estonia, Praxis Centre For Policy Studies, 2003, http://pdc.ceu.hu/archive/00001650/01/raport.pdf 

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problem;  for  10%  of  the  households  the  poor  condition  of  the  dwelling  is  a  very  important 
concern.32 

24. 

HOMELESSNESS AND ACCESS TO SERVICES 

According to FEANTSA report33 on Estonia's situation the typical chains of events leading to 
becoming homeless are the following:  

–  Alcohol  abuse  ->  unemployment  ->  rent  debts  ->  eviction  or  sale  of  apartment  (29%  of 

cases);  

–  Release from a detention institution -> incapability to find employment -> incapability to 

rent housing in the private market due to no income and the social background (25%); 

–  Unemployment -> alcohol abuse -> rent debts -> eviction or sale of apartment (15%);  

–  Unemployment  ->  alcohol  abuse  ->  family  falling  apart  or  end  of  partnership  ->  loss  of 

housing (15%).  

All  local  government  authorities  are  required  to  provide  assistance  and  counselling  service, 
irrespective of the place of residence of the person in the population register. Counties have 
developed county-level information and counselling centres that provide people with special 
needs  and  their  families  with  comprehensive  advisory  and  counselling  services  (social, 
psychological, family, legal and debt counselling).  

In the capital the number of homeless people is bigger but more financial means to figth the 
problem  are  available,  therefore  they  have  been  able  to  provide  social  accommodation 
whereby every service user receives 24-hour accommodation in combination with a plan that 
specifies  actions  to  reintegrate  society.  The  objective  is  to  assist  the  person  in  relocating  to 
social  or  municipal  housing  or  a  rental  apartment.  In  smaller  local  governments,  the 
movement from night shelter to social housing is smoother and faster.  

25. 

MONITORING AND EVALUATION 

The national housing policy (EHDP) is implemented by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and 
Communications, the Ministry of Social Affairs, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry 
of Justice, the Ministry of Culture and in cooperation with the Credit and Export Guarantee 
Fund  KredEx,  Enterprise  Estonia,  National  Heritage Board as well as by local governments 
and the relevant non-profit associations active in this field. 

The  EDHP  shall  be  updated  at  least  once  every  four  years.  The  Development  Plan  shall  be 
implemented  on  the  basis  of  annual  implementation  plans,  defining  the  specific  nature, 
volume  and  organisation  of  the  activities  to  be  carried  out  during  the  nearest  year.  The 
Ministry  of  Economic  Affairs  and  Communications  shall  be  directly  responsible  for  the 
implementation  of  the  Development  Plan  and  evaluate  the  progress  of  the  activities 
undertaken  on  the  basis  of  the  impact  and  output  indicators  specified  in  the  Development 

32 
33 

Ibid. 
Estonia – National Report, Housing Solutions for People who are homeless, FEANTSA Annual Theme 
2008, Housing and Homeless, p. 9. 

EN 

28 

   EN 

                                                 
Plan. Evaluations shall be conducted on a quarterly basis and also at the end of the year, based 
on the quarterly reports and comprehensive annual reports submitted by KredEx.  

EN 

29 

   EN 

IRELAND 

1. 

CURRENT SITUATION 

The  general  issue  of  access  to  housing  in  Ireland  has  been  significantly  affected  by  both 
population  and  economic  growth  in  recent  years.  The  population  increased  by  9%  between 
2001 and 2006 to 4.11 million while the average household size declined to 2.82 in 2006 from 
3.33  in  199134.  These  demographic  patterns  helped  create  huge  demand  for  housing  and  a 
consequent  'boom'  in  house  construction  -  93,419  housing  units  were  constructed  in  2006 
compared to 33,725 in 1996). Despite this, the average price of a house in Ireland rose from 
€102,222 in 1997 to €322,634 in 2007 (although they dropped to €305269 in 2008)35.  

The 2006 census36 estimated that there were 1.452 million occupied permanent housing units 
in Ireland with a further 216,500 (12% of total) unoccupied housing units and a 50,000 (3% of 
total) holiday homes.  

Eurostat  figures  reveal  that,  in  terms  of  affordability,  3.1%  of  the  population  had  a  housing 
cost burden of more than 40% in 2007, compared to an EU average of 12.3%, with the first 
quintile  the  most  represented  among  this  at  11.3%  (compared  to  35.2%  in  EU).  However, 
there is a marked difference in this group between 'owners' and 'tenants', with only 1.5% of 
the  former  (with  a  mortgage)  exceeding  the  40%  threshold  (compared  to  8.5%  in  EU),  but 
23%  of  the  latter  group  (paying  market  rates),  just  below  the  EU  average  of  25.4%.  The 
median for the population as a whole of the share of housing costs in household income was 
10% (compared to 18% in EU) falling to 9% when housing allowances are taken into account. 
The  highest  median  for  different  groups  of  the  share  of  housing  costs  in  household  income 
was for households headed by a lone parent or classed as 'poor' – 15% for both after housing 
benefits (compared to 28% in EU), and 'tenants' – 16% compared to 27% in EU.  

In  relation  to  the  incidence  of  'homelessness',  the  2008  Housing  Needs  Assessment,  carried 
out by all local authorities, found that, of those households experiencing a form of ' housing 
need', over 50% related to ability to meet housing costs, while 3% were classed as 'homeless', 
3% lived in 'unfit accommodation', 9% were in overcrowded accommodation and another 9% 
in involuntary sharing. The survey also found that  while 31%  of  those with a housing  need 
have that need met within 12 months, a further 29% waited between 12 and 36 months37.  

However,  a  disadvantage  to  the  Housing  Needs  Assessment  is  that  it  only  takes  account  of 
those who have registered as having a housing need. The 'Counted In' survey38, on the other 

34 
35 

36 
37 

38 

Heritage 

According to Census of Ireland, http://www.cso.ie/census/  
Housing construction and housing cost figures are taken from national statistics from the Department of 
Environment, 
Government, 
http://www.environ.ie/en/Publications/StatisticsandRegularPublications/HousingStatistics/ 
www.cso.ie 
The  result  of  the  assessment  was  included  in  the  reply  to  the  SPC  HHE  questionnaire  by  the  Irish 
authorities.  
'Counted In' is the 2008 version of a survey of homelessness carried out in Dublin every 3 years by the 
Homeless  Agency  and  is  available  here:  http://www.homelessagency.ie/getdoc/10ba727c-4a3f-4450-
9478-15c083b899de/Counted-In,-2008.aspx  

Local 

and 

EN 

30 

   EN 

 
                                                 
hand,  is  a  point-in-time  assessment  of  those  using  homeless  services  which  was  extended 
from Dublin to the cities of Cork, Galway and Limerick in 2008 and so can be considered as 
more  comprehensive  in  coverage.  For  Dublin,  this  survey  found  that  1361  households 
(covering  1634  individuals)  were  homeless,  compared  to  1361  households  in  2005  (a  5% 
increase which is the same as the population increase during the same period), while a further 
708  households  were  regarded  as  living  in  long-term  of  transitional  accommodation.  The 
number of people sleeping rough in Dublin was reported to have fallen by over 40%, to 110 
from 185 in 2005. In the cities of Cork, Limerick and Galway, a further 767 households were 
reported to be homeless, including those in transitional and long-term accommodation. Males 
made  up  more  than  two  thirds  of  the  homeless  (68%  in  Dublin)  while  the  majority  of 
individuals were single – accounting for 60% in Dublin. The average age of homeless people 
was 39 in Dublin and 43 – 44 in other urban centres. 16% of homeless people in Dublin were 
of non-Irish nationality.  

26. 

OVERALL POLICY FRAMEWORK AND GOVERNANCE 

Ireland  has  not  adopted  a  formal  definition  of  homelessness  but,  in  operational  terms,  it  is 
narrower  than  that  developed  by  ETHOS  (although  there  is  a  commitment  to  review  the 
operational  definition).  Access  to  housing  is  neither  a  legal  nor  a  constitutional  right  in 
Ireland, although the Housings Acts and associated legislative and administrative provisions 
do aim at ensuring that housing needs are adequately addressed. 

Overall responsibility for homelessness and housing exclusion is dispersed across a number of 
areas,  mainly  in  relation  to  the  division  between  housing  and  adult  homelessness  (The 
Department  of  Environment,  Heritage  and  Local  Government)  and  child  homelessness 
(Health Service Executive - HSE) while policy implementation is primarily the responsibility 
of the HSE and local authorities.  

Attempts at improving the coordination of governance arrangements have recently been made 
with the establishment of a Cross Departmental Team on Homelessness (which oversaw the 
preparation  of  the  latest  homelessness  strategy  and  includes  representatives  of  all  relevant 
government  departments  and  agencies)  and  a  National  Homeless  Consultative  Committee. 
The  consultative  committee  marks  a  move  towards  more  a  'partnership'  based  governance 
model (as it brings together statutory and voluntary bodies) which is further in evidence in the 
new homelessness strategy and the establishment of the Homeless Agency – which oversees 
the  integrated  implementation  of  the  strategy  in  Dublin  and  whose  board  of  management 
includes statutory and voluntary stakeholders.  

Reflecting the definition of homelessness used, Irish public policy objectives primarily reflect 
a concern with housing, in so far as they are focused on preventing homelessness and, where 
it  does  happen,  to  ensuring  it  is  as  short  as  possible.  These  objectives  are  set  out  in  the 
national  strategy.  The  Way  Home:  A  Strategy  to  Address  Adult  Homelessness  2008  –  2013 
which  also  sets  out  roles  and  responsibilities  for  implementation  across  the  different  levels 
and sets out an integrated long-term system for funding. The strategy also envisages a strong 
role  for  locally  based  homeless  fora  which  help  coordinate  action  at  local  level  and  which 
involve non-statutory stakeholders.  

EN 

31 

   EN 

27. 

ACCESSIBILITY AND QUALITY OF HOUSING 

27.1.  Accessibility 

In  terms  of  prevention,  Ireland  has  focused  in  recent  years  on  strengthening  the  rights  and 
responsibilities  of  landlords  and  tenants  in  the  private  rental  market  through  the  Residential 
Tenancies Act, which legislates for issues such as minimum periods of notice. The follow-up 
of  people  due  to  be  released  has  been  addressed  by  homeless  strategies  since  2000  but  an 
independent review has recommended that actions be improved in this area, including through 
better integration of services for those leaving institutional care. 

Emergency accommodation for the homeless in Ireland is provided through hostels or bed and 
breakfast  establishments  while  voluntary  services  also  provide  other  services  such  as  day 
centres and outreach services. The reports notes that there is a sufficient number of emergency 
places for this wishing to avail of them while also stating that policies are being put in place 
to  support  the  move  from  emergency  to  more  permanent  accommodation.  However,  the 
details of these policies are not yet available.  

Two  new  schemes  (Support  to  Live  Independently  and  Homeless  RAS  Initiative)  are  being 
developed by the authorities in order to promote independent living with appropriate supports. 
These  involve  sourcing  accommodation  through  long-term  leasing  in  the  private  sector 
combined  with  procurement  of  support  services,  where  required.  While  these  are  currently 
based in Dublin, plans are afoot to roll them out nationally.  

Housing in Ireland is dominated by private ownership (approximately 3 in every 4 houses are 
privately owned), leaving private rental (about 10%) and social rented housing (about 10%) 
very much as less favoured options39. However, given affordability issues brought on by the 
housing boom of the last 15 years, Ireland has invested significantly in social and affordable 
housing in recent years (delivered mainly by local authorities and voluntary and cooperative 
bodies)  in  order  to  help  those  on  low  incomes  to  gain  access  to  housing.  Access  to  social 
housing can be provided through either discounted houses for purchase (at significantly below 
market value), shared ownership (with the local authority) or social housing for rent. Access 
to  housing  through  these  avenues  is  based  on  a  persons  'housing  need'  which  in  turn  is 
assessed by the relevant local authority.  

Increased  investment  in  recent  years  ensured  that  21,250  'affordable'  units  were  made 
available  for  purchase  between  2002  and  2008.  In  addition,  the  government  significantly 
increased resources for other forms  of social housing, including direct construction by local 
authorities  and  voluntary  housing  groups,  with  the  result  that  between  1997  and  2007  the 
annual  provision  of  all  forms  of  'social  and  affordable'  units  almost  doubled  from  9,296  to 
18,34140.  The  official  Government  target  is  to  address  the  housing  needs  of  60,000 
households  between  2007  and  2009.  Given  the  low  rents  and  subsidised  purchase  prices, 
affordability of social rented accommodation is not a major issue. However, the rapid rise in 
private  rents  in  recent  years  means  that  those  working  on  low  wages,  or  families  with  one 
income, are most concerned by affordability issues while the increase in unemployment may 
now lead to increased affordability problems for those with mortgages.  

39 

40 

EN 

According to Census 2006, 1,068,368 dwellings in permanent housing units are 'owner occupied' out of 
1,462,396. 
total 
http://beyond2020.cso.ie/Census/TableViewer/tableView.aspx?ReportId=76512  
Figures provided by national authorities in the reply to the SPC HHE questionnaire.  

permanent 

dwellings 

housing 

number 

units 

of 

of 

in 

32 

   EN 

                                                 
27.2.  Quality 

Ireland  has  traditionally  focused  on  structural  criteria  when  legislating  for  'quality'  housing. 
Local authorities are empowered to inspect dwellings under these criteria and to force owners 
to make improvements. The issue of 'over-crowding' is also legislated for in that two people 
of the opposite sex, who are over ten years of age and not living together as husband and wife, 
who must sleep in the same room shall be regarded as living in an over-crowded house. The 
rate of inspections of properties by local authorities has also increased significantly in recent 
years.  

28. 

HOMELESSNESS AND ACCESS TO SERVICES 

Housing  and  health  are  the  two  main  elements  of  the  policy  response  to  homelessness  in 
Ireland  although  the  latest  strategy  document  does  show  a  more  integrated  approach  in 
recognising the need for cooperation among a wide  range  of  service  providers,  including  in 
relation  to  education,  training  and  employment.  Here,  a  number  of  supporting  measures  are 
set out while guidance has been provided and protocols signed between agencies on providing 
access to these employment and education related services. Such cooperation among service 
providers in this area is a relatively new departure in Ireland so the success of the strategy in 
terms of service provision will depend on the availability and coordination of these services 
on the ground.  

29. 

MONITORING AND EVALUATION 

Data availability and its use for monitoring and evaluation has been an issue for some time in 
Ireland, in particular with different techniques for gathering data in use across different local 
authorities.  However,  the  new  homeless  strategy  does  appear  to  target  this  issue  by  setting 
specific performance indicators for each of its six strategic aims. In addition, the roll-out of a 
new  data  collection  across  the  country  following  its  piloting  in  Dublin  should  address  the 
deficiencies  in  how  data  is  collected.  Evaluation  of  strategies  and  their  implementation  is 
carried out under the aegis of the cross departmental team on homelessness and the national 
consultative committee.  

EN 

33 

   EN 

GREECE 

1. 

CURRENT SITUATION 

In 2008, population in Greece increased to more than 11 million people41 due mainly to the 
continuation of influx of immigrants. According to the 2001 population Census, the number 
of  households  exceeded  3,6  Mio  units.  There  were  36,600  people  living  in  non-regular 
dwellings (tents, caravans, mobile homes, etc), while there were 76,200 people sharing their 
dwelling. According to a recent survey, in 2009, there were 7.720 homeless people and people 
confronted  with  housing  exclusion  (excluding  Roma  and  refugees).  However,  other  studies 
show  that  their  number  has  been  on  the  increase  over  recent  years:  approximately  14,000 
people in 2005 and 20,000 people in 2008.  

As regards the number of houses, official data show that in 2000 there were 5.4 Mio houses, 
3.6 Mio of which were inhabited and 1.8 were empty42. Home ownership amounted to 74.2 % 
of  the  total  population,  20.2%  were  tenants  and  5.6%  occupied  their  dwelling  under  other 
arrangements (donation, free of charge, etc). In general, the difficulty in acquiring a house in 
Greece does not stem from a shortage of houses, but is rather due to the imbalance between 
the  price  of  a  house  and  the  household  income.  Over  the  last  few  years  one  observes  that 
although there is an estimated excess supply of dwellings and the prices of flats are dropping 
(-1.4%  in  2009  in  Athens)43,  the  demand  for  houses  keeps  decreasing.  The  share  of  the 
population  living  in  a  household  where  housing  costs  represent  more  than  40%  of  the  total 
household income was 16% in 2007, higher than the respective EU-27 average (12.3%). By 
tenure status, this share was found to be higher (24.1%) for tenants paying a market price rent, 
which, nevertheless, is slightly less than the EU-27 average (25.7%). 

The  overcrowding  rate  in  Greece  is  very  high  (27.6  %  in  2007,  EU-27  17.3%).  The  rate  of 
population  reported  to  live  with  zero  deprivation  items  was  76.3%,  slightly  higher  than  the 
EU-27  (75.2%).  However,  some  vulnerable  groups,  like  the  Roma,  low  income  earners, 
immigrants and refugees, still face significant deprivation in terms of housing quality. 

The role of the Greek State in housing has been limited until recently, despite the increase of 
urban population and the increase of immigrants. The lack of a legally binding definition of 
homelessness  has  not  allowed  the  adoption  of  a  concrete  methodology  which  would  enable 
the  quantification  and  analysis  of  the  phenomenon  in  Greece  and  the  development  of  an 
integrated strategy. 

30. 

OVERALL POLICY FRAMEWORK AND GOVERNANCE 

The  Greek  Constitution  acknowledges  that  “the  acquisition  of  a  house  for  those  who  are 
deprived of or are inadequately sheltered constitutes a special objective for the State” (Article 
21, paragraph 4). Yet, thus far, the State has not issued the relevant laws for this right to be 

41 
42 
43 

Data extracted from: http://www.statistics.gr/portal/page/portal/ESYE  
: http://www.statistics.gr/portal/page/portal/ESYE/BUCKET/A1604/OTHER /A1604_SAP05_TB_DC  
http://www.bankofgreece.gr/Pages/el/Statistics/realestate.aspx 

EN 

34 

   EN 

 
                                                 
enforceable,  and  as  a  result  people  are  not  eligible  to  claim  for  public  housing  support.  In 
general, the acquisition of a house has been traditionally a private affair for the general public 
and the role of the State has been very limited. 

Greece has not developed as yet an overall policy framework for preventing and combating 
homelessness and housing exclusion, neither a policy focusing on specific social groups. The 
exceptions in this respect are the policy actions pursued for social housing at national level, 
where  an  array  of  means-tested  measures  (rent  subsidy,  interest-free  loans  and  construction 
projects) are being implemented by the Workers Housing Organization (OEK) which is under 
the responsibility of the Ministry of Employment and Social Protection. These are addressed 
to low income workers in order to upgrade their living conditions, while there are some small 
scale actions for promoting housing inclusion for Roma people in the context of an Integrated 
Action Plan aiming at the social inclusion of Roma. 

Moreover, the Ministry of Health and Social Solidarity subsidises a small number of NGOs 
and  a  few  Municipalities  with  the  purpose  of  running  a  very  small  number  of  structures 
(hostels)  offering  short  stay  sheltering  for  homeless  people  or  victims  of  violence  and 
trafficking and ex-prisoners. The Ministry provides also financing to the Prefectures for a) the 
provision  of  apartments  to  families  in  need  and  b)  the  provision  of  a  housing  subsidy 
amounting to €310 to a certain number of uninsured and needy old people (over 65 years of 
age). 

31. 

ACCESSIBILITY AND QUALITY OF HOUSING 

31.1.  Accessibility 

A new law (L 3714/7.11.2008) has been in force, which is considered very useful under the 
present  economic  circumstances.  It  aims  to  protect  borrowers  from  eviction  through  new 
foreclosure  auctions  arrangements.  Still,  there  is  a  need  for  introducing  provisions  for 
supporting or re-housing the evicted. 

Moreover,  the  Workers  Housing  Organization  (OEK),  responsible  for  social  housing, 
implements  actions  such  as:  (i)  rent  subsidy  (€  220,000,000  for  120,000  beneficiaries),  (ii) 
interest-free  loans,  addressed  to  disabled  people  and  large  families  and  for  the  fire-stricken 
(€250 Mio for 2,500 beneficiaries), (iii) new houses granted to beneficiaries with social and 
financial needs (following a lottery procedure). These actions are addressed to workers who 
fulfil certain insurance and employment prerequisites, while there are some exceptions in the 
cases  of  specific  population  groups  such  as  repatriates  of  Greek  origin,  residents  of  border 
areas,  etc.  Apart  from  this  array  of  provisions,  no  other  provisions  are  in  force  to  secure 
alternative forms of sheltering to all those citizens with housing needs.  

The  rent  market  is  not  controlled  by  the  State  and  the  level  of  rents  is  exclusively  an 
individual  agreement  between  the  property  owner  and  the  tenant.  The  State's  housing 
allowances (rent subsidies for low income workers and people over 65 years old, free-interest 
and interest subsidies for low income workers, tax-relief for borrowers) are short of securing 
either  an  outright  house  or  decent  housing  conditions  to  every  person  living  in  the  country. 
The majority of low income and poor people spend approximately 40% of their incomes on 
housing costs, which means that they are negatively affected by housing market changes.  

As far as supported accommodation to homeless people is concerned, this is confined mainly 
to  providing  short  stay  shelter  and  food  in  hostels  or  other  structures  and,  on  certain 

EN 

35 

   EN 

occasions, some related services. These are carried out by a small number of agencies (mainly 
NGOs) and cover only a small part of homeless people. 

31.2.  Quality 

Greece  lacks  a  legally  binding  policy  which  sets  quality  housing  standards,  other  than  the 
construction  standards  concerning  the  technical  characteristics  of  a  building  as  provided  by 
the General Building Code (GBC). The persisting lack of policies both in terms of ensuring a 
minimum quality of housing and of linking local economic development with housing living 
standards, have resulted, as evidence suggests, to a relatively high rate of low quality housing 
mainly  in  terms  of  overcrowding  as  well  as  accessibility  problems  to  various  services. 
Comparable data based  on the  Eurostat’s indicators on housing show that the overcrowding 
rate in Greece in 2007 was 27.6%, much higher than the respective EU-27 average of 17.3%. 
Urban  areas  presented  higher  overcrowding  rates  in  comparison  to  other  areas,  tenants  at 
market prices were confronted with higher overcrowding rates in comparison to owners and 
tenants  at  reduced  price  or  for  free.  As  to  the  proportion  of  people  deprived,  the  respective 
EU-27 (75.2%) and Greek averages (76.3%) in 2007 were found to be more or less similar.  

32. 

HOMELESSNESS AND ACCESS TO SERVICES 

Homeless people in Greece consist of various groups such as: women victims of intra family 
violence,  young  people,  drug  addicted,  newcomer  immigrants  and  refugees,  Roma  and 
repatriated people of Greek origin from ex USSR, ex-prisoners, ex- patients from psychiatric 
institutions,  people  who  were  evicted  from  rented  houses  and  people  who  have  lost  their 
homes  because  of  their  inability  to  repay  mortgages.  Although  there  is  a  severe  lack  of 
reliable  official  data,  the  phenomenon  of  homelessness  and  housing  exclusion  presents  an 
upward  trend  and  the  services  provided  are  limited  (in  terms  of  coverage,  budget  and 
administrative  and  staff  capacity).  Apart  from  the  running  of  a  small  number  of  short  stay 
shelters,  some  supportive  services  are  occasionally  provided  to  homeless  people  such  as 
consultancy, health insurance and health tests, unemployment card, psychological support and 
legal advice. Consequently, there is a need for the development of national standards on the 
quality  of  services  and  of  integrated  approaches  to  tackling  homelessness  and  housing 
exclusion in Greece.  

33. 

MONITORING AND EVALUATION 

There  is  no  evaluation  and  reporting  system  for  homelessness  and  housing  exclusion  in 
Greece,  either  national  or  regional.  However,  considering  the  economic  and  demographic 
changes, it is imperative to improve data collection in the area of homelessness and housing 
exclusion and establish monitoring and evaluation arrangements in the context of the overall 
social  inclusion  policy  framework.  This,  in  turn,  would  allow  a  better  understanding  of  the 
situation and the design of appropriate measures to cope with these phenomena. 

EN 

36 

   EN 

SPAIN 

1. 

CURRENT SITUATION 

Access  to  housing  has  been  severely  influenced  by  recent  developments  in  the  socio-
economic situation of Spain: The economic and financial crisis has affected severely access to 
housing,  but  the  population  has  also  continued  to  grow  over  the  last  years,  accounting  for 
more than 46 million people (distributed among 16,226 households) in 2007.  

According to national data44, there were 21,900 homeless in Spain in 200545, of which 82.7% 
were men, 51.8% of Spanish nationality, with an average age of 37.9 and an average income 
of EUR 302 /  month. 37.5% took more than three years without  any own lodging and 46% 
have children, (although only 10% live with them).  

In Spain there is a dwelling by 1.88 inhabitants46, and the number of housing units amounts to 
24.5 Mio47. The average size of a Spanish household, according to national data, is 2.8 people, 
although  recent  demographic  and  family  structure  changes  have  resulted  in  an  increased 
number  of  people  living  alone.  It  can  be  assumed  that,  in  general  terms,  the  roots  of 
homelessness do not lie with a shortage of housing, but in the imbalance between the housing 
prices and household incomes. With the unemployment rate rapidly increasing (up to 19.4% 
in November 2009), and the rate of people below the at-risk-of-poverty threshold practically 
unaltered  in  the  last  years,  (20%  in  200848,  EU  average:  16%),  and  although  there  is  an 
estimated supply excess of 650,000 dwellings and the prices of flats are going down (-2.3% in 
2008)49, housing sales keep decreasing (from January to July 2008, the fall of housing sales 
has  exceeded  30%)50.  The  share  of  population  living  in  a  household  where  housing  costs 
represent  more  than  40%  of  the  total  household  income  was  6.8%  in  2007  (EU  average: 
12.3%). By tenure status, the share is bigger for tenants paying a market price rent (33% vs. 
an EU average of 25.7%). 

The overcrowding rate is very low (3.5% in 2007, EU: 17.3%). As to the proportion of people 
deprived, it was very similar to the EU average in 2007 (the rate of population reported to live 
in acceptable living standards was 74.7% in Spain, 75.2% in EU). However, some vulnerable 
groups, like the Roma, still face important needs in terms of housing quality. 

Spain’s social expenditure destined to housing benefits (% of total benefits) was 0.8% in 2006 
(EU27: 2.3%). 

44 
45 
46 

47 
48 

49 
50 

National Homeless Survey, 2005, conducted by the National Institute of Statistics (NSI). 
Other sources provide homeless figures nearer to 30.000 people. 
National Register of Inhabitants, data of 01/01/2008 and Ministry of Housing data on accommodation 
units, data of 31/12/2007. 
It is estimated that there are about 3 Mio empty houses (NSI, Population and Housing data, 2001) 
19.7% in 2007, according to national data (National Statistic Institute, Living Conditions Survey). To 
note that, for the first time in 2007, the data computes the ownership of the first residence, which throws 
significant differences in the at-risk-of-poverty rate for the elderly. 
FEANTSA national report 
FEANTSA national report 

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34. 

OVERALL POLICY FRAMEWORK AND GOVERNANCE 

The Spanish Constitution acknowledges the right to a decent and adequate housing. Due to 
the  high  degree  of  decentralisation  in  Spain,  the  competency  over  housing  policy  is  shared 
between the central, regional and local levels.  

The main legal instrument is the Housing and Rehabilitation Plan 2009-2012. It addresses two 
large fronts: access to housing-related problems, as a result of increasing housing prices (with 
specific  consideration  to  vulnerable  groups);  and  the  effects  of  the  current  economic  and 
financial context on housing and construction management. The Plan aims to optimise the use 
of  existing  dwellings,  to  ensure  a  sufficient  production  of  accommodation  units  and  to 
establish  the  necessary  conditions  to  guarantee  equal  access  to  housing.  Specific  objectives 
have been set up, namely to reduce the share of housing costs to a third part of the household's 
disposable  income  and  increasing  the  rent-related  activities  share  of  the  state  subsidised 
housing). The Plan's estimated budget is €17 billion (current Plan + previous Plans) and €33 
billion (agreed loans). 

As  part  of  the  social  services  area,  support  policies  to  the  homeless  are  an  exclusive 
competence  of  the  Autonomous  regions  in  cooperation  with  the  Municipalities.  The  central 
Government  guarantees  the  coordination  among  the  different  public  administration  levels 
(Coordination Plan on Social Services Basic Assistance of 1998, managed by the Ministry of 
Health and Social Affairs).  

The cooperation with NGO has been strongly developed in recent years. The current NAPincl 
(2008-2010)  establishes  the  objectives,  among  others,  of  reinforcing  the  debate  on  the 
homeless  with  social  organisations  and  of  subsidising  itinerant  multidisciplinary  social 
attention programmes, in cooperation with NGOs. 

35. 

ACCESSIBILITY AND QUALITY OF HOUSING 

35.1.  Accessibility 

The  new  national  legislation  on  land  use51  introduced  several  measures  in  order  to  promote 
access  to  housing,  including  increasing  the  proportion  of  land  earmarked  for  protected  or 
subsidised  housing  (30%).  The  public  social  services  system  manages  the  so-called  'social 
emergency financial aid' (granted by municipalities), created to address the needs of citizens 
facing eviction. 

Furthermore, in order to tackle the effects of the global economic crisis, the government has 
adopted  a  series  of  ad-hoc  measures,  i.e.  a  partial  and  temporary  moratorium  on  mortgage 
repayment  (under  specific  conditions)52,  fiscal  bonuses  related  to  housing  acquisition,  the 
prepayment of the tax  deduction  for  first residence, and the State's  guarantee of 50% of the 
value  of  mortgages  of  subsidised  housing.  Other  measures  set  a  more  detailed  regulation  of 

51 

52 

RDL 2/2008 of 20 June, which establishes a minimum reserve of 30% of land for building subsidised 
housing. It also sets up public land patrimonies for the construction of subsidised housing + the social 
service  system  has  traditionally  envisaged  the  granting  of  "emergency  aid"  by  town  halls  in  cases  of 
eviction.  
RD  1975/2008  of  28  November,  regarding  "urgent  measures  to  be  adopted  in  matters  of  economy, 
taxation, employment and housing access" 

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the guarantees for access to mortgages53, and a reduction in the cost of electricity for domestic 
use for vulnerable groups54.  

Temporary  lodging  for  homeless  people  is  regulated  by  Law  7/1985,  which  stipulates  the 
creation and maintenance of shelters (defined as centers designed to provide food and lodging 
for  homeless  people  or  passers-by  in  situation  of  need  for  a  determined  period  of  time, 
including other services such as information and guidance), and of reception centers, (defined 
as residential centers addressing the needs of people in social difficulty).  

The  provision  of  social  services  is  shared  between  the  Autonomous  regions  and  the  Local 
Corporations.  However,  there  are  some  measures  managed  at  national  level,  like  those 
intended to support the transition from temporary to permanent accommodation (included in 
the Housing and Rehabilitation Plan 2009-2012). The Plan stipulates that preferential access 
to  State-subsidised  housing  should  be  given  to  particular  groups  including  the  homeless, 
people  affected  by  slums  eradication  operations  and  other  people  socially  excluded;  one 
support mechanism are the Public Registers of People seeking subsidised housing. 

According  to  the  Housing  Ministry,  in  2007  the  housing  pool  in  Spain  was  1.791.475  (58.1% 
concentrated  in  Cataluña,  Madrid  and  Andalucía).  The  rental  prices  are  regulated55  and 
subsidised  for  young  people56.  The  creation  of  the  Sociedad  Pública  de  Alquiler,  an 
instrument whose aim is to promote access to houses for rent, is also worth mentioning. 

35.2.  Quality 

Law  38/1999,  on  Construction  Management,  sets  up  the  basic  construction  requirements 
concerning functionality, safety and habitability. Additionally, all Autonomous Communities 
have also adopted their own housing quality standards regulations.  

Housing policies are strongly linked to urban regeneration policies57. One of the priorities of 
the Housing and Rehabilitation Plan 2009-2012 is related to urban regeneration, including the 
eradication  of  slums  and  substandard  housing.  Included  in  the  HaR  Plan  2009-2012,  the 
RENOVE  programme  is  intended  to  facilitate  aid  for  the  rehabilitation  of  accommodation 
units and buildings. Urban regeneration is also a priority of the Structural Funds in Spain: 43 
cities have been selected under the Urban Initiative program (ERDF: €344.66 Mio).  

At 3.5% in 2007, the overcrowding rate is considerably lower than the EU average (17.3%). 
As to the proportion  of  people  deprived, the EU and Spanish averages were very similar in 
2007,  namely  regarding  bath/shower,  indoor  toilet  and  leaking  roof.  Concerning  dark 
dwellings, Spain is doing slightly worse than the EU average (10.5% in Spain, 8.1% EU). 

53 
54 
55 
56 

57 

Act 2/2009 of 31 March 
RDL 6/2009, of 30 April 
Law 29/1994, which determines the prices update in line with the consumer price index evolution 
RD  1472/2007  regulates  the  basic  emancipation  income  for  young  people  with  economic  aid  for  the 
payment  of  rent  accommodation  (210  €  /  month  for  4  years).  The  measures  have  reached  more  than 
158.227 beneficiaries, € 176.717.004 € distributed between January 2008 and March 2009. 
Some examples are the Law 51/2003 on Equal Opportunities and General Accessibility and the Royal 
Decree Law 9/2008, creating a State Local Investment Fund and a Special State Fund with the objective 
of  boosting  the  economy  and  the  employment,  including  among  others,  specific  aid  to  adapting, 
rehabilitating  or  improving  urban  public  spaces,  construction,  rehabilitation  or  improvement  of 
educational, cultural and sports facilities; removal of architectural barriers, etc. These Funds have a total 
budget of EUR 11.000 million.  

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36. 

HOMELESSNESS AND ACCESS TO SERVICES 

According to national data58, there were 21.900 homeless people in Spain in 200559. Although 
social  services  are  a  regional  competence,  the  national  Government  secures  homogeneous 
services and assistance through the already mentioned Coordination Plan, and is responsible 
for the provision of Primary  Social Service Assistance (Servicios  Sociales  de Atención) and 
alternative housing solutions.  

The Homeless Survey, developed in 2006 by the National Statistic Institute, covered a total of 
445  temporary  accommodation  centers  and  shelters,  accounting  for  13.033  daily  available 
beds  (of  which  2.112  are  in  drop-in  centres,  388  in  pensions  and  10.533  in  shelters  and 
residencies). The results of the survey showed that the average daily number of occupied beds 
was 10.829, which takes on an average occupancy of 83.1%.  

In  the  framework  of  the  European  active  inclusion  strategy,  Spain  has  established  the 
following  objectives:  (a)  support  to  the  participation  of  the  homeless  in  the  labour  market, 
including access to social insertion companies, (b) increased support to NGOs working with 
the homeless, (c) development of global social intervention programmes in cooperation with 
NGO,  (d)  guarantee,  in  the  framework  of  the  minimum  economic  resources,  access  to 
minimum  income  of  insertion,  (e)  facilitate  access  to  alternative  lodging  and  to  resources 
linked to the Public Social Service System.  

37. 

MONITORING AND EVALUATION 

The Ministry of Housing, in cooperation with the Ministry of Economy and Finance (through 
the  National  Statistic  Institute),  is  responsible  for  the  follow-up  of  the  Housing  and 
Rehabilitation Plan 2009-2010, A provisional closure evaluation of the previous Housing Plan 
(2005-2008)  shows  an  over-fulfillment  of  the  initially  agreed  financed  objectives  of  121% 
(objectives initially agreed: 544.232, extended to 720.000). 

The elaboration of housing regulations is done in partnership, by a consultation process that 
includes  the  central  Government,  the  Autonomous  Communities,  the  Spanish  Federation  of 
Municipalities and Provinces, the Economic and Social Committee, the Consumers' Council, 
etc. 

58 
59 

National Homeless Survey, 2005, conducted by the National Institute of Statistics (NSI).  
Other sources provide homeless figures nearer to 30.000 people. 

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40 

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FRANCE 

1. 

CURRENT SITUATION 

For  a  population  of  64.3  million  people  and  26  million  households  in  2009,  the  number  of 
housing units amounts to 33 million in France, of which 6% are vacant (i.e. 1.95 million). The 
rate  of  ownership  is  growing  regularly  and  reached  57%  in  2006  for  owner  occupied 
dwellings. 20.4% of the households rent their accommodation in the private sector and 17.1% 
in  the  social  housing  sector.  The  quality  of  housing  improved  between  1996  and  2006: 
according  to  national  data  sources  the  share  of  houses  without  sanitary  comfort  diminished 
from 4% to 1.5% and the average number of person per accommodation decreased slightly to 
2.3%.  The  percentage  of  households  suffering  form  overcrowding  is  estimated  at  9%.  The 
proportion of the population reported to live in acceptable living standards is 79.9% in France 
(75.2%  in  the  EU);  however,  the  number  of  rehabilitated  houses  through  state  aid  has  been 
decreasing in recent years.  

Demand for housing is influenced by social and demographic trends, such as the increase in 
the  number  of  households,  in  particular  of  one  or  two  people.  The  housing  crisis  in  France 
thus results from a quantitative shortage but also from  the gap between  households' income 
and the cost of housing (for both the real estate and rental markets). The sharp increase in the 
cost of housing since the middle of the 1980s has been indeed a major problem. Housing is 
the largest item of household expenditure and accounts for 22% for tenants against 14% in the 
1980s60. The share of the population living in a household where housing costs exceed 40% of 
the total disposable income amounts to 5.6% (12.3% in the EU) and to 16.4% for tenants in 
the  private  sector  (25.4%  in  the  EU).  This  situation  explains  the  low  level  of  residential 
mobility in the social housing sector.  

Until the financial crisis, the recent recovery in the construction of residential buildings made 
it possible to meet annual needs without allowing to make up for the deficit accumulated over 
more  than  20  years  (for  that  purpose,  500,000  houses  a  year  would  be  necessary  over  the 
period  2005-2010,  then  470,000  during  the  following  decade,  a  threshold  never  reached  in 
recent years: in 2007, the number of new dwellings constructed or started reached 438,000 – 
which  was  the  highest  number  in  years).  In  addition,  the  supply  does  not  always  match  the 
characteristics of demand: social housing accounts for 43% of the rental stock. In spite of the 
effort to develop social housing, it cannot meet the needs, in particular of the poorest people, 
because of the increasing share of intermediate housing, of increased duration of authorisation 
procedures  and  of  an  inadequate  geographical  distribution.  After  the  real  estate  crisis 
worsened in the autumn 2008, the lack of dwellings was estimated at 900,000 at the end of 
2009 by the Foundation Abbé Pierre.  

National  data  is  not  very  precise  as  regards  homeless  or  housing  exclusion.  A  2001  INSEE 
survey measured that during an average week of January 2001, 86.500 different people of 18 
years  old  or  more,  benefited,  at  least  once,  from  an  accommodation  service  or  a  hot  meal 
distribution61.  

60 
61 

National data 
In 2009 INSEE produced an estimate, not excluding double counts, according to which there were 14 
600  people  living  rough,  9100  in  night  shelters,  43  000  in  homeless  centres,  1500  in  transitional 
supported  accommodation,  4500  in  women’s  shelter  accommodation,  12  850  in  temporary 

EN 

41 

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38. 

OVERALL POLICY FRAMEWORK AND GOVERNANCE 

The right to housing is not in the Constitution but access for all to decent housing is an aim of 
constitutional value according to the Constitutional Council. In order to ensure a certain level 
of social housing and a socially balanced mix of population, under the Solidarity and Urban 
Renewal Act (SRU Act) of 13 December 2000, social housing must represent at least 20% of 
the principal habitations in all municipalities of more than 3500 inhabitants (1500 in the Ile de 
France) located in urban areas of more than 50,000 inhabitants including a commune of more 
than 15,000 inhabitants. The Right to Housing Act (DALO Act) of 5 March 2007 institutes an 
enforceable  right  to  housing  and  imposes  now  on  the  public  authorities  a  result  based 
obligation as regards housing: the recipients can lodge amicable and then contentious appeals.  

Developing housing corresponding to the needs of the most disadvantaged in the public sector 
and  in  the  regulated  private  sector  at  affordable  costs  is  one  of  the  objectives  of  the  last 
national strategies reports for social protection and social inclusion. This report underlines the 
need for a specific effort in the regions and areas suffering from a deficit in social housing, in 
particular Ile de France region.  

The policy to fight homelessness is under the responsibility of the State with the support of 
NGOs and of local authorities (the "départements" being in charge of families). NGOs play an 
important role in the definition and the implementation of policies to fight homelessness, in 
particular  through  the  National  Council  for  the  Fight  against  Exclusions  (CNLE).  Housing 
policies are under the responsibility of the municipalities, which requires a complex exercise 
of  coordination  of  both  policies  through  a  common  programming  framework.  The 
reinforcement  of  this  framework  is  foreseen  by  the  Mobilisation  for  Housing  and  Fight 
against Exclusions Act (MOLLE law) of 25 March 2009. In view of these various levels of 
intervention and of the deregulation of rents, the 2009 report of the Council of State points to 
a split model of governance characterised by the predominance of the market.  

The national objective as regards the support to homeless people, set in the framework of the 
organic law concerning the Finance Acts (LOLF), is to improve the fluidity and efficiency in 
the  supply  of  services  to  the  most  vulnerable.  This  objective  is  linked  to  intermediate 
objectives  with  indicators  (proportion  of  people  finding  accommodation  after  an  emergency 
call,  share  of  people  finding  a  permanent  housing  and/or  employment,  share  of  specific 
accommodations…). 

39. 

ACCESSIBILITY AND QUALITY OF HOUSING 

39.1.  Accessibility 

The policy to promote the affordability of housing is based on the building of rent regulated 
housing  units  (social  housing  and  subsidies  for  investments  in  the  regulated  rental  housing 
sector)  and  means-tested  housing  allowances,  which  also  depend  on  the  level  of  the  rents. 
Housing  allowances  benefit  5.7  million  households.  A  rise  in  the  percentage  of  total 
disposable income devoted to the cost of housing was observed between 2000  and  2007, in 
particular  in  the  private  sector,  owing  to  the increase  in  rents  and  insufficient  indexation  of 

accommodation,  16  000  in  temporary  accommodation  or  reception  centres  for  asylum  seekers  or 
refugees.  These  data  are  based  on  a  light  versionof  the  ETHOS  nomenclature  and  are  drawn  from  a 
variety of sources. 

EN 

42 

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allowances. Better indexation of these allowances on the rental index has been in place since 
2007.  

The Social Cohesion Plan (2004) set the ambitious goal of 500 000 social housing units over 
five years (with 140 000 housing units planned for 2010). There is, however, a shift recently 
towards promoting home-ownership with the objective of selling 40 000 social houses a year. 
The social housing objective of the SRU Act has not yet been met and the penalties laid down 
by the law are not very effective (moreover, only 140 infringement procedures were initiated 
in  2004  for  500  municipalities  in  breach  of  the  law).  An  overall  deterioration  in  access  to 
housing  has  been  observed,  especially  for  the  most  disadvantaged  households,  and  the 
economic  crisis  has  worsened  this.  In  2007,  only  one  third  of  the  1.2  million  applicants  for 
social housing obtained satisfaction.  

The  Fight  against  Exclusion  Act  of  29  July  1998  provides  for  the  prevention  of  evictions 
through an emergency mechanism for tenants acting in good faith (and who have priority for 
relocation  under  the  DALO  Act),  departmental  charters  for  the  prevention  of  evictions,  the 
conducting  of  social  surveys,  a  section  on  prevention  in  departmental  plans  for  housing 
disadvantaged people and specialised coordinating of. However, the number of evictions rose 
in 2007 to 106 000 eviction orders.  

Even  though  the  DALO  Act  seeks  to  facilitate  access  to  social  housing  for  persons  in 
difficulty,  its  effects  are  still  limited  and  there  seems  to  be  a  lack  of  information  for  the 
potential  beneficiaries.  In  addition,  there  are  indications  that  the  quotas  of  housing  units 
reserved for priority households are only 45 000 a year for the 600 000 to 800 000 households 
concerned and are distributed unevenly across the territory.  

The  Government  has  launched  a  major  priority programme for 2008-12 for accommodation 
and  access  to  housing  for  homeless  people  and  persons  suffering  from  housing  exclusion 
based on the following principles: stepping up the fight against substandard housing (the goal 
being 15 000 housing units in 2008), preventing evictions of tenants, preventing homelessness 
for those leaving an institution, offers of decent accommodation solutions, making use of all 
existing  housing,  meeting  the  objectives  set  for  the  construction  of  very  low-cost  social 
housing  units  (20 000  a  year)  and  of  places  in  relay  houses  (9 000  over  the  period).  This 
multi-annual investment plan amounts to €250 million.  

to  2008, 

the  capacity  of 

three  successive  plans  from  2006 

Following 
temporary 
accommodation  increased  significantly  in  conjunction  with  the  development  of  social  alert 
services.  This  system  includes  a  general  sector  divided  into  emergency  (29 639  places), 
stabilisation  (7 871  places)  and  integration  accommodation  (30 957  places)  and  a  sector 
comprising  33 094  places  for  asylum-seekers62.  The  economic  recovery  plan  adopted  at  the 
end  of  2008  provided  for  an  additional  1 000  places.  Specific  solutions  are  provided  for 
women,  in  particular  those  who  are  victims  of  violence.  In  addition  there  is  a  supply  of 
temporary housing (social residences, houses managed or sub-leased by NGOs etc.). Bridging 
the  gap  between  temporary  accommodation  system  and  access  to  permanent  housing  are 
intermediate  solutions,  such  as  relay  or  boarding  houses  (7 160  places).  Despite  a  constant 
increase in the supply of housing over the last 20 years, it is still insufficient to meet demand 
and sometimes has the perverse effect of keeping people in temporary accommodation. This 
is  due  to  rigidities  in  the  system  and  lack  of  flows  between  temporary  accommodation  and 

62 

Data from 30/09/2009. 

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43 

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permanent  housing,  in  particular  because  of  the  congestion  of  supported  transitional 
accommodation, which is supposed to be an intermediate stage. In the new national strategy 
adopted for 2009-12, access to housing is a priority. Given the inadequate results of a system 
that does not form a whole and where the actors are too dispersed, the new strategy aims to set 
up  a  proper  public  service  for  temporary  accommodation  and  access  to  housing  in  order  to 
smooth the way.  

39.2.  Quality 

The National Urban Renewal Programme (PNRU) set up by the Law of 1 August 2003 aims 
to  rehabilitate  530  vulnerable  areas  (dwellings,  public  facilities  and  urban  renewal) 
accounting  for  four  million  inhabitants  by  the  end  of  2013.  The  national  programme  for 
upgrading old degraded areas for 2009-16, provided for by the MOLLE Act, supplements the 
PNRU  on  100  sites  featuring  insalubrious  housing  or  a  high  proportion  of  empty  housing 
units.  The  housing  section  includes  a  programme  for  the  construction  of  social  housing, 
renovation and demolition.  

600 000 housing units are affected by a lack of comfort or as substandard, which accounts for 
approximately  one  million  people.  The  National  Pole  for  the  Fight  against  Substandard 
Housing set up a specific plan which includes the identification of substandard housing units 
and  the  obligation  on  prefects  to  enforce  the  legislation  on  substandard  and  hazardous 
housing.  The  Fund  for  Aid  to  Emergency  Relocation  aims  to  encourage  the  relocation  of 
households living in hazardous housing.  

A national quality framework indicates the nature and the quality criteria of services provided 
by reception, accommodation and inclusion centres.  

40. 

HOMELESSNESS AND ACCESS TO SERVICES 

Homeless people benefit from the same type of support as all persons suffering from severe 
social exclusion. They are therefore potential beneficiaries of the newly implemented Active 
Solidarity  Income  (RSA),  which  guarantees  an  income  progression  to  the  recipients  of 
minimum  income  (RMI)  or  of  the  lone  parent  allowance  of  the  allowance  for  lone  parent 
taking up employment.  

The  Universal  Medical  Cover  (CMU)  gives  free  access  to  health  care  to  persons  with  very 
low  incomes,  even  though  out-of-pocket  payments  remain  very  high  for  optical  equipment 
and dentistry.  

In  addition  to  accommodation  services,  homeless  people  can  benefit  from  a  first  help  (in 
particular  through  a  dedicated  helpline  for  homeless  people),  and  from  day  centres  offering 
showers, restrooms, soup kitchens, cultural services, administrative and social assistance and 
a postal address.  

41. 

MONITORING AND EVALUATION 

The law provides for an internal and external evaluation of accommodation centres.  

In the context of the LOLF, the publication of the indicators attached to the objectives should 
help  to  measure  the  results  of  policies  implemented  in  this  field.  However,  no  scientific 

EN 

44 

   EN 

evaluation  of  homelessness  policies  is  available  yet.  Many  bodies  deal  with  the  subject  in 
various reports and working papers raising the following issues: lack of smooth flow between 
accommodation  and  housing,  which  keeps  many  households  in  precarious  situations, 
insufficient  knowledge  of  the  people  concerned  and  their  needs,  inadequate  quality  of 
facilities, shortcomings in monitoring and evaluation.  

More generally, the 2009 report from the Conseil d’Etat stresses the need to develop statistics 
in  the  field  of  housing,  notably  to  improve  knowledge  of  demand  and  be  able  to  adapt 
policies.  

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ITALY 

1. 

CURRENT SITUATION 

In Italy there is no official recognition of homelessness, and no official definition. Different 
surveys  estimate  the  number  of  homeless  people  to  be  between  17,000  and  64,000  people, 
others around 80,000 people, plus another 40,000 “invisible” homeless people, who have no 
contacts  with  voluntary  associations63.  Recently  Caritas  wrote  that  there  could  be  up  to 
120,000 homeless people64. This data brings the number of homeless to roughly 0.2% of the 
total resident population. 

The  profile  of  homeless  people  shows  a  prevalence  of  men  (around  80%);  aged  around  40; 
60-80%  unmarried,  divorced  or  similar;  30%  also  with  higher  education;  30%  in  work 
although mainly in precarious jobs and informal economy; with a clear increase in immigrants 
60 - 80%. 

11  million  people  live  in  Italy  in  4,327,617  rented  accommodations;  and  owner-occupied 
houses  amount  to  about  15,453,656  units  for  41  million  inhabitants.  According  to  ISTAT, 
23.1%  tenant-occupied  houses  belong  to  a  Public  Body.  The  general  census  by  ISTAT 
assessed  that  more  than  2  million  houses  were  overcrowded,  as  well  as  1.4  million  people 
lived in sub-standard conditions; the demand was estimated at 344,000 new houses. 

The share of population living in a household where housing costs represent more than 40% 
of  the  total  household  income  was  7.7%  in  2007  (EU  average:  12.3%).  The  share  of 
population whose housing cost burden exceeds 40% by tenure status is 25% (tenant's market 
price) in 2007 vs. an EU average of 25.4%.  

The  overcrowding  rate  is  high,  23.7%  in  2007,  compared  with  EU:  17.3%.  As  to  the 
proportion  of  people  deprived,  it  was  very  similar  to  the  EU  average  in  2007;  the  rate  of 
population reported to live in acceptable living standards was 75.6% in Italy, 75.2% in EU. 

42. 

OVERALL POLICY FRAMEWORK AND GOVERNANCE 

In Italy, HHE is a multifaceted issue where several policy fields converge with different levels 
of responsibility. The Constitutional Law No 3/2001 attributed legislative competence to the 
regions  for  social  policies,  which  includes  housing  and  urban  planning,  vocational  training 
and employment policies. The law attributed a dual converging legislation between the State 
and the Regions in health and land use policies. The State is required to determine only the 
essential levels of services concerning civil and social right and is responsible for migration 
policy  and  social  insurance  (e.g.  pensions  and  unemployment  benefits).  The  national 
objectives are promoted through OMC (open method of co-ordination) mechanisms.  

Each  region  is  required  to  define  territorially  integrated  plans  which  should  promote  and 
implement consistently social policies. There are differences between regions. 

63 
64 

Tosi A., The construction of Homelessness in Italy, September 2003 (paper) 
Caritas Ambrosiana, Persone senza fissa dimora, Carocci, Roma, 2009 

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As to public housing, the national level allocated resources from the taxation, which are then 
distributed  to  the  regions  according  the  number  of  inhabitants,  the  regional  level  plans  and 
implement the interventions and the local levels calls for the access to social housing. With 
the  national  Law  133/2008,  a  national  housing  plan  has  been  launched  to  increase  housing 
stock for disadvantages group.  

The  National  Strategy  Report  on  Social  Protection  and  Social  Inclusion  (NSRSPSI)  2006  – 
2008 announced  initiatives  to face HHE like a national public housing plan and an updated 
survey on homelessness. In the 2008–2010 NSRSPSI extreme poverty and homelessness are 
explicit priorities with the following expected initiatives: research on statistics, needs, reasons 
and  services  concerning  homeless;  a  national  scheme  to  recognise  a  legal  residence  for 
homeless people (population registry) in collaboration with municipalities and their national 
association  (ANCI)  in  order  to  allow  homeless  to  access  services  devoted  to  vulnerable 
people;  national  guidelines  to  fight  against  extreme  poverty  in  the  larger  urban  areas;  a 
national  round  table  open  to  those  experiencing  poverty;  a  national  plan  for  public  housing 
support including refurbishment of existing houses and urban renovation projects. 

The  Ministry  of  Health,  Labour  and  Social  Policies  with  a  view  to  further  surveying  and 
investigating this phenomenon in Italy, by improving the collection of statistical data and the 
knowledge  of  the  needs,  causes  and  progress  of  these  “carriers  in  poverty”,  as  well  as  the 
services  provided  to  these  social  groups,  decided  to  launch  a  quantitative  survey  in 
partnership with Istat, Caritas and the Federazione Italiana Organismi Persone Senza Dimora 
(abbreviated  as  FIO.Psd),  the  Italian  Federation  of  Organisations  working  with  Homeless 
People,  the  Italian  member  of  the  European  Federation  of  National  Organisations  Working 
with the Homeless (FEANTSA). At the same time, an ethnographical survey was launched in 
5 among the largest cities in Italy: Milan, Genoa, Bologna, Rome and Bari, on the daily life of 
homeless people, how they survive, their relationship with reality and their spaces, and, above 
all,  with  the  homeless  care  services.  The  aim  of  this  survey  is  to  further  investigate  the 
problem,  in  order  to  identify  any  appropriate  policies,  targeted  actions  and  projects  for 
improving  the  living  conditions  of  these  people.  The  related  research  work,  outsourced  to 
several important Italian research centres and universities, was launched in January 2008 and 
is still under way. 

43. 

ACCESSIBILITY AND QUALITY OF HOUSING 

43.1.  Accessibility 

Between  2007  and  2008,  there  was  an  11%  increase  in  executed  evictions,  a  percentage 
similar  to  those  recorded  between  2002  and  2003  (+13%)  and  between  2003  and  2004 
(+10%).  Measures  to  mitigate  the  impact  of  evictions  do  not  concern  evictions  for  non-
payment of rent, but only those for the lease ending (amounting to 20% of all eviction orders 
in 2008 and 26% of all those issued between 2001 and 2008). These measures (introduced by 
Law  No  431/1998)  consist  in  suspension  of  eviction  orders  and  in  a  national  fund  that 
includes monetary support to pay the rent. The fund came into operation since 2001 after the 
identification (made by Law No 388/2000) of the share devoted to economic support and the 
target  groups  (vulnerable  tenants  such  as  people  aged  over  65,  disabled  and  terminally  ill 
patients),  while  the  yearly  low  income  threshold  was  successively  fixed  at  €27,000  per 
households  (Law  No  9/2007).  A  series  of  laws  followed  to  postpone,  year  by  year,  the 
eviction orders up to the end of 2009, according to the latest act (Law No 102/2009), while 
waiting for the implementation of a national plan for public housing. 

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43.2.  Quality 

In  Italy  the  legal  definition  of  “inadequate”/”unfit  for  habitation”  and  “overcrowding”  is 
contained  in  a  Ministerial  decree  of  5  July  1975.  It  measures  the  minimal  dimension  of 
housing on the base of the family size. Except for the minimal area for each family member, 
no other constrains are fixed by this law. 

According to the response, the existing links between housing and urban regeneration policies 
are  difficult  to  analyse  due  to  differences  in  regional  and  local  plans  (only  three 
questionnaires filled by the regional and provincial authorities are annexed for consultation). 

Anyway, a clearer general frame is provided by regional and local authorities and by the land 
registry  offices  that  define  standards  and  regulations  concerning  housing  typologies. 
Statistically, a dwelling is usually considered as a set of rooms or even a single useful room, 
but huts, caves, containers and other precarious housing are not recorded; so it is not easy to 
have an evaluation of this category of possible users. 

Basic housing services are generally available in all houses, but in the South and in the islands 
for  instance  a  percentage  of  householders  don’t  have  heating  systems.  The  overcrowding 
could be reduced in the next years if the criteria for social dwellings (m.d. 22 April 2008) is 
applied  throughout  the  national  territory  and  if  the  national  housing  plan  is  implemented, 
capitalising  on  significant  experiences  of  urban  renovation  and  fostering  new  initiatives  of 
sustainable spatial planning that merges social and environmental dimensions. 

44. 

HOMELESSNESS AND ACCESS TO SERVICES 

The response confirms that local authorities consider homelessness in developing their social 
plans.  The  answer  mentions  also  typology  and  contents  of  some  services  (e.g.  health, 
distribution of food and clothing, shelters and dormitories, street units and reception centres), 
also if this specific theme did not receive a sufficient attention by the national authority. 

The  national  reforms  (laws  N.  328/2000  and  N.  285/1997)  favoured  the  development  of 
integrated local HHE schemes aimed at promoting active inclusion. However, a national plan 
on  HHE  does  not  exist,  but  local  authorities  incorporate  HHE  policies  into  local  welfare 
systems.  Elaborating  on  the  most  recent  data  (ISTAT  2006  published  in  2009),  expenditure 
for  housing  policies  represents  3%  of  the  total  amount  for  social  services  in  2006. 
Approximately 40% of costs for housing direct services (€6,663) is assigned to poor people 
and  immigrants  (17,250  people  globally,  with  €386  per  capita).  Nearly  53%  of  housing 
economic subsidies (€89,483) is devoted to poor people (45%) and immigrants (9%); 95,300 
people  in  all,  with  €939  per  capita.  Local  authorities  spend  4%  of  their  annual  budget  for 
welfare policies (€ 5,546) to provide housing support and territorial facilities to poor people 
and immigrants who constitute the core of HHE issues. Recent acts show that difficulties exist 
on  the  immigrants  policies.  For  instance,  the  recent  law  N.  133/2008  stated  eligibility  for  a 
national public housing linked to the minimum permanency time of ten years in Italy or five 
years in the same region; the so-called social card is reserved only for Italian citizens resident 
in Italy; a minimum social pension allowance (for people aged over 65) is reserved since the 
first  January  2009  to  those  who  live  permanently  and  have  worked  legally  for  ten  years  in 
Italy with an income at least equal to the allowance amount. Allowances for families with at 
least three under age children were not extended to non-EU citizens (Law N. 448.1998). 

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The most innovative local plans were developed in regions such as Toscana, Emilia Romagna, 
Veneto  and  Lombardia,  to  favour  networks  between  services,  partnerships  between  public 
institutions, private and social sectors also to rationalise the utilisation of available resources. 
Data  concerning  homeless  people  can  be  extrapolated  from  the  amount  devoted  to  poor 
people (€425 million); 81,440 homeless recipients (9% of the poor recipients). 

45. 

MONITORING AND EVALUATION 

The  specific  theme  did  not  receive  sufficient  attention  in  the  national  response.  However 
some initiatives are described in the 2006-2008 NSRSPSI. 

A  first  experimentation  at  national  level  with  methods  aimed  at  promoting  participation  of 
people experiencing poverty and their associations in the analysis and assessments of living 
conditions and schemes for social inclusion was launched. 

Monitoring and evaluation on homelessness issues are not systematically developed up until 
now. The applications of different methodologies produced results that are not comparable. 

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CYPRUS 

1. 

CURRENT SITUATION 

Homelessness  is  not  experienced  in  Cyprus  in  the  conventional  understanding  of  the 
phenomenon.  Rough  sleeping  is  not  observed,  and  presence  of  a  traditionally  strong  family 
support culture minimises the risk of homelessness in most cases. People from certain social 
backgrounds  and  specific  vulnerable  groups  (such  as  large  families,  low-income  families, 
people  with  disabilities,  immigrants,  victims  of  trafficking  and  sexual  exploitation)  are, 
however, prone to a risk of housing exclusion, which is addressed to some extent through an 
array of housing support schemes provided by the Government.  

Overall share  of  the population with  excessive housing cost burden (cost exceeding 40% of 
household  income)  is  observed  at  1.9%  which  is  by  far  the  lowest  figure  among  EU27 
countries.  This  in  part  relates  to  high  levels  of  home  ownership  among  the  Cypriot 
population.65 When data is segregated by tenure status, it is seen that the percentage of people 
facing  excessive  housing  cost  burden  increases  to  12%  for  those  who  reside  in  rental 
accommodation, while only 0.2% of 'home owners' and 1.5% of 'home owners with mortgage' 
face  a  similar  burden.  Although  those  residing  in  rental  accommodation  face  a  relatively 
higher burden than home owners, the figures are still largely favourable in comparison to the 
rest of EU27.66 Cyprus also has the lowest overcrowding rate among EU27 with 1.5%.  

When  data  is  segregated  by  risk  of  poverty,  it  is  seen  that  excessive  housing  cost  burden 
stands at 8% (38.1% for EU27) and the overcrowding rate increases to 4% (26.8% for EU27). 
These are still some of the lowest figures in Europe. Considering that Cyprus has been facing 
a challenge due to high rates of poverty risk especially among the elderly population, it is of 
importance  that  the  HHE  indicators  signal  a  positive  situation.  Figures  imply  that  a  large 
proportion  of  people  under  risk  of  poverty  are  not  exposed  to  further  risks  due  to  housing-
related problems. 

Available indicators do not segregate data by nationality, country of birth, or residency status. 
As such, it is difficult to assess whether the immigrant population is facing a relatively higher 
risk of housing exclusion due to their vulnerable status in the labour market. As indicated in 
LFS  and  national  labour  statistics  of  Cyprus,  there  is  an  increasing  number  of  foreign-born 
participants  in  the  labour  market,  and  currently  around  18%  of  the  known  labour  force  is 
foreign-born.  Most  of  these  workers  are  employed  in  relatively  low-paid  sectors  (private 
households, hotels and restaurants, construction) and unlike the local population, they may not 
always have a strong family network to depend on for support. With unemployment expected 
to increase to 6% in 2010 due to economic slow-down especially in tourism and construction 
sectors, the risk of housing exclusion and possible problems of availability, accessibility, and 
quality of housing faced by immigrants needs to be monitored more carefully.  

65 

66 

68%  of  all  homes  are  owner-occupied  according  to  the  2001  Population  Census  of  Cyprus.  14%  is 
under  rent,  6%  is  vacant.  The  rest  is  mostly  composed  of  certain  housing  schemes  provided  by  the 
Government.  
Respective  figures  for  excessive  housing  cost  burden  for  EU27  is  25.4%  for  tenants,  6.7%  for  home 
owners, and 8.6% for home owners with mortgage. 

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46. 

OVERALL POLICY FRAMEWORK AND GOVERNANCE 

Housing  policies  of  the  Cypriot  Government  focus  on  strengthening  access  to  adequate 
housing, especially for certain risk groups. Large families, low-income families, people with 
disabilities,  persons  residing  in  rural  areas,  the  Roma,  and  people  displaced  following  the 
Turkish  military  operations  in  1974  are  in  the  centre  of  Government  policy.  Division  of 
building  plots,  provision  of  special  grants  and  loans  for  purchasing  or  building  homes, 
provision of grants for home repairs, subsidisation of rents are some of the available support 
measures for different risk groups. While the Ministry of Interior is responsible for housing 
policy,  Social  Welfare  Services  (SWS)  of  the  Ministry  of  Labour  also  get  involved  in  the 
provision of certain housing support benefits (such as rent allowance for recipients of public 
assistance). 

2009 annual budget for housing policies implemented by the Ministry of Interior amounts to 
around €170 Mio. Majority of the budget is devoted to various housing schemes operating in 
big cities, and other support schemes in the form of subsidies, loans, and grants provided for 
construction, maintenance and repairs. Two housing projects for the Roma are also included 
within this budget. 

It  needs  to  be  noted  that  the  changing  demographic  structure  of  the  society,  partly  due  to 
increased migration, may lead to the emergence of new risk groups, other than those already 
addressed by Government policy. In this regard, development of a uniform risk identification 
framework  in  the  area  of  HHE  could  prove  valuable  in  strengthening  the  continuity  of  the 
Government's success in ensuring access to adequate housing.  

47. 

ACCESSIBILITY AND QUALITY OF HOUSING 

47.1.  Accessibility 

Access to adequate housing is not a problem for a majority of the population, mainly due to 
high levels of home ownership. There are also no major problems regarding accessibility of 
rental housing. Rent Control Law of 1983 establishes rent-controlled areas where the market 
price  of  rental  housing  is  kept  under  control  according  to  limits  established  by  two-yearly 
Council of Ministers Ordinances. The Law also prohibits eviction of tenants unless ordered by 
the  Rent  Control  Court.  Recipients  of  public  assistance  can  qualify  for  a  special  rent 
allowance  under  the  Public  Assistance  and  Services  Law  of  2006.  Low-income  households 
can qualify for grants and low-interest loans as assistance towards purchase of a home. Large 
families and people with disabilities are also eligible for a variety of grants and loans under 
the Unified Housing Scheme of the Government.  

47.2.  Quality 

When housing deprivation indicators are taken into consideration, it is seen that Cyprus has 
largely favourable housing quality standards in comparison to the rest of EU27. It is only with 
regards to leaking roofs that Cyprus experiences a deprivation proportion of 30.1% which is 
the  second  highest  value  among  all  Member  States.  This  is  indeed  a  very  surprising  result, 
considering the overall positive performance maintained in other HHE indicators, and may be 
attributed  to  how  the  respondents  perceived  the  relevant  question  of  the  EU-SILC 

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questionnaire67. Certain home repair benefits are available to low income households, and the 
consumer price index for household equipment and supplies has seen little inflation over the 
past few years.  

As  to  the  quality  of  housing  available  to  immigrants,  more  indicative  data  is  needed  to 
conclude  whether  the  overall  favourable  housing  quality  situation  is  maintained  within  this 
social group as well.  

48. 

HOMELESSNESS AND ACCESS TO SERVICES 

In  the  absence  of  rough  sleeping  and  severe  forms  of  housing  exclusion,  Cyprus  does  not 
operate  emergency  reception  centres  or  special  housing  services  for  the  homeless.  Various 
temporary accommodation services are, however, available in specific cases. Association for 
the Support of Prisoners is known to provide a certain degree of assistance to those recently 
released from prisons in finding accommodation. People who have been under the care of the 
Social Welfare Services are eligible for different forms of further assistance after they cease 
to be under SWS care. A reception centre provides a degree of temporary accommodation for 
asylum  seekers  until  alternative  accommodation  is  found.  The  2008-2010  National  Strategy 
Report on Social Protection and Social Inclusion for Cyprus also reports that a State Shelter 
was opened in 2007 for victims of sexual exploitation. It could be of great value if a uniform 
monitoring and evaluation framework could be devised to establish standards, and assess the 
extent to which all these separate services function purposefully, effectively, and provide the 
persons in need with adequate protection they require.  

49. 

MONITORING AND EVALUATION 

As Cyprus has not traditionally experienced homelessness and severe housing exclusion, there 
are no national or regional regular reporting structures in practice. There is also no evaluation 
or study carried out regarding the policies addressed to homelessness and housing exclusion. 
In the case of homelessness, this is understandable as severe forms of housing exclusion, such 
as rough sleeping, are not relevant to the Cypriot context. However, considering the changing 
demographic  composition  of  the  Cypriot  population  –  which  impacts  upon  the  traditional 
reliance on family support structures in society – monitoring and evaluation instruments may 
need to be developed to pre-empt possible problems of housing exclusion before they begin to 
occur, especially among vulnerable social groups. 

67 

Specifically,  the  instructions  for  the  relevant  question  from  2005  to  2007  were:  “Whether,  in  the 
judgement  of  the  household  respondent,  the  dwelling  has  a  problem  with  a  leaking  roof,  damp 
ceilings, dampness in the walls, floors or foundation or rot in window frames and doors”. From 2008 
onwards, the instructions were modified with a view to getting an objective measure of the condition 
of  the  dwelling.  The  modification  of  the  instructions  started  to  have  an  impact  on  the  result,  which 
decreased to 26% in 2008. Although it is still high, more objective results are expected to be recorded 
from 2009 onwards. 

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LATVIA 

1. 

CURRENT SITUATION 

Latvia's  population  of  2.270  894  people  (in  2008)  has  been  on  a  declining  trend.  This  will 
continue  according  population  projections  reaching  1.745820  by  2055.  In  2007  there  were 
868 000 private households (compared to 954 in 2001). The size of households is also on a 
decrease, while the number of single person households is increasing. 

The  housing  stock  is  dominated  by  comparatively  small  apartments  in  urban  or  densely 
populated  areas  and  by  comparatively  deprived  houses  in  rural  areas.  It  is  mostly  privately 
owned. The share of households with mortgage is high (24.8%). Latvia has the second highest 
EU-27 indicator after Slovakia (the EU average rate being 8.6%). This indicator may reflect 
the high rent and housing prices in Latvia as well as the comparatively easy access to loans 
during  the  boom.  Considering  the  current  bleak  social  and  economic  developments,  this 
indicator  might  even  be  on  a  growing  trend,  unless  the  difficulties  in  the  banking  sector 
hamper the possibilities to obtain mortgage. The demand for social housing is growing. 

In  terms  of  affordability,  9.5  %  of  the  population  had  a  housing  cost  burden  of  more  than 
40%,  which  seems  low  compared  to  the  EU  average  of  12.3%.  However,  the  poorest 
population  (the  1st  income  quintile)  is  overrepresented  (31.4%),  especially  if  compared  to 
Estonia  and  Lithuania.  Data  on  social  assistance  reflect  the  rapidly  growing  numbers  of 
beneficiaries of the housing benefit and the high proportion of social assistance expenditure 
for this type of support. There is also a marked difference between 'owners' and 'tenants', with 
24.8% of the former (with a mortgage) exceeding the 40% threshold (compared to 8.5% in the 
EU). Tenants seem to perform well below the EU-27 average, but this result would deserve a 
cautious interpretation. 

The  total  overcrowding  rate  (59.1%)  is  the  highest  in  the  EU  and  compares  badly  to  the 
average  of  17.3%.  This  situation  could  be  linked  to  historical  legacy  of  soviet  period  and 
limited public investment afterwards. The highest overcrowding rate (77.6%) can be observed 
in smaller towns, where the housing stock has undergone depreciation and the construction of 
new  housing  has  been  at  its  lowest  Overcrowding  almost  equally  affects  the  poor  and  non-
poor, with tenure status making no significant difference. The category 'others' performs badly 
and would require attention. Overall, the children live in overcrowded conditions most often 
(72.1%). The median of the distribution among the individuals of the share of housing costs in 
the total disposable income in 2006 is slightly lower than the EU average. However, it should 
be  taken  into  account  that  during  2008-09  payments  for  rent  and  utility  prices  have 
substantially  increased.  Also,  no  data  are  available  on  the  possible  impact  of  housing 
allowances. 

In 2007 the population living in dwellings deprived at least by one item represented 17.9%. 
The highest share in the EU or 3.1% is deprived of 4 items. A formal definition or typology of 
homelessness  and  housing  exclusion  has  not  been  adopted.  Only  those  people  who  do  not 
have a declared domicile and use the services of night shelters or shelters are deemed to be 
homeless.  Thus,  the  actual  number  of  the  homeless  could  be  higher  than  the  data  on 
temporary housing suggest. In Latvia data on the number of evictions as well as number of 
persons without any shelter or in insecure and inadequate accommodation is not collected. In 

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2008  the  local  governments  provided  temporary  housing  for  208  persons  (according  to  the 
legislation such premises can be leased for a period up to one year). 

Severe economic crises and surging unemployment together with decreasing wages, benefits 
and pensions are among causes for growing homelessness in 2009. Some of the developments 
in legislation (lifting of 'ceiling' for rent of housing and the land where the house is built, if 
belonging  to  another  private  owner)  might  further  contribute  to  difficulties.  Currently  those 
overburdened  with  debts,  the  unemployed,  orphans,  ex-convicts  and  individuals  suffering 
from addictions evicted from their apartments are the most frequent clients of night- shelters.  

50. 

OVERALL POLICY FRAMEWORK AND GOVERNANCE 

Latvia has not elaborated a national strategy on homelessness. The Ministry for Economics is 
responsible for developing and implementing the housing policy (including tackling housing 
exclusion and social housing policy). Policies related to benefits addressing poverty risk and 
provision of social care and rehabilitation services are under the responsibility of the Ministry 
of Welfare. However, the responsibility for actual provision of housing (social included) and 
housing  benefits  rests  with  the  local  governments.  Under  the  anti-crises  measures  (Social 
safety net activities) it is intended to earmark 20% of the total housing benefit amount in the 
state  budget  to  provide  support  to  individual  local  governments  unable  to  ensure  a  full 
payment of housing benefits due. 

The current approach to homelessness problem is narrow and more linked to the provision of 
night-  shelter  services.  Thus,  in  accordance  with  the  Law  on  Social  Services  and  Social 
Assistance, shelter and night shelter provides services for persons without a definite place of 
residence.  However,  a  more  ambitious  approach  during  the  current  fiscal  adjustment  and 
economic contraction period could not realistically be expected. 

51. 

ACCESSIBILITY AND QUALITY OF HOUSING 

51.1.  Accessibility 

In the current economic situation households are facing increasing difficulties in paying their 
mortgages.  To  address  this  situation,  there  are  discussions  on  the  possibilities  to  draft 
legislation  supporting  the  people  overburdened  by  debt  and  in  danger  of  losing  their  only 
home. The difficulties to proceed with this initiative are linked to lack of financial resources. 
There are no special measures to support people under the threat of eviction (for utility, rent 
and other debts) except for some protection for families with minor children. Also, to protect 
lower  income  groups  from  eviction,  housing  benefit  has  become  mandatory  part  of  social 
assistance in 2009. 

There  were  intentions  to  provide  financing  for  overall  housing  policy  instruments  in  2009, 
2010 and 2011 in the amount of LVL 12 million per year, but due to the crisis the initiative 
has  been  significantly  reduced.  In  2009  the  central  government  participated  (by  providing 
50% of financing) in a support scheme administrated by the local governments. This support 
targets the tenants from denationalised houses who have to vacate the residential space. For 
this purpose LVL 1 599 713 were spent. Additional LVL 251 091 were allocated for helping 
the  owners  of  apartments  to  improve  energy  efficiency.  In  2010  measures  for  improving 
energy efficiency will continue (LVL 554 thousand allocated). 

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Temporary  accommodation  for  the  homeless  is  provided  by  means  of  shelters  and  night- 
shelters. Night shelter provides lodging, dinner and personal hygiene opportunities for people 
with no place of residence or those in crises situation. Shelter is a social institution that helps 
persons without a defined place of residence or people in a crisis situation with the possibility 
of short-term residence, food, opportunities for personal hygiene and the services provided by 
social  work  specialists.  In  2008,  there  were  15  municipal  night  shelters,  3  shelters  for 
homeless persons operated by  non-governmental organisations and 2 private night- shelters. 
As example, currently the night shelter of the Rezekne local government is able to shelter 30 
people,  but  during  the  cold  months  of  the  year  up  to  56  people.  The  Riga  shelter  is  able  to 
shelter 170 people, but if required, during the cold months of the year even up to 230 people. 
The  growing  number  of  the  homeless  in  Riga  exceeds  the  number  of  places  in  this  shelter 
therefore in 2009 the local government purchases services already from five NGOs. 

51.2.  Quality 

Requirements for service providers to ensure quality standards in shelters and night- shelters 
are defined in the Law on Social Services and Social Assistance. The Cabinet of Ministers has 
adopted  “Requirements  for  Social  Service  Providers''  already  in  2003.  The  concept  of 
residential space suitable for living is defined by the Law on Assistance in Solving Apartment 
Matters:  a  lighted,  heated  room  suitable  for  long-term  human  accommodation,  for  placing 
household  items  and  complying  with  the  construction  and  hygiene  requirements  set  by  the 
Cabinet  of  Ministers.  The  quality  of  housing  is  mostly  linked  to  the  purchasing  power  of 
households. The share of the population living in dwellings deprived at least by one item was 
17.9%  in  2007  compared  to  18,1%  on  average  in  the  EU.  26.3%  lived  in  dwellings  with  a 
leaking  roof,  22.1%  had  no  bath  or  shower,  19.5%  had  no  indoor  toilet.  The  total 
overcrowding rate was the highest in the EU: 59.1% compared to the EU average of 17.3%. In 
the  current  social  and  economic  situation  population  and  local  governments  lack  financing 
even to fully cover expenditure for current quality. 

52. 

HOMELESSNESS AND ACCESS TO SERVICES 

Homeless  people  are  entitled  to  the  basic  general  services  as  all  other  residents  of  Latvia. 
They can register in the State Employment Service and take part in all active labour market 
measures,  including  the  ESF  supported  complex  aid  measures.  This  includes  psychological, 
consultative  and  employment  aid  for  the  unemployed  facing  special  social  exclusion  risks 
(like disability, low level of education, addictions or dependencies). 

Social workers in shelters, night shelters and crisis centres work with clients. Also street-work 
with people sleeping rough is provided in some municipalities, mostly during winter. 

In  addition,  anti-crisis  measures  (social  safety  net  activities)  that  have  just  been  introduced, 
apart  from  improving  access  to  income-  tested  benefits  in  local  governments,  will  also 
improve access to healthcare for the poor.  

53. 

MONITORING AND EVALUATION 

Housing  policy  issues  are  not  subject  to  systematic  monitoring  and  evaluation.  Data  are 
accumulated  and  published  on  the  housing  stock  and  its  quality  as  well  as  the  information 
provided  by  local  governments  concerning  assistance  in  housing  matters.  However,  a  clear 
institutional mechanism using this data for coherent policy development does not seem to be 

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in place. Currently there is a fragmentation, as each line ministry concentrates on the sector 
under  its  responsibility.  Also,  the  EU-SILC  data  on  housing  seem  to  be  neglected  in  the 
process of policy monitoring. 

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LITHUANIA 

1. 

CURRENT SITUATION 

In  2008  Lithuania  had  a  population  of  3.3  million  people.  They  lived  in  1,413  thousand 
households.  The  dynamics  of  the  demographic  situation  and  the  changes  in  the  number  of 
households can be characterised by reverse trends. While the population shrunk by over 100 
thousand  people,  the  number  of  households  increased  by  236  thousand  in  2003-2008.  The 
demand  for  social  housing  grew  by  20%  per  year  on  average,  while  the  availability  of  the 
social housing stock increased only by 2.3% yearly in 2004-2008. In 2008, there were 23,761 
pending demands registered for the rent of social housing. 

The  housing  stock  is  dominated  by  private  ownership.  Over  97%  of  residents  lived  in 
privately-owned  dwellings  in  2008.  The  share  of  households  with  a  mortgage  is 
comparatively  low.  The  housing  stock  is  dominated  by  comparatively  small  apartments  in 
urban  or  densely  populated  areas  and  by  comparatively  deprived  houses  in  rural  areas  or 
thinly  populated  areas.  In  2007  the  population  living  in  dwellings  deprived  at  least  by  one 
item  represented  40.4%  compared  to  24.8%  in  the  EU.  The  total  overcrowding  rate  in 
Lithuania was 51.8% (56.5% in 1st and 40.9% in 5th quintile) compared to the EU average of 
17.3%  in  2007.  Very  high  overcrowding  rates  in  all  quintiles  reveal  overall  shortage  of 
housing  in  Lithuania.  Households  with  dependant  children  and  tenants'  household  were 
overcrowded  the  most,  66%  of  children  aged  0-17  (EU:  22.1%)  and  80.2%  of  tenants  at 
market price (17.6% in the EU) lived in overcrowded households. The overcrowding rate was 
lower for people aged over 65 and for households without dependent children. 

The  share  of  population  living  in  households  where  housing  costs  burden  exceeded  40%  of 
the total household income was relatively low at 4.9% in 2007 (EU average: 12.3%). That can 
be  linked  to  a  very  high  share  of  privately  owned  dwellings,  comparatively  low  share  of 
households with mortgages and sharing of utility and other costs among  a larger number of 
people  because  of  high  overcrowding  rate.  Housing  costs  exceeded  40%  of  income  among 
20.2%  of  poor  people  and  only  among  1.2%  of  the  rest  of  the  population  (EU:  38.1%  and 
7.2%). That reflects large income inequalities. Housing costs burden exceeded 40% of income 
among  32.6%  (EU:  25.4%)  of  tenants  at  market  price  compared  to  4%  (EU:  6.7%)  among 
outright owners and 5.1% (EU: 8.6%) among owners with mortgage. However, the housing 
costs  burden  for  owners  with  a  mortgage  can  increase  significantly  due  to  the  rise  in 
unemployment,  deteriorating  people's  incomes  and  high  interest  rates  for  mortgages  in  the 
national  currency  (LTL).  By  different  population  groups,  housing  costs  represented  the 
highest  share  in  the  income  among  lone  parents,  single  households,  people  over  65,  tenants 
and people at risk of poverty. 

The official data on the number of homeless people is from the 2001 population census where 
homeless people were defined as people who had no fixed place of residence and lacked funds 
to  rent  or  buy  at  least  minimal  housing.  The  data  was  collected  in  the  gathering  places  of 
homeless  people,  sewage  and  heating  structures,  landfills  and  other  random  places.  In  the 
2001 census, 1,250 homeless  people were recorded,  of  which  75%  were  men,  63%  lived  in 
towns, and 93% were aged 16-65. The number of people provided with a temporary shelter in 
homeless  hostels  and  crises  centres  was  600.  According  to  the  Lithuanian  authorities,  the 

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estimated number of homeless people with no permanent place of residence reached 3,000 – 
4,000 people in 2008. 

54. 

OVERALL POLICY FRAMEWORK AND GOVERNANCE 

Lithuania does not have a national strategy on homelessness. There is no formal definition of 
homelessness beyond the definition used in the 2001 population census. It is not addressed in 
the  Lithuanian  National  Report  on  Strategies  on  Social  Protection  and  Social  Inclusion  for 
2008-2010.  On  the  operational  level,  funding  is  being  allocated  in  the  municipal  social 
services  plans  for  temporary  shelters  in  the  homeless  hostels  and  the  crises  centres  and  for 
social  services  in  those  shelters.  Temporary  shelters  and  social  services  to  homeless  people 
are provided by municipalities and by NGOs.  

The  issue  of  housing  exclusion  is  to  some  extent  addressed  by  the  Social  Housing  Fund 
Development  Programme  2008-2010  which  is  an  integral  part  of  the  Lithuanian  Housing 
Strategy. Entitlements to social housing are given to people whose income and property are 
below the limits established by the Government. The Ministry of Environment is in charge of 
supervising  the  implementation  of  the  housing  strategy.  In  addition,  there  are  6  other 
ministries  and  60  municipalities  which  are  involved  in  the  implementation  of  this  strategy. 
Social housing units are owned by municipalities. Their function is to provide social housing 
to people entitled to it.  

55. 

ACCESSIBILITY AND QUALITY OF HOUSING 

55.1.  Accessibility 

In  2007,  the  social  housing  stock  counted  26,000  flats  according  to  the  authorities.  The 
objective of the Social Housing Fund Development Programme 2008-2010 is to increase the 
current share  of social housing in the total national residential housing from  2.4%  to  3%  in 
2010  and  to  4-5%  by  2020,  which  would  account  for  25-30  thousand  new  social  housing 
apartments.  In  the  period  2007-2013,  11.8  million  EUR  from  the  European  Regional 
Development  Fund  will  be  allocated  to  the  development  of  social  housing  and  the 
improvement of its quality.  

Supply  of  social  housing  has  been  substantially  outdistanced  by  demand.  In  2004-2008,  the 
demand increased 2.8 times. It grew by 20% per year on average, while the size of the social 
housing  stock  increased  only  by  2.3%  yearly.  In  2008,  there  were  23.761  pending  demands 
(people or families) registered for the rent of social housing, 821 demands were satisfied and, 
in addition, 429 households received state supported mortgages. The average waiting time for 
a social housing is 10-15 years, in some big cities it can take about 20 years. Social housing 
can be provided to people whose income and property are below the limits established by the 
Government.  The  priority  groups  are  young  families,  families  with  many  children,  former 
orphans  (or  persons  left  without  parental  care),  disabled  people  and  families  caring  for  a 
disabled person who do not own any accommodation or whose accommodation's living space 
is less than 10 sq meters.  

Since 2008, the difference in private and social housing rent for households eligible for social 
housing  according  to  the  Law  on  State  Support  for  the  Acquisition  or  Rent  of  Housing  and 
Modernisation of Apartment Houses can partly be reimbursed by municipalities. There is no 
data on the number of people who have made use of this facility. It also has to be taken into 

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account that the housing rental market (housing available for rent) is considerably smaller in 
Lithuania  compared  to  the  EU  average.  Furthermore,  families  with  low  to  medium  income 
can hardly afford the rent in some regions with higher employment opportunities due to a high 
rental and wage ratio. 

The social housing policy does not address homeless people directly. Homeless people can be 
provided with temporary housing for up to six months (extendable at certain conditions) in the 
homeless  hostels.  People  in  a  crisis  situation  can  be  provided  with  a  shelter  in  the  crises 
centres for up to three days. In 2008, there were 22 homeless hostels and 24 crises centres. 
The  demand  to  stay  in  homeless  hostels  was  satisfied  for  97%  (1,900  people  lived  in  those 
hostels) according to the national authorities. The crises centres were offering 1,168 places. 

In  the  current  economic  downturn,  households  are  facing  increasing  difficulties  in 
repaying  their  mortgages.  To  address  this  situation,  the  Lithuanian  Parliament  is 
debating a draft law on bankruptcy of natural people and an alternative draft law on 
the possibilities to suspend the repayment of debts of natural people for up to three 
years. Both proposals are facing fierce opposition from the banking sector. There are 
no measures to support people under the threat of eviction (for utility, rent and other 
debts),  except  for  families  with  under  age  children.  For  such  families,  debt 
repayment schedules are developed by social workers. 

55.2.  Quality 

National legislation regulates the size of social housing units. The maximum space provided 
per  family  member  cannot  be  bigger  than  14  sq  meters.  The  size  of  a  one-room  apartment 
should be at least 26 sq meters. Exceptions are applied, subject to the actual size of the social 
housing units under the disposition of the municipalities and a need to provide separate rooms 
for  certain  groups  of  people.  Social  housing  is  governed  by  general  construction  and  other 
norms (hygiene, fire safety, etc.). 

The share of the population living in dwellings deprived of at least one item was 40.4% of the 
total population in 2007, compared to 24.8% on average in the EU27. 25.2% people lived in 
dwellings with a leaking roof, 18.2% had no bath or shower, 20.1% did not have indoor toilet. 
The total overcrowding rate in Lithuania was 51.8% compared to the EU average of 17.3% in 
2007.  

56. 

HOMELESSNESS AND ACCESS TO SERVICES 

There are no special social services designed for homeless people at national level. Homeless 
people are entitled to the basic general services as all other residents of Lithuania who do not 
have social and health insurance. They can register in the Labour Exchange and take part in 
all active labour market measures: upgrade or acquire new qualification, participate in public 
works, etc. There is no data on how many homeless people have made use of this facility. In 
case a homeless person does not have a personal identification document, he or she would be 
precluded from registering in the Labour Exchange. Homeless people are also entitled to first 
aid and emergency assistance free of charge. 

Municipalities and NGOs provide social assistance to homeless people. The availability and 
variety of services provided to homeless people differs in the municipalities. For example, in 
the  municipality  of  Vilnius  homeless  people  can  receive  information,  counselling  and 

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intermediation  services,  free  food  and  bathing  coupons,  people  released  from  the  penal 
institutions are provided with lump sums of money, etc. 

57. 

MONITORING AND EVALUATION 

The  official  data  on  the  number  of  homeless  people  is  from  the  2001  population  census.  A 
new  population  census  will  be  conducted  in  2011.  Another  source  of  information  about  the 
homeless  people  is  the  annual  statistical  reports  about  social  services  provided  in  the 
municipalities aggregated at national level. Those reports include data on the occupation rate 
of  temporary  shelters  and  the  breakdown  of  their  residents  by  age,  gender,  periods  and 
reasons of staying in the shelter. The groups which stayed in the shelter were: people released 
from the penal institution, victims of domestic violence, underage mothers, orphans without 
housing, victims of natural disasters, victims of trafficking, persons released from social and 
psychological  rehabilitation  institutions,  people  deported  from  foreign  countries,  asylum 
seekers and people without housing. 

In  2007-2008,  the  National  Audit  Office  carried  out  a  performance  audit  of  the  Social 
Housing Fund Development Programme. One of its findings was that it is not sure that social 
housing  is  provided  to  people  who  need  it  most.  Concrete  changes  in  the  legislation  were 
the 
recommended 
Government was to integrate the issues of social housing into social policy and to make the 
Ministry of Social Security and Labour the institution in charge of it. 

important  recommendation 

this  situation.  Another 

to  address 

to 

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LUXEMBURG 

1. 

CURRENT SITUATION  

When assessing and dealing with homelessness and social exclusion, Luxemburg adopted the 
formal definition or typology of ETHOS. Luxembourg chose to apply the ETHOS typology 
from the beginning in order to facilitate the comparability with other Member States.  

The  recent  trends  of  the  housing  market  is  given  by  figures  of  the  Public  constructor  for 
Social Housing "Fonds du Logement" in 2008: 

55%  of renting-applicants are between 35 and 55 years 
25%  of  renting-applicants  are  people  benefiting  from  the  minimum  income  scheme 
“Revenu minimum garanti”  
26,5%  are couples with one child  
23%  are couples with 2 children. 

The  demand  in  general  decreased  by  8.4%  in  comparison  to  2007  and  almost  6%  of  the 
housing opportunities of the National Agency for Social Housing is rented by different NGOs.  

In  2008  the  National  Agency  for  Social  Housing  had  53  collective  sleeping  places  at  its 
disposal  and  reserved  for  political  refugees  and  immigrant  workers.  Compared  with  2007 
there is also a slight decrease (-2.9%) of the average monthly rent which amounts to €345 in 
2008.  

According  to  the  Ministry  of  Family  and  Integration,  there  were  715  people  experiencing 
extreme housing exclusion in 2006. The main reasons for HHE are different for women and 
men.  For  women,  personal  purposes  prevail  followed  by  financial  and  economic  causes, 
whereas  for  men  this  order  is  inversed.  For  both  sexes,  there  is  a  strong  relationship  of  the 
mentioned reasons with health problems and predominantly addictions.  

58. 

OVERALL POLICY FRAMEWORK AND GOVERNANCE 

In  its  declaration  on  the  general  politics  in  2005,  the  government  earmarked  housing  as  an 
"important" issue. It was decided to stress a new and more efficient collaboration between the 
local  bodies  and  government  in  order  to  increase  the  supply  of  housing  availabilities.  At 
national level, the Ministry for Housing ("Ministère du Logement") is in charge of legislation 
and directives to ensure a sufficient number of housing opportunities at an affordable price. 

The Ministry for Family is in charge of homelessness and works with the National Agency for 
Social  Housing  or  the  municipalities.  Specific  tasks  are  managed  by  the  Ministry  for  Equal 
opportunities  (a.o.  domestic  violence)  or  of  Ministry  for  Health  (a.o.  addictions,  mental 
illness). 

Homelessness is a small scale issue in Luxemburg where subsidising is actually mostly done 
through the government and additionally by the two main cities of Luxemburg and Esch-sur-
Alzette.  

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The main ministries in charge of financing and monitoring the implemented measures are the 
Ministry for Family and Ministry for Health. The measures offered to the public are managed 
by  NGOs  working  with  the  ministries  through  coordination  groups.  A  working  partnership 
approach  between  ministerial  departments,  municipalities  and  non-governmental  institutions 
has been established. 

Currently, the right to housing is not part of the constitutional rights but will available through 
the fact that municipalities must ensure as far as possible housing of all persons living on their 
territory. The law modified on 25th February 1979 eases access to housing for less favoured 
people  by  reserving  the  state  aid  to  those  who  belong  to  families  with  modest  wage  with 
children. In 2008, the state subsidized these policies with €67 Mio. 

There are also specific policies for disabled people, for young persons, for families with small 
income, for migrants as well as for aged people.  

Concerning  the  "Social  Real  Estate  Agency"  (Agence  Immobilière  Sociale)  targeted  at 
households with low effective income and people facing multiple problems, the State is co-
financing in certain cases the dwellings as well as their running costs; it is also in charge of 
the personnel's and employee's salaries.  

59. 

ACCESSIBILITY AND QUALITY OF HOUSING 

59.1.  Access to housing 

Policies are available to reduce the risk of eviction and to support people in threat of eviction 
through: 

–  social services at regional and municipal level, 

–  the conditional benefits of guaranteed minimum wage,  

–  the possibility of an additional housing allowance,  

–  the existence of a yearly allowance to support the increasing cost of living ("allocation de 

la vie chère") and  

–  legal proceedings as protection against the negative effects of over-indebtedness.  

The  Ministry  for  Family  and  Integration  and  the  Ministry  for  Equality  provide  temporary 
lodging  whereas  different  NGOs  are  in  charge  with  the  service.  Different  types  of 
accommodations (emergency, medium and longer term+/- 2years) are available and cover the 
country.  

People with a low income looking for an independent living place have a hard time to find an 
accommodation  and  are  therefore  obliged  to  rent  one  on  the  open  market.  To  increase  the 
access  to  housing  for  this  group  of  people,  a  law  was  introduced  in  November  2002  which 
enables the State to help tenants responding to the criteria fixed by that law with the financing 
of rental guarantees required by property owners. 

The  government  decided  to  support  the  "Social  Real  Estate  Agency"  (Agence  Immobilière 
Sociale) created in September 2009 and targeted at households with low effective income and 

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people facing multiple problems. The goals of this structure integrate the following aspects: 
real-estate prospection, rental management (intermediate role on rental contracts and control 
of  payments),  technical  assistance  (repairing  of  accommodations),  role  of  ombudsman 
between owners and tenants, and if needed collaboration with social services.  

Concerning the "Social Real Estate Agency", 21 dwellings were offered by the end of 2009 
and an increase of  50  accommodations per year is foreseen .  In  the middle-term, about 500 
accommodations should be available in Luxemburg.68  

To  promote  access  to  housing  the  "pacte  logement"  has  been  adopted  on  the  11th  of  June 
2008. Efforts to ensure a social mix are part of the "housing pact" by the government which 
foresees  that  municipalities  are  advised  to  guarantee  that  10%  of  buildings  are  set  aside  for 
low cost ones.  

59.2.  Quality of housing 

The  policy  and  standards  to  safeguard  an  adequate  level  of  housing  are  legally  based  on  a 
regulation ("règlement grand-ducal") according to the modified 25th February 1979-law which 
is defining the average standards for habitation and security.  

Housing policies are strongly linked to urban regeneration policies. According to chapter 4 of 
this modified law, the Ministry for Housing is promoting the renewal of neighbourhoods in 
insalubrious areas. That is a very important issue in the program of social housing in which 4 
so-called regenerated areas, intending to generate 1400 housing units are planned. 

Only indirectly linked to urban renewal and housing for deprived peoples is a financial aid for 
renovating  buildings.  It  is  accessible  to  all  owners  of  accommodation  that  meet  certain 
requirements and not specially addressing small incomes.  

Regarding dark dwellings Luxemburg's situation is slightly below the EU27 average (12% in 
LU  and  11%  EU27).  The  number  of  housing  with  leaking  roofs,  damp  walls,  floors  of 
foundation is low in Luxemburg (21% in LU and 26% EU27).69 

60. 

HOMELESSNESS AND ACCESS TO SERVICES 

Integrated  strategies  for  tackling  homelessness  are  rare  in  Luxemburg.  Currently  Caritas 
Accueil et Solidarité are implementing such strategies. A pilot project called DECLIC aiming 
at improving the instruments used for evaluating and improving the competence of the users 
as  far  as  the  housing  structure  is  concerned  as  well  as  the  professional  development.  Other 
experimental  efforts  have  been  undertaken  in this  field  by  different  NGO's  beforehand  with 
considerable efforts and financing.  

The system of supported accommodation distinguishes between two levels accordingly to the 
intensity  of  the  follow  up.  Intensive  follow-up  ("logement  encadré")  means  that  social 
workers  are  available  on  location  during  working  hours  whereas  low  level  follow-up 
("logement accompagné") means that social workers are accessible for advice on demand and 
at scheduled times. The objective is to accompany the people on their way to a self-managed 

68 
69 

NAP-Inclusion 2008 
EUROSTAT 2008 

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life.  Health  services  are  sometimes  offered  on  place,  but  most  of  the  time  dispatched  by 
medical services outside.  

61. 

MONITORING AND EVALUATION 

The  current  implementation  of  a  new  reporting  system  in  the  framework  of  the  community 
MPHASIS  programme  (Mutual  Progress  on  Homelessness 
through  Advancing  and 
Strengthening  Information  Systems)  is  a  positive  approach.  This  programme  enables  to  get 
reliable  information  at  short  notice  on  the  exact  number  of  people  excluded  for  housing 
reasons. The solidarity department of the Ministry for Family and Integration is responsible 
for the coordination and the payment of this project. 

According  to  the  new  law  on  social  aid  and  the  obligation  of  reporting  on  the  at-the-risk 
accommodations  it  will  be  possible  to  provide a  prevention  programme.  The  objective  is  to 
reduce  the  number  of  very  low  standard  accommodations  and  get  started  with  adequate 
measures and projects on time.  

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HUNGARY 

1. 

CURRENT SITUATION 

The Hungarian population has decreased steadily from the 1980s to approximately 10 million 
in 2005. The number of households was slightly above 4 million, with an average household 
size of 2.5 people. The stock of housing units counted 4.2 million in 2007, which is a result of 
an increase of 200,000 since 2001.70 

Housing exclusion has been an ever increasing social problem in Hungary since the collapse 
of the socialist regime in 1989, and is being particularly aggravated by the current economic 
downturn. According to a comprehensive survey conducted in 2007 on institutions providing 
services for homeless people, approximately 9,000 people spent the night in various types of 
accommodation  for  the  homeless.71  Each  year  on  the  same  date,  a  data  survey  routine  is 
performed in the capital and in other large cities about people living rough. The 2009 survey 
reports  ca.  2,800  homeless  people  sleeping  without  any  shelter  in winter  conditions,  half  of 
them in Budapest.72 According to the latest surveys, the average proportion of people living 
rough  or  residing  in  accommodation  for  the  homeless  is  0.2%  of  the  population;  it  ranges 
from  0.1%  to  0.39%  in  the  largest  cities.  The  majority  of  people  living  without  shelter  are 
men, though the rate of homeless women has shown an increasing tendency in the past two 
years. 

The main reason for housing exclusion is the affordability of housing costs that represents a 
serious problem for low-income groups. Although the share of the population whose housing 
costs burden exceeds 40% of the total household income is below the EU average (7.3% in 
HU against 12.3% in the EU), the average price of an apartment is 5-6 times higher than the 
average yearly income in comparison with the corresponding 3-4-fold figure in the EU. As a 
consequence, the number and volume of housing loans is very high and increasing. In 2008, 
the actual stock of housing loans was almost four times larger than in 2002, and amounted to 
839,000  contracts  of  a  total  value  of  €15  billion.73  As  a  negative  effect  of  the  crisis,  the 
conditions  of  housing  loans  are  stricter  and  stricter,  with  many  mortgage  holders  facing 
serious difficulties in redeeming instalments. 

The overcrowding rate is 46.2% (2007) which is one of the highest rates in the EU (average: 
17.3%),  but  does  not  deviate  significantly  from  the  EU-12  average.  73%  of  the  population 
lives in acceptable living standards (EU average: 75.2%). However, broad segments of some 
disadvantaged groups, e.g. the Roma, are particularly affected by difficult housing conditions. 
The  room  for  manoeuvre  of  social  housing  has  narrowed  significantly  over  the  last  years, 
since the proportion of lease apartments owned by local governments has dropped from 22% 
to  4%  due  to  the  privatisation  in  the  1990s,  resulting  in  an  unmet  need  of  300,000  social 
housing units. 

70 
71 
72 
73 

Central Statistical Office, Hungary (CSO); www.ksh.hu 
Public Foundation for the Homeless; www.hajlektalanokert.hu 
3th February Task Force; www.bmszki.hu/f3/2009f3 
CSO 

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62. 

OVERALL POLICY FRAMEWORK AND GOVERNANCE 

The  main  responsibility  for  homelessness  issues  at  national  level  lies  with  the  Ministry  of 
Social Affairs and Labour coordinating social services and benefits, other aspects of housing 
belong to the scope of the Ministry of Local Governments. Two national NGOs, namely the 
Public  Foundation  for  Homeless  People  and  the  'Solidarity'  Public  Foundation  for  the 
Houseless  and  Homeless  in  Budapest,  play  important  roles  in  implementing  government 
programmes  under  the  supervision  and  monitoring  of  the  Ministry.  According  to  the  Social 
Act74,  the  provision  of  services  for  homeless  people  falls  under  the  responsibility  of  local 
governments.  Related  tasks  are  financed  partly  by  their  own,  and  partly  by  governmental 
resources.  In  2007,  53%  of  temporary  accommodation  services,  63.3%  of  residential 
institutional  services  and  72.2%  of  day-care  services  for  the  homeless  were  provided  by 
NGOs.75 These NGOs have come together under two umbrella organisations; in Budapest the 
'Council of Ten' and nationally the 'HAJSZOLT' Association. Housing issues, except housing 
exclusion, is the responsibility of the Ministry of Local Government. The Act regulating all 
forms of dwelling ownership76 delegates several tasks to local governments also concerning 
housing. 

The  first  national  Strategy  for  Homeless  people  was  prepared  as  an  expert  document  in 
2007.77 The key objectives of the strategy were the prevention of homelessness, primarily by 
means designed to strengthen the financial security of housing; the revision of the financing 
and  legal  regulation  of  the  institutional  system  of  services  to  homeless  people  in  order  to 
improve result-oriented operation and the reintegration of homeless people in the labour and 
housing  markets;  and  finally  the  transformation  of  the  operation  of  current  institutions  for 
homeless people aimed at encouraging the admission of people living rough and facilitating 
housing  and  employment  reintegration.  The  strategy  has  not  been  approved  by  the 
government  but,  on  the  basis  of  the  document,  the  Municipality  of  Budapest  prepared  its 
Strategy  for  Homeless  People  in  2008.  Furthermore,  in  2007,  a  separate  government  decree 
specified certain measures and quantified targets concerning homelessness for 2007-2013. 

63. 

ACCESSIBILITY AND QUALITY OF HOUSING 

63.1.  Accessibility 

In  promoting  access  to  housing,  prevention  plays  an  important  role.  Beyond  a  set  of  legal 
instruments for the protection of people under threat of eviction, cash benefits (e.g. housing 
support)  and  social  services  (e.g.  debt  management  service)  are  available  especially  for 
housing to alleviate liquidity problems of people in need. In response to the crisis, and as a 
result  of  the  amendment  of  the  respective  law, the  state  can  act  as  bail  instead  of  mortgage 
holders in need as of August 2009. For those mortgage holders that lost their jobs as a result 
of the crisis, temporary loans are available with a state warrant of up to 80% of the amount. 
For  those  who  have  already  lost  their  homes,  local  governments  have  pre-emptive  right  for 
purchasing real estates to be sold at auction, thus former owners have the possibility to stay in 
and rent it back from the local government. The estimated amount of governmental housing 

74 
75 
76 

77 

Act III of 1993 on social administration and social services 
CSO 
Act LXXVIII of 1993 on certain rules concerning the leasing of apartments and other premises as well 
as their alienation 
In Hungarian: http://bmszki.hu/tanulmanyok/strat; in English: www.bmszki.hu/english 

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allowances as a percentage of the GDP doubled between 1999 and 2006 to 1.1%, but shrank 
again to 1% by 2007. 

As  a  temporary  solution  for  those  in  trouble,  there  are  night  shelters.  Another  type  of 
temporary  accommodation  provides  services  for  assisting  the  homeless  with  their  social, 
individual  and  housing  problems,  including  ensuring  accommodation.  These  temporary 
services  operate  across  the  country  in  larger  cities,  and  have  a  capacity  of  7,500  people. 
Minimum  conditions  prescribed  by  law  are  often  not  met.  In  order  to  assist  people  in  these 
institutions in finding permanent solutions, a special government programme is available for 
supporting  social  integration  of  homeless  people  and  offering  housing  opportunities  outside 
institutions.  The  programme  provides  the  so-called  'integration  support'  with  12-month 
follow-up  assistance.  In  2006-2007,  the  independent  housing  of  some  1,000  people  was 
addressed. 

As for social housing, the respective law78 forces local governments to ensure social housing 
services  for  those  in  need  only  if  the  housing  unit  had  been  destroyed  by  natural  disaster. 
However, the act empowers local governments to determine rental conditions of apartments of 
their own, including applying the so-called 'social fees' of a reduced amount. 

63.2.  Quality 

The  Housing  Act79,  together  with  other  regulations  on  technical  construction,  defines 
requirements  for  different  types  of  housing  units  and  all  structures  suitable  for  housing 
purposes. National goals or standards for ensuring minimum quality of housing have not been 
specified.  The  5th  highest  overcrowding  rate  of  the  EU  (46.2%)  is  particularly  high  for 
children  under  17  years  (60.6%).  27%  of  the  population  does  not  live  in  acceptable  living 
standards. 

The Population Census collects data also on housing conditions, primarily on the number of 
people living in non-housing units. According to the latest census in 2001, more than 3% of 
the population lived in apartments less than 20 square meters, 17% lives in apartments with 
walls made of loam or wood.80 Moreover, latest data show that, in 2007, 10.5% of people live 
in a dark dwelling, 3.2% has neither bath/shower nor toilet for the sole use of the household. 

64. 

HOMELESSNESS AND ACCESS TO SERVICES 

No  integrated  national  strategy  has  been  adopted  so  far  for  fighting  homelessness.  The 
homeless are addressed as an eligible or exclusive target group under active inclusion policies 
and programmes for disadvantaged people. The first programme of this kind was launched in 
2000, and more followed later, financed mostly by the Labour Market Fund and the Structural 
Funds.  Employment  programmes  support  job-seeking  services,  social  work,  mental-hygiene 
training, supply of equipment needed for work and, lately, contribution benefits to employers 
employing  homeless  people.  According  to  the  Social  Act,  basic  health  care  services  are 
universally  available  also  for  the  homeless  even  if  they  are  not  insured;  however,  the 
enforcement  of  this  right  in  their  case  is  not  always  carried  through.  The  National  Health 

78 

79 
80 

Act LXXVIII of 1993 on certain rules concerning the leasing of apartments and other premises as well 
as their alienation 
Act LXXVIII of 1997 on forming and protection of built environment 
http://www.nepszamlalas.hu/eng/index.html 

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Insurance  Fund  also  operates  general  practitioner  services  for  homeless  people;  1  in  each 
region and 8 in the capital. 

In 2008, daily 6,300 people visited one of the 93 daytime facilities available for the homeless 
for cleaning of cloths, washing or having a meal. Besides, street social workers in 85 service 
centres help identify people living rough, offering different services for them and encouraging 
them  to  use  institutional  services.  Quality  standards  for  social  services  are  defined  in  a 
Ministerial Decree81. Services also for homeless people can be provided only by institutions 
meeting these infrastructure and human resources requirements. 

65. 

MONITORING AND EVALUATION 

The  Hungarian  Statistical  Office  collects  fundamental  data  on  social  services  but  these  are 
available only with an 18-month delay. More up-to date data are provided by the register of 
social services set up in 2006 and the regional homeless dispatcher service network collecting 
data on a daily basis on the available capacities of institutions concerned. Efforts have been 
made to channel this information together with the data collected by the individual institutions 
in one comprehensive database. 

The  State  Audit  Office  published  its  report  on  the  'Control  of  the  institutional  system  for 
homeless people' in 200682. Its main findings state that tasks in this field are not in line with 
the needs and services actually rendered. The modification of the relevant regulations is not 
coherent and sometimes even contradictory. No national up-to-date data are available. Local 
governments  only  partly  have  the  means  and  motivation  to  prevent  or  tackle  homelessness, 
however,  in  the  capital  and  bigger  cities  information  base  and  coordination  of  tasks  has 
significantly improved. 

81 

82 

Decree No. 1/2000 of the Ministry for Social and Family Affairs on tasks and operational conditions of 
social institutions providing personal care 
www.asz.hu/asz/jeltar.nsf/0/3ebeaafce0cc7b21c125719400463d36/$file/0613j000.pdf 

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MALTA 

1. 

CURRENT SITUATION 

Malta is a country that,  given  its  geographical characteristics  and the number of inhabitants 
(410.000  in  2007),  doesn't  have  a  sizeable  problem  of  homelessness.  There  is  no  official 
recognition  of  homelessness,  no  definition  and  thus,  not  many  programmes  to  alleviate  the 
phenomenon. The problem of homelessness is  essentially hidden under the façade of strong 
family ties, community cohesion and the State. 

There are no visible signs of homelessness in Malta similar to what can be seen in the other 
European  Union  countries,  yet  there  are  few  hundred  homeless  who  stay  in  shelters  and 
another  few  thousand  households  that  are  at  risk  of  being  homeless.  Nevertheless,  the 
combined effect of a constant, inexorable growth of unemployment rate (forecast to 7.6% in 
2010),  with  at-risk-of-poverty  threshold  practically  unaltered  in  the  last  years  (14%  in  2007 
against EU average: 16%), could involve a potential growth of people affected by homeless 
ness. 

The  share  of  the  population  living  in  a  household  where  housing  costs  represent  more  than 
40% of the total household income was 2.6% in 2007 (EU average: 12.3%). By tenure status, 
the share is bigger for tenants paying a market price rent (33.1% vs. an EU average of 25.4%): 
the average monthly rent for a home in Malta was € 2.10./m² in 2007. The overcrowding rate 
is very low (3.6% in 2007, EU: 17.3%). As to the proportion of deprived people, the data is 
good  and  higher  than  the  EU  average  in  2007  (the  rate  of  population  reported  to  live  in 
acceptable  living  standards  was  90.7%  in  Malta,  75.2%  in  EU).  Maltese’s  social  protection 
benefits  expenditure  destined  to  housing  benefits  (%  of  total  benefits)  was  0.5%  in  2006 
(EU27: 0.9%). 

66. 

OVERALL POLICY FRAMEWORK AND GOVERNANCE 

With  the  Housing  Authority  Act  (1976)  (amended  in  2007)  Malta  created  the  main  public 
agency  accountable  for  implementing  all  Government  programmes  to  provide  affordable 
housing to those people who need it. This statute and the Home Ownership (Encouragement) 
Act  of  1988  are  the  most  important  rules  concerning  housing  policies.  Nevertheless,  apart 
from  the  two  acts  indicated  above,  and  the  Reception  of  Asylum  Seekers  (Minimum 
Standard)  Regulations  (LN320/05),  that  are  functioning  as  legal  guarantee  to  housing,  in 
Maltese legislation the provision of housing to homeless people is largely a matter under the 
responsibility of the Housing Authority (hereinafter "HA").  

The  HA  aims  are  to  reduce  homelessness,  promote  living  conditions  that  are  more 
independent,  delay  the  admission  to  institutional  care  and  provide  a  safer  accommodation 
environment for its clients. 

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Together with the HA, the voluntary organizations and NGOs play a vital role when reaching 
out  to  the  more  vulnerable  and  disadvantaged83.  In  fact,  the  current  National  Report  on 
Strategies  for  Social  Protection  and  Social  Inclusion  (2008-2010)  establishes  the  objectives, 
among others, of reinforcing the debate on the disadvantaged groups (included homeless) with 
the  social  organizations  and  of  subsidizing  itinerant  multidisciplinary  social  attention 
programmes, in cooperation with NGOs. The support given enables the vulnerable people to 
live  as  independently  as  possible  within  the  community  and  thus  combats  their  social  and 
housing  exclusion.  The  National  Housing  Authority  gives  assistance  to  the  organizations 
operating in the social field which provide housing services to people in housing need. This 
should empower the NGOs to reach the above-mentioned common objectives and obligations 
in the best interest of the individual and the community. 

In  substance,  as  a  part  of  the  social  services  area,  support  policies  to  the  homeless  are  a 
competence of the HA, the State Agencies (APPOGG and SAPPORT) in cooperation with the 
most significant NGOs. The central Government supports the HA, as coordinator among the 
different public and private subjects operating in this field.  

67. 

ACCESSIBILITY AND QUALITY OF HOUSING 

67.1.  Accessibility 

Even  if  the  current  legislation  is  included  in  a  few  rules,  the  HA  has  proposed  several 
measures to promote access to housing, including increasing the proportion of land earmarked 
for protected housing. For example: issue units for sale at facilitated prices targeting families 
with  children  and  couples  to  help  them  purchase  their  home;  making  10%  of  these  units 
reserved to people with disability; and help the first time buyers to access affordable housing 
by paying a grant84. 

The  HA  has  not  only  competence  for  launching  initiatives  but  also  for  managing  financial 
aids  addressed  to  citizens  facing  the  risk  of  eviction.  In  this  case  the  NGOs  submit  their 
request of aid – as for example premises, by sale or lease, cash grants for alterations or repairs 
to  premises  owned,  etc…-  to  the  Authority,  which  evaluates  them  and  takes  a  decision. 
Furthermore, also in order to tackle the effects of the global economic crisis, the government 
continues  to  support  the  HA  to  invest  in  urban  renewal  projects  which  provide  accessible 
housing.  Temporary  lodging  for  homeless  people  is  not  regulated  by  specific  rules,  apart 
when  it  comes  to  asylum  seekers.  On  the  other  hand,  the  policy  of  support  covers  different 
types  of  temporary  accommodation  and  target  groups:  residential  homes  for  children  and 
young  people;  shelters  for  people  who  are  victims  of  domestic  violence;  semi-independent 
living  for  people  with  disability  or  mental  difficulties.  In  these  cases  the  HA  works  in 
cooperation  with  NGOs  and 
the  Government  agencies  SAPPORT  and  APPOGG. 
Consequently,  as  previously  mentioned,  the  provision  of  social  services  for  the  homeless  is 
shared between the Housing Authority, NGOs and the Agencies SAPPORT and APPOGG.  

83 

84 

During 2008, the Housing Authority has assisted different organisations as YMCA, Dar Terza Spinelli, 
Dar Patri Leopoldo, Richmond Foundation,etc… 
The 'Grant on Loan Repayment scheme’ provides for a grant up to a maximum of 30% of the annual 
loan payments given by a financial institution to the applicant and which does not exceed the amount of 
850 Euro per year. This grant will be given for a period of 10 years. 

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According to the last data, Malta’s housing boom of 2003 and 2004, which was characterized 
by  tremendous  house  price  increases  and  sharp  rises  in  construction  activity,  now  seems 
officially over. The  over-all  house price  index fell by 0.8% in  Q1-2008 from  a year  earlier. 
When  adjusted  for  inflation,  house  prices  actually  fell  by  almost  5%  over  the  same  period. 
This was in sharp contrast with to the impressive price increases of 20.3% (17% in real terms) 
in 2004 and 13.3% (11.8%) in 2003. The price of apartments in Malta averages around €3,042 
per sq. m. 

67.2.  Quality 

In  Malta  there  is  no  legal  definition  of  "inadequate"/  "unfit  for  habitation"  and 
"overcrowding". However the HA has developed its own standards to implement its policies.  

In many cases, when the HA carries out inspections to verify the conditions of house units, it 
checks different conditions, such as: 

–  Presence of structural hazards; 

–  Inadequate sanitation; 

–  Inadequate plumbing; 

–  Unsafe electricity; 

–  Inadequate ventilation; 

–  Faulty weather protection; 

–  Damp; 

–  Inadequate habitable space for occupants (>2.5 people per bedroom); 

–  Inadequate accessibility for occupants’ needs. 

When  evaluating  applications  for  alternative  accommodation,  the  HA  looks  at  the  current 
housing  conditions  of  the  applicants  and  applies  a  scoring  system  with  a  high  number  of 
points meaning that the housing conditions are bad. 

The  HA  invests  in  urban  renewal  projects  with  the  objective  of  regenerating  disadvantaged 
areas and improve the quality of life of residents. Very old blocks of apartments are, if in a 
state  of  disrepair,  pulled  down  and  rebuilt;  if  historically  valuable,  they  are  restored.  These 
social  housing  units  are  eventually  allocated  for  rent.  The  Authority  is  also  partner  in  an 
integrated  urban  regeneration  project  for  the  Cottonera  funded  under  the  ERDF  2007-2013. 
This  project  incorporates  measures  in  line  with  accessibility  measures  for  people  with 
disability, embellishment of public areas, energy efficiency measures and housing renovation. 
Currently  a  Cost  Benefit  Analysis  (CBA)  is  being  carried  out  -  the  implementation  of  the 
project is dependent on the results of this CBA.  

At 3.6% in 2007, the overcrowding rate is considerably lower than the EU average (17.3%). 
As to the proportion of people deprived, Malta with 5.4% is widely below the EU average of 

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18%  regarding  bath  /  shower,  indoor  toilet  and  leaking  roof.  Concerning  dark  dwellings, 
Malta is doing better than the rest of the EU (4.385 % respect 8.1% EU). 

68. 

HOMELESSNESS AND ACCESS TO SERVICES 

Even if there is no clear definition in the Maltese legislation of homelessness, the number of 
people covered by this phenomenon are around a few hundreds. Although social services are a 
State  competence,  the  central  Government  secures  homogeneous  services  and  assistance 
through  the  already  mentioned  HA  and  is  responsible  for  housing  solutions,  among  other 
measures.  

In 2008 the HA assisted, with the support of NGOs, 564 homeless people who were victims 
of  domestic  violence,  people  suffering  from  mental  problems,  etc….  The  number  of  shelter 
places  available  given  by  NGOs  is  around  150  beds,  with  a  waiting  list  for  alternative 
accommodation  of  149  homeless  people,  1061  shared  accommodation,  54  household  living 
under  threat  of  eviction,  643  applications  living  in  unfit  housing,  893  applications  with 
overcrowding. .  

In  the  framework  of  the  European  active  inclusion  strategy  and  its  National  Report  on 
Strategies  for  Social Protection and Social  Inclusion (2008-2010),  Malta has put forward as 
one  of  its  priority  objectives  the  promotion  of  active  inclusion.  Housing  forms  an  essential 
part  of  this  policy.  The  report  makes  reference  to  the  EQUAL  "Headstart"  project  targeting 
the  living  conditions  of  young  people.  The  project  includes  the  provision  of  affordable 
accommodation to young men and women between 16 and 25 years who have spent at least 
two in the past five years in residential care.  

69. 

MONITORING AND EVALUATION 

The HA is currently working to develop a national database on homelessness. The database 
aims  at  identifying  the  demand  for  shelter  and  the  causes  of  homelessness,  which  will 
ultimately assist the Authority to develop better policies to meet the needs of these people. An 
independent study on homelessness and housing exclusion entitled ‘Counting the homeless in 
Malta’  has  been  carried  out  by  Cyrus  Vakili-Zad  (2006).  However,  it  seems  that  the 
inexistence of a complete register, drawn up not only on the basis of specific demand (people 
calling in for help) but on the basis of an outreach/research programme, remains an open gap 
in social welfare provision in Malta. 

85 

The concept used by Malta for this variable is not harmonised with the other countries. The question is 
whether  the  building  and  the  lightening  installations  can  provide  adequate  light  for  acceptable  living 
standard in the house.. 

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NETHERLANDS 

1. 

CURRENT SITUATION 

Since different definitions and estimation methods are used, estimates of the total number of 
homeless  people  differ  in  the  Netherlands.  According  to  the  Salvation  Army,  who  provides 
approximately a quarter of the provisions for the homeless in the Netherlands, its headcount is 
decreasing: it was estimated at 42.000 in 2007, while in 2005 it was estimated at 50.000 and 
in 2003 at 65.000. The number of young runaways was estimated at 6.000 in 200886. 

In the four biggest cities roughly 21.800 people are living in a precarious situation. This group 
is split into a group of 10.000 actual and residential homeless people and a group of 11.800 
people who are not or not yet all visible in the care and assistance sector, but who do belong 
to the group of the socially vulnerable people.  

The  main  problem  on  the  Dutch  housing  market  (in  certain  regions)  is  the  shortage  of 
affordable housing for the lower and middle income groups. As a result the through-flow in 
the  housing  market  is  not  fast  enough  and  it  takes  longer  for  certain  groups  to  realise  their 
wish to move (for instance the young, who have to continue to live longer at home with their 
parents).  

The  housing  shortage  amounts  to  just  2%,  approximately  140.000  houses.  Apart  from  this, 
there  is  an  estimated  demand  for  500.000  houses  as  a  result  of  population  growth  and 
individualisation in the period 2010-2020. 

Approximately  one-third  of  the  housing  stock  in  the  Netherlands  is  made  out  of  social 
housing. The housing corporations jointly own over 2.4 million social housing units. Of these, 
29% are cheap (rent up to €339), 65% are payable (rent between €340 and €520) and 6% are 
expensive  (rent  above  €520).  For  each  social  housing  unit  offered  for  rent  there  are  on 
average  60  interested  parties.  The  average  waiting  period  for  a  social  housing  unit  is  2.9 
years.  According  to  national  data87,  the  number  of  evictions  by  housing  corporations 
increased in 2007 by 14% to over 8.500. By far the major reason for eviction was rent arrears 
(78%).  At  the  end  of  2007,  more  than  237.000  households  had  rent  arrears,  compared  to 
203.000 households in 2006.  

The share of population living in a household where housing costs represent more than 40% 
of the total household income was 18.6% in 2007 (EU average: 12.3%). By tenure status, this 
share  is  the  biggest  for  tenants  paying  a  market  price  rent  (28.5%)  and  lowest  for  tenants 
paying a reduced price (1.4%).  

In  2007,  the  overcrowding  rate  was  very  low  (1.5%)  compared  to  the  EU-average  (17.3%), 
while the proportion of people deprived was very similar to the EU average (18.3% against 
18.0%). The proportion of the population reported to live in acceptable living standards was 
78.0% (EU average: 75.2%).  

86 
87 

National Audit Office. 
Aedes, Meer uitzettingen door huurachterstand, 12 December 2008. 

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70. 

OVERALL POLICY FRAMEWORK AND GOVERNANCE 

On 1 January 2007 the Social Support Act (Wmo) came into force in all municipalities in the 
Netherlands. Under this Act, municipalities are now responsible for setting up social support. 
In  the  Social  Support  Act  the  concept  of  social  support  has  been  expressed  in  nine 
performance  areas,  of  which  3  are  relevant  in  combating  homelessness  (social  relief,  public 
mental healthcare and addiction policy).  

Social  relief  includes  activities  consisting  of  temporarily  providing  shelter,  guidance, 
information  and  advice  to  people  who  because  of  one  or  multiple  problems,  have  left  their 
home,  either  forced  or  not,  and  who  are  not  able  to  cope  in  society  by  their  own.  Many 
decisions on service provisions are taken on the local or regional level. The main task of the 
national government in this field is providing funding.  

Together  with  the  four  biggest  cities  (Amsterdam,  The  Hague,  Rotterdam  and  Utrecht),  the 
Dutch government presented the 'Strategy Plan for Social Relief' in 2006. The Strategy Plan 
entails an integral approach to the issue of homelessness. It is based on two pillars:  

A person-oriented approach by using individual programme plans and client managers linked 
to individual people.  
A  one  hundred  percent  sound  chain  co-operation  between  all  the  involved  parties  and 
institutions under the direction of the municipality and the care office.  

Early  detection  of  payment  problems  is  a  key  concept  in  the  approach.  In  2008,  in  order  to 
realise  national  cover,  a  start  was  made  to  extend  the  Strategy  Plan  to  the  other  39  central 
municipalities under the title of Municipal Compass.  

The  Subsidised  Rented  Sector  Decree  (BBSH)  includes  the  regulations  which  must  be 
observed  by  housing  corporations  and  municipal  housing  departments.  The  BBSH  has  six 
performance  fields:  quality  of  the  houses,  letting  of  the  houses,  involving  occupants  in  the 
policy  and  management,  financial  continuity,  quality  of  life  and  living  and  care.  Moreover, 
the  BBSH  includes  rules  about  financial  reporting  and  the  supervision  of  housing 
corporations. 

71. 

ACCESSIBILITY AND QUALITY OF HOUSING 

71.1.  Accessibility 

The  government  supports  citizens  in  finding  appropriate  housing  accommodation  by  the 
following  measures:  rent  allowance,  rent  policy,  social  housing,  housing  allocation  on  the 
basis of the Housing Allocation Act, promoting home ownership.  

By  means  of  an  income-dependent  rent  allowance,  the  Government  makes  sure  that  the 
affordability  of  good  quality  rented  housing  accommodation  is  guaranteed  for  households 
which  because  of  their  income  situation  cannot  themselves  provide  or  cannot  sufficiently 
provide for affordable housing accommodation. About 1.1 million households are in receipt 
of rent allowance. This represents approximately 2 billion euro per year.  

The  Housing  Allocation  Act  offers  municipalities  the  option  to  intervene  in  the  housing 
allocation  and  the  composition  of  the  housing  stock  in  order  to  promote  a  balanced  and 
justified  allocation  of  housing  in  short  supply.  Municipalities  are  able  to  designate  specific 
target  groups  at  local  level,  who  experience  difficulties  in  finding  housing  accommodation 

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due to their low income or other circumstances. Housing corporations have to give priority to 
accommodating  people  who  belong  to  these  target  groups,  for  example  former  delinquents, 
disabled or elderly people who need houses with special facilities.  

In the Housing Allocation Act, refugees with a residence status are specifically designated as 
a target group. On the basis of the number of inhabitants, municipalities have a duty to find 
accommodation  for  these  refugees.  There  is  no  such  housing  provision  for  labour  migrants. 
Migrants  can  register  at  a  municipality  and  apply  for  social  accommodation  options. 
However, many cities have a waiting list, which does not make it easy to find accommodation 
in  the  short  term.  This  results  in  labour  migrants  moving  on  to  quicker  ways  of  finding 
accommodation.  As 
to  prefer  cheap 
housing/lodging,  it  is  a  point  of  attention  for  the  Dutch  government  to  prevent  them  from 
illegal housing situations, which are often overpopulated and unsafe.  

their  numbers  are 

increasing  and 

they 

tend 

The  Cabinet  not  only  supports  tenants  but  also  (first-time)  buyers  by  means  of  various 
regulations  such  as  the  Promotion  of  Homeownership  Act  (BEW)  and  first-time  buyers’ 
loans. 

71.2.  Quality 

Minimum quality requirements regarding safety, health, usefulness and energy saving are set 
on buildings by the Buildings Decree.  

Together with municipalities, housing corporations, inhabitants and other relevant players, the 
Dutch  government  has  dedicated  itself  to  improve  the  situation  in  40  so-called  ‘Districts 
needing  attention’.  These  are  districts  in  which  -  because  of  an  accumulation  of  problems  - 
the quality of the living environment trails badly behind in comparison with other districts in 
the city. These districts have formulated long-term ambitions for living, working, learning & 
growing  up  and  integrating,  as  well  as  for  safety.  Departments,  local  professionals  and 
inhabitants are busy as partners to achieve progress within 8 years in all policy areas. Their 
ambitions are focussed on: good quality housing for lower income groups, a varied housing 
supply  in  the  districts,  more  people  in  work,  stronger  district  economy,  more  extended 
schools,  less  school  drop-out,  Centres  for  Youth  and  Family,  more  policemen  on  the  beat, 
meeting  places  for  inhabitants  and  district-oriented  integration.  In  doing  so  this  'District 
approach'  focuses  simultaneously  on  encouraging  the  social  rise  of  the  inhabitants  in  the 
district, on properly affordable houses for the lower-income groups as well as on encouraging 
a varied housing stock in the districts. Knowledge and experience are widely spread, so that 
other districts can also benefit from these. 

72. 

HOMELESSNESS AND ACCESS TO SERVICES 

There are many different sheltered facilities in the Netherlands, which vary from 24/7 living 
accommodations  to  low-threshold  day  or  night  shelter  facilities.  24/7  activities  are  usually 
linked to the provision of assistance, care, (psychosocial) guidance or treatment. The policy 
responsibility  regarding  shelter  for  the  homeless  is  decentralised  to  39  so-called  centre 
municipalities.  These  large  and  medium  sized  municipalities  are  responsible  for  policy  and 
practise  of  homeless  shelters  in  their  regions,  for  which  they  are  in  receipt  of  special  funds 
from the central government. During the period 2000-2008 the national budget for the specific 
payments  for  social  relief,  addiction  policy  and  public  mental  health  care  rose  from  140 
million euro to 257 million euro.  

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In  2003,  an  Interdepartmental  Policy  Survey  into  social  relief  was  conducted  to  achieve 
proposals for more effective and efficient operation of the social relief chain. The provisions 
in the social relief chain did not synchronise well with each other and the pressure on social 
relief  increased.  Despite  the  growth  in  capacity  there  was  a  growing  shortage  of  sheltered 
facilities and the provision of care sometimes appeared to be difficult to access.  

Arrangements were made to ensure that the supply of sheltered facilities covers the demand 
better.  There  has  been  extra  dedication  to  the  expansion  of  existing  accommodation  and 
proper  development  of  new  types  of  accommodation.  For  instance,  more  permanent  living 
accommodation  has  been  constructed  as  well  as  sheltered  facilities  for  the  homeless  with 
addiction problems where the use of drugs is allowed. In addition, 'Skaeve Huse' have been 
realised according to the Danish example. This type of accommodation is intended for single 
people who are excluded from corporation houses or who cannot or can no longer be placed 
in  regular  social  relief  due  to  their  highly  anti-social  behaviour.  Guidance  and  treatment  is 
offered on an individual basis. The objective is that a perspective is being offered.  

73. 

MONITORING AND EVALUATION 

In  the  Netherlands  efforts  are  being  made  to  improve  the  existing  registration  systems. 
Institutions  to  which  financial  resources  are  granted  for  social  relief,  must  register  their 
activities  and  client  details.  This  has  been  legally  provided  for  in  the  Social  Support 
Registration  Regulation.  The  picture  of  social  relief  is  improving  but  the  rules  of  the 
Registration Regulation about client registration in social relief can still not be fully applied. 
Data  technical  and  organisational  problems  hamper  the  proper  implementation  of  the 
Registration Regulation.  

It  is  expected  that  the  information  provision  will  improve  because  of  the  Strategy  Plan  for 
Social Relief in the four biggest cities. At the request of the Ministry of Health, Welfare and 
Sport  the  progress  and  results  of  the  Strategy  Plan  are  annually  reported.  The  Ministry  also 
intends  to  start  monitoring  the  progress  of  the  Strategy  Plan  in  the  other  39  central 
municipalities.  In  addition,  there  are  various  monitors  at  regional  level  with  regard  to  the 
demand, the supply and the occupancy rate in social relief. 

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AUSTRIA 

1. 

CURRENT SITUATION 

Overall, the problem of homelessness and housing exclusion in Austria may be seen as less 
prominent  than  in  other  countries.  Housing  appears  to  be  fairly  affordable,  although  in  the 
past 10 years rents have increased twice as much than the consumer price index. The share of 
population whose housing costs burden exceeds 40% is 5.4% compared to 12.3% for the EU 
(2007). Among poor people the share amounts to 31.6% (EU: 38.1%). The overcrowding rate 
is  overall  slightly  below  EU  average  (14.8%  in  2007,  EU:  17.3%).  It  is,  however, 
considerably  higher  than  EU  average  for  lone  parents  with  dependent  children  (29.7%  in 
2007, EU 22.5%).  

Social housing (owned municipalities) and subsidised non-profit housing in Austria constitute 
a  fairly  large  share  of  the  total  housing  stock  (around  20%)  and  the  majority  of  rented 
dwellings (70% of all newly allocated non-owner occupied dwellings). Subsidised housing is 
targeted at the majority of the population, with the aim of damping the price level of housing 
on  the  private  market,  and  thus  fostering  social  cohesion.  As  a  result,  social  segregation  in 
housing is generally relatively low in Austria. People with very low incomes may, however, 
face  difficulties  in  accessing  subsidised  non-profit  housing,  as  in  some  cases,  substantial 
accession costs have to be paid. As a consequence, the latter often have to rely on the private 
housing market where only partial and complex regulations on maximum rents are in place. 
Access to affordable housing is particularly difficult for migrants in Austria.  

A number of facilities and services are provided, mostly by NGOs, to prevent homelessness 
and support the homeless. Their availability, however, varies a lot from one federal province 
("Land")  to  the  other.  Services  are  most  developed  in  larger  cities,  whereas  rural  areas  are 
generally not well covered. 

74. 

OVERALL POLICY FRAMEWORK AND GOVERNANCE 

In Austria there is no integrated approach to tackling homelessness and housing exclusion. A 
nationwide  common  framework  does  not  exist.  The  system  of  responsibilities  and 
competencies  regarding  housing  policies  and  support  to  the  homeless  is  rather  fragmented, 
resulting  in  considerable  regional  differences  in  service  provision,  as  well  as  in  a  lack  of 
available comparative data.  

the  Länder.  Rules  on  financial  support  and 

Responsibility  for  providing  benefits,  services  and  programmes  to  the  homeless  lies  largely 
with 
legal  provisions  for  providing 
accommodation for individuals in need are set out in the Länder's social assistance legislation. 
This  includes  responsibility  for  new  housing  developments  and  the  renewal  of  flats, 
residential  buildings  and  residential  homes,  as  well  as  housing  benefits.  As  a  result,  legal 
provisions and social services differ substantially  from  one  federal  state  to  another.  A  more 
integrated  approach  for  planning  and  implementing  facilities  and  services  for  the  homeless 
has notably been adopted by Vienna, Upper Austria and Vorarlberg, and to some extent also 
by  Lower  Austria.  In  the  federal  province  of  Burgenland,  assistance  to  the  homeless  is  not 
established as an independent policy field at all.  

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The national state, on the other hand, has the responsibility for civil law regarding housing, 
including  landlord  and  tenant  law,  condominium  law  and  regulations  on  'limited  profit 
housing associations'. 

NGOs  play  an  important  role  not  only  in  the  delivery  of  services  for  the  homelessness,  but 
also  in  the  dissemination  of  data  and  evaluations  with  the  aim  of  putting  homelessness  and 
housing exclusion on the (national) political agenda. 

The right to housing is not as such recognised by law or under the Constitution in Austria, but 
people  in  need  are  in  principle  legally  entitled  to  most  benefits  from  the  social  assistance 
scheme  of  the  Länder  to  secure  their  subsistence  needs,  including  housing  benefits.  The 
system  is,  however,  fairly  non-transparent  and  leaves  a  large  scope  for  administrative 
discretion.  A  lack  of  information  and  possibly  also  social  stigmatisation  lead  to  a  high  non 
take-up  rate.  This  means  that  in  practice,  a  large  number  of  people  do  not  receive  social 
assistance, although they would in principle be legally entitled to.  

The lack of a standardised nationwide definition and lack of coherent data collection do not 
allow for a sound analysis of the respective policies and their impact. Clear common targets 
are missing. Monitoring and evaluation of this policy area, as well as co-ordination between 
relevant actors appear to be underdeveloped. A more integrated approach would be desirable 
to facilitate policy planning, monitoring and evaluation. 

75. 

ACCESSIBILITY AND QUALITY OF HOUSING 

75.1.  Accessibility 

Six  out  of  Austria's  nine  Länder  have  introduced  early  warning  systems  to  avoid  evictions. 
Around  5,600  evictions  were  executed  in  2008,  with  a  particular  concentration  in  Vienna. 
Transparent  and  consumer-friendly  legal  provisions  concerning  the  termination  of  rental 
agreements are aspects which would deserve particular attention in this context. 

A number of actors provide support for people leaving institutions, such as prisons, hospitals 
or children's homes, but there are not enough data available for a closer analysis. It appears 
that the housing situation of people leaving penal institutions is to some extent problematic. 

Temporary  accommodation  and  supported  accommodation  are  provided  under  the  Social 
Welfare Acts of the Länder. Services include counseling and outreach supervision to prepare 
clients  for  moving  to  flats  of  their  own;  support  to  enable  residents  of  socially  supported 
housing facilities to live independent lives; debt counseling; assistance for visiting doctors or 
hospitals, etc. Access to these facilities and services varies considerably between the Austrian 
provinces, as well as between urban and rural areas. The full range of support is not available 
in all provinces and generally not in rural areas. Empirical evidence about the availability of 
such facilities is, however, largely missing.  

The most important instruments to facilitate access to independent housing is social housing 
provided  by  municipalities  (9%  of  all  dwellings  in  Austria),  subsidised  dwellings  built  by 
Limited Profit Housing Associations (10% of all dwellings in Austria), and housing benefits 
under social assistance law of the Länder. 

Furthermore, a regulation on maximum rents applies to parts of the private housing market. 
However, this regulation offers considerable margin for discretion, and does not cover large 

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parts of the private housing market. In practice, due to a lack of alternatives and knowledge 
and resources regarding the legal enforcement of their rights, people may accept higher rents.  

Social housing and subsidised non-profit dwellings in Austria are targeted at the majority of 
the population, as  relatively  high income ceilings  are  applied  for  means  testing.  On  the  one 
hand, housing segregation is therefore relatively low in Austria, but on the other hand, people 
with  very  low  incomes  may  find  it  difficult  to  access  subsidized  housing,  as  sometimes 
considerable one-time access costs have to be paid, such as down-payments amounting to a 
certain percentage of construction cost.  

Access  to  affordable  housing  is  particularly  difficult  for  migrants  in  Austria,  who,  as  a 
consequence,  often  live  in  insecure  and  unacceptable  housing  conditions.  Discrimination 
against  migrants  is  a  widespread  practice  in  the  private  housing  market.  Access  to  social 
housing  is  also  more  difficult  for  migrants,  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  social  housing  is  in 
principle open to everyone with permanent residence in Austria who meets the other relevant 
criteria.  A  lack  of  information  about  often  complex  and  fairly  non-transparent  rules,  both 
regarding  rental  agreements  as  well  as  regarding  the  entitlements  for  housing  assistance, 
aggravate the problem.  

75.2.  Quality 

Municipalities  and  limited-profit  housing  associations  have  made  substantial  efforts  to 
refurbish  social  housing  in  the  last  decade.  In  these  types  of  housing,  indicators  for  over-
crowdedness and precarious housing conditions, based on EU-SILC, are applied. 

In  Austria,  around  2%  of  all  people  do  not  have  a  toilet/bathroom  in  their  flat.  Around  9% 
have  problems  with  humidity  and  mildew  and  around  6%  report  dark  living  space  (see 
Statistik Austria 200988). These problems are more often found on the private housing market 
than in social housing, which is of relatively high quality in Austria. Low income alone does 
not lead to a significant increase of such problems. However, if other indicators of financial 
deprivation  apply  as  well,  then  poor  quality  housing  is  significantly  higher  among  those 
groups. 

76. 

HOMELESSNESS AND ACCESS TO SERVICES 

In  Austria,  there  is  a  whole  range  of  services  provided  to  alleviate  and  fight  homelessness. 
These  include  streetwork,  easy-access  day  centres,  emergency  hostels,  transitional  housing 
and socially assisted forms of living. There are, however, considerable regional differences in 
the provision of such services, which are especially well developed in Vienna.  

At present, most homeless individuals have no access to active labour market measures. This 
is due to the institutional gap between social assistance delivery and the Public Employment 
Service  training  measures.  However,  a  reform  of  the  social  assistance  schemes  towards  a 
means-tested  guaranteed  minimum  income  is  planned  to  be  implemented  in  2010.  It  is 
foreseen  that  the  new  scheme  will  provide  support  for  the  (re)integration  of  recipients  of 
social assistance into the labour market, unless they are not able to work. It will also provide 
coverage  under  the  statutory  health  insurance  for  all  recipients.  It  will  be  a  challenge  to 

88 

Statistik Austria (2009). Einkommen, Armut und Lebensbedingungen. Ergebnisse aus EU-SILC 2007, 
Vienna 

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improve  the  administrative  provisions  of  social/housing  assistance  and  increase  its  take-up 
rate under the new scheme. 

Specialised  health  care  services  are  available  in  Austria's  three  largest  cities  Vienna,  Graz, 
Linz.  Furthermore,  social  services  to  prevent  homelessness  and  to  assist  the  homeless  are 
provided by a number of NGOs with public and/or private funding. The availability of these 
services varies, however, greatly from one Land to another. The highest grade of facilities is 
available in the big cities, whereas in many Länder rural areas are not well covered. However, 
no  sound  and  systematic  information  is  available  on  these  aspects  which  would  allow  for  a 
more detailed analysis. 

77. 

MONITORING AND EVALUATION 

Data  and  information  on  homelessness  and  housing  exclusion  are  extremely  sketchy  in 
Austria.  No  systematic  monitoring  and  evaluation  is  in  place.  So  far  no  comprehensive 
attempt has been made at national level to collect data and analyse these problems. 

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POLAND 

1. 

CURRENT SITUATION 

Over  the  past  few  years  the  developing  building  industry  and  relatively  easy  access  to 
mortgages resulted in an increasing supply of dwellings in Poland. Between 2002 and 2007, 
the  average  annual  supply  of  new  dwellings  was  above  100  thousands,  reaching  over  165 
thousands  in  2008,  which  means  a  24%  increase  in  relation  to  the  previous  year.89  This 
resulted in a 5% increase or more in the number of dwellings over the last years. Still in the 1st 
half of 2009 an almost 10% increase in the number of new flats was noticed in comparison to 
the  same  period  in  2008.  However,  due  to  decreasing  number  of  new  investments  and 
construction  permits  granted  (in  1st  half  of  2009  they  have  decreased  by  28%  and  23% 
respectively, in comparison to the same period in 2008), it is not expected that similar trends 
will be observed in the nearest future.90 

Irrespective  of  the  progress  mentioned  in  the  construction  industry,  the  scales  of  the 
investments  and  supply  of  dwellings  have  not  met  the  significant  housing  needs.  The 
overcrowding rate in Poland (51.6%) is one of the highest in Europe and much above the EU 
average of 16.9%. The highest rates are noted among the young and the poor. At the end of 
2007,  the  average  living  space  was  69.8  sq  metres  (23.8  sq  metres  per  person),  and  the 
average size of household was 2.9 people. Although the average size of dwellings completed 
in 1st half of 2009 (100 sq metres) was relatively high in comparison to the above figures, the 
decreasing trend should be noted here (107 sq metres in 2007).91  

Due  to  the  fact  that  over  the  last  years  the  majority  of  mortgages  were  granted  in  foreign 
currencies,  the  decline  of  national  currency  has  negatively  influenced  the  situation  of  the 
borrowers  who  -  in  result  -  suffered  from  the  overall  increase  of  the  loans'  values.  This 
effected in a – relatively slight - increase in the share of "at-risk" mortgages (payment delays 
over 60 days) which, at the end of July 2009, was equal to 1.2% (1.1% in 2008) of total value 
of  mortgages.  On  the  other  side,  the  recent  peak  of  value  of  mortgages  affected  by  pay–off 
delays was stopped and a declining trend was observed in 2nd and 3rd quarter of 2009. As a 
result of the above circumstances and of the global economic crisis, the banks' policy towards 
loans  granting  is  now  stricter.  This  followed  an  increase  of  formal  requirements  for  those 
applying for loans, especially in foreign currencies,  and  of  the  value  of  their  own  resources 
expected to co-finance the credited investment. In effect, the value of mortgages granted in 1st 
quarter  of  2009  was  approx.  40%  lower  in  comparison  to  the  same  period  of  the  previous 
year.  The  recent  2009  monthly  data  shows  however,  that  the  value  of  credits  granted  is 
increasing again e.g. the value of mortgages contracted in June was almost 65% higher than in 
January 2009.  

At  the  end  of  2007,  there  were  13  million  dwellings  in  Poland,  59%  of  them  owned  by 
individuals, 26% by housing cooperatives, and over 9% belonged to municipalities. The share 
of housing cooperatives, municipalities and social housing societies among housing investors 

89 
90 

91 

Report on construction activity in 2008, National Statistic Office, March 2009 
Information  on  construction  activity  1st  and  2nd  Quarter  of  2009,  National  Statistic  Office,  September 
2009 
ibidem 

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is  decreasing  over  the  last  years,  as  the  main  housing  investments  are  conducted  by  the 
individuals and real-estate developers. 

According to the 2002 National Census data, 35.5% of the population lived in poor or very 
poor  housing  conditions:  6.5  million  in  sub-standard  conditions  (lack  of  sewage,  or  water 
supply; old buildings in poor technical condition), and in addition 11.9 million people lived in 
overcrowded spaces (more than 2 people per room). In Poland, 70 % of people between 18 
and  29  lived  with  their  parents.  In  2006,  1.8%  of  total  social  protection  benefits  were 
dedicated to housing and social exclusion (EU average: 3.6%).  

The share of the population whose housing cost burden exceeds 40% was 10.5% (below EU 
average of 12.3%). By tenure status, the share is bigger for tenants paying market price rents 
(32.3% against 25.4% EU average). In the past several months, the prices of dwellings have 
dropped by 5-10% (depending on the region) and similar changes were observed as regard the 
costs of renting. Due to the decrease in number of new building investments one should not 
exclude that increase of housing prices and rentals will continue in the next years.  

According to official data – collected by local social assistance institutions - there are around 
35-45 thousands homeless people in Poland, while the data provided by NGOs increases this 
figure to over 100 thousands. 

78. 

OVERALL POLICY FRAMEWORK AND GOVERNANCE 

The  Constitution  of  Poland  states,  that  public  authorities  shall  pursue  policies  conducive  to 
satisfying  the  housing  needs  of  citizens,  (…)  combating  homelessness,  [and]  promoting  the 
development  of  low-income  housing.  In  general,  the  housing  policy  is  implemented  both  by 
central and self-governmental (local) authorities and is stemming from regulations included in 
several  acts  on  social  policy  and  local  administration.  In  practice,  most  decisions  related  to 
housing  are  taken  at  local  level  and  local  authorities  create  and  regulate  their  own  housing 
policy, although it must be consistent with national housing programmes. 

Local  authorities  should  respond  to  the  housing  needs  of  communities.  An  obligation  was 
imposed  on  them  to  plan  and  implement  respective  actions  in  the  area  of  housing  policy, 
including  addressing  the  housing  needs  of  low-income  households,  as  well  as  provision  of 
social substitute dwellings.  

The  tasks  of  the  Ministry  of  Infrastructure  within  the  scope  of  national  housing  policy 
includes the development of programmes aimed at supporting the creation of social housing 
resources  and  social,  night  shelters  and  homeless  hostels.  One  of  the  programmes 
implemented by the Ministry is called Family on its Own and offers financial support (in form 
of subsidised interest rates on loans) to individuals who intend to purchase or build their own 
flat or house. By the end of November 2009 over 38.5 thousands families benefited from this 
programme and the value of loans was over €1,500 Mio. The Programme of financial support 
for  housing  construction  addressed  to  the  poorest  provides  the  possibility  of  obtaining 
financial support, approx. 30–50 % of investment costs, by e.g. municipalities or NGOs that 
assist  people  in  need.  The  eligible  actions  include  renovation  or  reconstruction  leading  to 
setting up shelters or hostels for the homeless. 

The  draft  National  Programme  of  Coming  out  of  Homelessness  and  Development  of  Social 
Construction for years 2010 –2015 was prepared in 2009. Its strategic objective is to improve 

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overall policy towards homelessness through implementation of quality standards of services 
addressed  to  people  in  need,  wider  use  of  social  activation  tools  in  measures  addressed  to 
homeless  people,  developing  statistical  instruments,  certification  of  entities  providing 
assistance to homeless people, and introducing legal changes facilitating the process of social 
dwellings  construction.  However,  due  to  the  current  economical  situation  and  financial 
shortages further works on this Programme have been suspended.  

In  2006  the  Act  on  financial  support  for  setting  up  social  flats,  night  shelters  and 
accommodation centres for the homeless was adopted. Within 2 years (2007-2008) a financial 
support  of  €23,3  Mio  was  allotted  for  setting  up  4,268  social  apartments  and  331 
accommodation places in shelters for the homeless.  

79. 

ACCESSIBILITY AND QUALITY OF HOUSING 

79.1.  Accessibility 

In order to protect tenants, and particularly those in difficult financial situation, an obligatory 
system of housing allowances was introduced. Eligible to a housing allowance are those with 
a per capita household income of less than 175% of the amount of the lowest old-age pension 
(in  a  single  person  household)  and  125%  of  that  amount  in  a  multi-member  household, 
provided  that  the  floor  space  of  the  housing  unit  does  not  exceed  defined  norms.  The 
allowance amount represents the difference between the amount of housing costs for the floor 
space falling within the norm and 10-20% of the household income, depending on household 
size and its income. In 2008, the amount of housing allowances paid was €200 Mio and its 
average value was less than €36. Since 2004, they are financed by local authorities.  

As supported accommodation in Poland one can classify the social housing units, mainly for 
people  evicted  under  court  order.  The  obligation  to  ensure  social  units  falls  onto  local 
authorities.  Within  the  programme  of  social  units  launched  in  the  years  2007-2008, 
municipalities submitted applications for creating a total of 4,595 social units (5,428 including 
spring  2009  edition  for  submitting  applications)  whereas  the  shortfall  of  social  units  is 
estimated at 120 – 130 thousand units. 

Protected housing for specific groups in need is a form of social assistance, preparing people 
accommodated in such units, under tutelage of specialists, to independent living or replacing 
stays  in  a  facility  providing  round-the-clock  care.  Protected  housing  ensures  conditions  for 
independent functioning in the community, and for integration within the local community. It 
may be operated by local social assistance institution and non-public entities. 

It is estimated that the stock of social housing units held by municipalities meets no more than 
1/5 (1/6 in big cities) of the needs. Waiting lists of people to whom municipalities awarded 
the right to social premises due to difficult financial circumstances, but who due to shortage 
of housing stock cannot move in, are so long that the waiting time extends to many years.  

79.2.  Quality 

Social units are units of reduced standard and provide floor space of no less than 5 sq. m. (no 
less  than  10  sq.  m.  for  a  single  household).  Temporary  accommodation  facilities  for  the 
homeless  are  not  required  to meet any specific standards (other than meeting general safety 
rules). Currently, there are plans for introducing standards of service to be provided by such 
facilities.  In  reality,  the  insufficient  standard  of  temporary  accommodation  is  noticed.  As  a 

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result  of  special  inspection  action  carried  out  in  2009  by  the  Central  Office  for  Building 
Supervision, 100 social buildings were ruled to be shut down and another 41 partly shut down 
as  unfit  for  habitation.  609  summonses  were  issued  for  immediate  fixing  or  elimination  of 
faults. 

It is planned to introduce specific legal changes in a future to facilitate the process of social 
dwellings  construction;  in  addition  the  expected  ERDF  2007-2013  contribution  for  social 
housing is €243 Mio.  

80. 

HOMELESSNESS AND ACCESS TO SERVICES  

The  number  of  homeless  people  in  Poland  varies  from  35  thousands  registered  by  the  local 
social assistance institutions to over 100 thousands reported by NGOs.  

Local authorities are obliged to provide assistance to homeless people and to allocate financial 
resources  for  various  forms  of  support:  counselling,  meals,  clothe,  care  services.  They  may 
also  be  covered  by  individual  programme  for  lifting  people  out  of  homelessness.  This 
programme consists of supporting homeless people in addressing life problems, in particular 
those relating to family and housing, and assisting in securing employment. The programme is 
designed  by  a  social  worker,  jointly  with  the  homeless  person  concerned.  In  2007,  such 
programmes  were  provided  for  2,713  homeless  people92.  The  beneficiaries  are  covered  by 
health  insurance,  providing  with  free  access  to  health  care  services.  Other  homeless  people 
may  be  covered  by  one-time  health  procedure  funded  by  the  social  assistance  institution  or 
covered by health insurance at the request of local authorities. In addition, some shelters for 
the homeless have their own staff doctors (nurses). It should be also noted that programmes 
counteracting homelessness are offered also by some NGOs helping homeless people.  

Social  assistance  statistics  specify  the  existence  of  662  overnight  lodging  establishments, 
shelters and  homes for  the homeless  offering 22,772 places (2008 data). It is estimated that 
help was given to 33,794 homeless persons93.  

So  far  services  for  homeless  people  have  not  been  standardised  but  introducing  of 
standardisation will be among measures planned for implementation in the future.  

81. 

MONITORING AND EVALUATION 

The  Ministry  of  Labour  and  Social  Policy  collects  data  on  homeless  people  collected  and 
delivered by local social assistance institutions. The monitoring of implementation of specific 
programmes and actions is also conducted by the Ministry. A comprehensive set of statistical 
database on homeless people is lacking, but its development in cooperation with the regions is 
planned. 

Poland has experience in operating programmes for lifting people out of homelessness, but so 
far no adequate standards have been developed for working with homeless people. Work on 
such standards and on monitoring homelessness is to be carried out now as part of projects co-
financed with ESF resources.  

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Data from regional governors’ reports 
Ibidem 

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PORTUGAL 

1. 

CURRENT SITUATION  

A national definition has been approved under the framework of the 1st National Strategy for 

the  Integration  of  Homeless  People  (NSIHP),  and  concerns  those  who  are  in  the  following 

situations:  

Rooflessness - without a shelter of any kind, sleeping rough. 

Houselessness - with a place to sleep but temporarily in institutions or shelter. 

The definition contained in the National Strategy is based on ETHOS categories (1, 2 and 3) 
but does not cover all the houseless categories in ETHOS. 

It should be stressed that until March 2009 there was no official definition of homelessness in 
Portugal and the adoption of a national definition is a positive development in this field, even 
if all ETHOS categories are not covered. 

In  Portugal,  an  accurate  number  of  homeless  people  is  not  known.  However  according  to  a 
study carried out in 200594 the homeless people in Portugal are, above all, men of active age 
(30-70  years),  single  and  divorced,  Portuguese  citizens,  with  basic  schooling,  distributed 
essentially throughout the large metropolitan areas (Lisbon and Porto), followed by the mid-
sized  cities  of  Setúbal,  Faro  and  Braga,  Coimbra  and  Aveiro.  Another  emergent  trend  has 
been the growth of immigrants in their ranks, namely Eastern European migrants. Women are 
also  affected  by  this  phenomenon  but  are  not  as  visible  as  they  more  often  resort  to  other 
informal  network  support  but  also  because  institutional  services  for  victims  of  domestic 
violence and for young mothers are not considered as services for the homeless.  

The structural causes of homelessness seem linked to drug addiction, alcoholism and mental 
illness  or  family  relationship  rupture,  often  related  to  other  causes  like  low  levels  of 
education,  informal  work  market,  unemployment,  insufficient  health  system  responses  and 
difficulties in the individual's access to adequate and affordable housing.  

82. 

OVERALL POLICY FRAMEWORK AND GOVERNANCE  

The Ministry of Labour and Social Solidarity is responsible for the recent National Strategy 
on  Homelessness,  represented  by  the  Institute  for  Social  Security  (ISS,  I.P.).  The  Ministry 
responsible  for  housing  policies  is  the  Ministry  of  Environment,  Planning  and  Regional 
Development  (represented  by  the  Institute  of  Housing  and  Urban  Rehabilitation  (IHRU). 
Other  Ministries  involved  in  the  National  Strategy  are:  the  Ministry  of  Health,  of  Internal 
Affairs, of Justice, and the Chairmanship of the Council of Ministers. In 2010, the Ministry of 
Defence,  the  Ministry  of  Education  and  the  National  Statistics  Institute  will  also  sign  a 

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Instituto da Segurança Social (2005) Os Sem-Tecto: realidades (in)visíveis. Lisboa. 

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commitment to participate in the implementation of the National Strategy for the Integration 
of Homeless People. 

The national strategy recognises the existence of local dynamics in the provision of services 
not  only  in  homelessness,  but  also  regarding  the  promotion  of  social  inclusion  and  thus 
provides guidelines for the implementation of local homelessness plans, which will be defined 
and  implemented  within  these  local  social  networks.  These  entities  are  expected  to  present 
and  implement  local  plans  according  to  the  strategy’s  orientation.  One  of  the  challenges 
facing  the  implementation  of  the  national  homelessness  strategy  is  the  continued  strong 
involvement of the wide range of stakeholders (public and private). The national level Group 
for  the  Implementation,  Monitoring  and  Evaluation  of  the  Strategy  is  responsible  for 
disseminating  the  guidelines,  and  for  providing  support  to  the  local  networks  and  units 
responsible for designing those plans. 

The two main strategic axes comprise measures aiming at:  

1)  achieving  more  evidence-based  knowledge  on  homelessness,  namely  by  the  use  and 
dissemination  of  an  agreed  definition  of  homelessness,  and  of  a  shared  information  and 
monitoring  system;  promoting  sensitisation  initiatives  addressed  both  at  the  school  and  the 
media environments to tackle the social stigmatisation of the homeless population; 

2)  promoting  quality  in  the  provision  of  homelessness  services  and  responses,  namely  by 
eliminating the need to sleep rough, by increasing the quality of temporary accommodation, 
by preventing the lack of accommodation and support upon discharge from an institution, by 
reinforcing  permanent  housing  solutions,  by  improving  access  to  social  benefits,  by 
improving  access  to  health  care  (namely  to  mental  health  care  services),  by  promoting 
training and qualification opportunities for workers in this field, by enhancing the drafting of 
local  homelessness  plans,  and  by  promoting  the  adoption  of  specific  methodological 
orientations in intervention practices. 

The  strategy  defines  three  specific  areas  to  be  tackled  by  the  different  measures  proposed 
under the two strategic axes:  

a)  a  focus  on  preventative  actions  in  order  to avoid  situations  of  homelessness  arising  from 
evection or discharge from an institution; 

b)  direct  intervention  in  situations  of  homelessness  focussing  on  the  clarification  of 
procedures  and  responsibilities  within  a  specific  intervention  model,  and  also  on  the 
experimentation of innovative projects; 

c) and the follow-up of situations, ensuring the continuity – when needed – of support after 
resettlement. 

Special importance is given to the implementation of: 

a) an information and monitoring system, with service providers and clients registers 

b) an integrated and client-centred approach , with individual insertion contracts 

c) local diagnosis including risk indicators 

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d) local homelessness plans within the social network program and homelessness strategy ‘s 
framework  

A budget of €75.000.000 is dedicated for this Strategy. Nevertheless an identification of the 
costs related to many measures needs improvement.  

83. 

ACCESS TO HOUSING  

The main objective in this area is to promote local diagnoses which include the identification 
of risks factors in order to prevent homelessness .The biggest challenge is to create efficient 
communication system with different bodies, namely the justice system. 

In  Portugal  there  are  three  main  types  of  accommodation  as  follow:  1.  Temporary 
accommodation; 2. Integration Community; 3. Reintegration Apartments. 

To create professional support in the transition from emergency or temporary accommodation 
to  more  permanent  solutions  is  one  of  the  National  Strategy  specific  goals.  Emergency 
situations  are  covered  by  the  existent  measures  but  there  is  a  lack  of  responses  that  give 
continuity to individual's trajectory of reinsertion, and it deserves a special attention. For the 
moment any assessment can be done in this area.  

Supported housing – a Housing First Project is being implemented in Lisbon since September 
2009 involving 50 homeless people with mental illness that are placed in houses for rent with 
permanent  technical  social  support.  However  other  examples  of  supported  accommodation 
already existing in Portugal, addressed to people having drug addiction or HIV problems. 

Access to independent housing – Programmes to facilitate access to independent housing have 
been  carried  out  by  the  Public  Services:  programmes  for  supporting  families  facing  serious 
housing  problems  (access  to  controlled  cost  housing,  rehabilitation  programmes,  direct 
financial support in emergency situations); promotion of the rental market particularly aiming 
at young people; specific programmes in particularly disadvantaged neighbourhoods. 

Affordability – For many years rents were frozen, promoting a non-competitive rental market 
and increasing considerably home owning. In the present days new rents are very expensive 
and  this  phenomenon  leads  people  to  buy  accommodation  instead  of  renting.  There  is  no 
system  to  control  rents.  A  housing  allowance  can  be  asked  for  by  people  under  65  if  the 
family  gross  annual  income  is  less  than  3  minimum  wages  or  by  people  over  65  having  a 
family  gross  annual  income  inferior  to  five  annual  minimum  wages.  This  allowance  is 
decided by the IHRU. 

Quality of housing – A specific programme  – Prohabita (Financial Programme of Housing 
Access) – was created for those living in shanties or in buildings lacking adequate conditions 
and/or  with  no  viable  rehabilitation  as  well  as  situations  of  destruction  of  the  dwelling  and 
situations  of  overcrowding  witch  represented  in  2007  15.5  %  of  the  total  population  .  The 
Program is executed through the establishment of cooperation agreements between IHRU and 
public regional and national services, such as municipalities or associations of municipalities, 
public institutes and the entrepreneurial public entities 

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84. 

HOMELESSNESS AND ACCESS TO SERVICES  

Homeless  people  as  any  other  vulnerable  groups  can  benefit  from 
the  available 
measures/programmes of training and employment as well as the existent Portuguese National 
Health Care.  

The  direct  engagement  of  the  Ministry  of  Health  and  the  Institute  for  Employment  and 
Professional  Training  in  the  process  leading  to  the  conception  of  the  Strategy  and  their 
commitment  towards  specific  measures  in  order  to  promote  access  to  opportunities  and 
services  which  although  existing  where  not  reaching  the  homeless  population  may  enhance 
improvement in these areas, depending on how these measures will be implemented. 

85. 

MONITORING AND EVALUATION 

Portugal  is  still  in  an  initial  phase  of  implementation  of  the  national  strategy.  A  first 
evaluation report is foreseen in December 2009. An intersectorial group, with representatives 
of  the  Ministries  and  other  stakeholders  is  responsible  for  the  monitoring  and  evaluation  of 
the National Strategy.  

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ROMANIA 

1. 

CURRENT SITUATION 

There  is  no  official  definition  of  homelessness  in  Romania,  where  it  is  a  relatively  new 
concept. Access to housing has been guaranteed by the State to all citizens since around 1990. 
Local  authorities,  which  are  mainly  responsible  for  programs  to  fight  homelessness,  have 
often  come  to  develop  operational  definitions  of  the  phenomena.  The  lack  of  a  common 
definition  and  understanding  of  homelessness  hinders  the  proper  quantification  of  the 
problem. According to different national statistics available, the number of homeless people 
varies  from  5  55495  to  15.00096.  The  main  causes  of  homelessness  include  financial 
difficulties, the restitution to former owners of dwellings nationalised during the Communist 
period and insufficient number of dwellings for the people evicted, changes to the legal status 
of  the  land  and  natural  disasters.  Vulnerable  groups  include  the  young,  people  with 
disabilities, large families, the Roma, the unemployed and people living on low income97. 

In Romania social housing is scarce and targeted at the very poor. There is also a large gap 
between supply and demand for housing, especially for affordable dwellings. 

According  to  EU  statistics,  Romania  is  one  of  the  EU  countries  with  a  high  proportion  of 
home ownership. However, most apartment buildings are in bad conditions due to insufficient 
maintenance over the years and lack of investment in renovation. Romania is also the country 
with  the  highest  overcrowding  rate  in  the  EU  (54%  against  17,3%  on  average  in  the  EU  in 
2007).  18.4%  of  the  population  live  in  a  household  for  which  housing  costs  represent  more 
than  40%  of  disposable  income,  one  of  the  highest  rate  in  the  EU  (compared  to  12.3%  on 
average  in  the  EU  in  2007).  The  high  cost  of  energy  and  heating,  low  income,  natural 
disasters and the bad condition of buildings are all factors contributing to housing exclusion 
and homelessness. 

2. 

OVERALL POLICY FRAMEWORK AND GOVERNANCE 

Romania does not have a specific policy to address homelessness, even though a number of 
measures  have  been  adopted  to  face  the  new  challenges  of  society  in  this  area.  Overall 
objectives of the Romanian government for the 2009-2012 period in the area of housing are: 
1. to increase the state budget dedicated to rural infrastructure, roads and social housing (the 
country report does not provide further details); 2. to implement the national programme for 
the  construction  of  social  housing;  3.  to  build  social  housing  for  young  people  at  national 
level, initially attributed through rental contracts. 

The general framework for the development of policies to prevent housing exclusion is based 
on  the  constitutional  right  to  social  assistance  for  the  vulnerable  groups  (e.g.  the  young, 

95 

96 

97 

Statistics  from  the  Ministry  of  Administration  and  home  affairs  indicatte  a  decrease  in  teh  nmber  of 
homeless people between 2004-2008 from 7.879 to 5.554 people; 
The  Quality  of  Life  Institute  (2005)  evaluates  that  there  are  between  11.000  and  14.000  homeless  at 
national level, of which 10.800 are in urban areas and approximately 5.000 in Bucarest. 
The Quality of Life Institute (2005), Housing in Romania – the right to housing, Adrian-Nicolae Dan,  

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people  evicted  following  the  restitution  of  their  dwelling  to  the  original  owners,  the  Roma, 
people on low income, people with disabilities, young people living in institutional care, etc.). 
Romanian  housing  legislation  foresees  the  right  to  "free  access  and  without  restriction  to 
housing and to an adequate standard of living" for all citizens. The legal framework for social 
housing includes 3 laws: the law on housing 114/1996 (which recognizes the right to housing 
and  defines  social  housing),  law  116/2002  on  preventing  and  fighting  social  exclusion  and 
law  48/2002  against  all  forms  of  discrimination.  The  law  on  housing  defines  the  income 
threshold under which people are eligible for social housing, but the actual criteria to attribute 
social housing are defined at local level. The law limits the maximum rent level to be paid to 
10% of the tenant's income and provides for the local authorities to finance the difference. 

Responsibility for housing is divided between several institutions and levels of government. 
At the national level, the main actors are the Ministry of Labour, Family and Social Protection 
(in  charge  of  the  coordination  of  social  inclusion  policies),  the  Ministry  of  Regional 
Development  and  Housing  (in  charge  of  housing  policy,  including  social  housing),  the 
National  Roma  Agency  (including  the  "housing"  strand)  and  the  National  Housing  Agency 
which is responsible for the coordination of the financing of housing construction. At the local 
level,  local  authorities  are  responsible  for  the  management  of  social  housing,  and  together 
with the increasing support and active involvement of NGOs, are the main service providers 
for the homeless.  

3. 

ACCESSIBILITY AND QUALITY OF HOUSING 

3.1. 

Accessibility 

In  the  field  of  prevention,  the  country  report  focuses  on  the  legislation  aimed  at  protecting 
people  at  risk  of  eviction,  notably  those  evicted  during  the  restitution  to  former  owners  of 
dwellings that were nationalised. Support is aimed at providing accommodation for the people 
evicted and at offering solutions to allow them to buy or rent accommodation at below-market 
prices.  The  document  lists  a  number  of  on-going  construction  programmes,  but  the 
information provided remains descriptive and doesn't allow for a detailed analysis. 

Concerning  people  that  are  temporarily  without  accommodation,  the  Nomenclature  Of  the 
Romanian  Social  Assistance  Entities  foresees  two  types  of  institutions  night  shelters  and 
emergency  centres.  At  national  level,  there  are  69  emergency  centres,  35  night  shelters  and 
123  public  or  private  providers  of  social  services  for  the  homeless.  These  figures  appear 
modest,  even  for  the  Romanian  authorities  which  acknowledge  the  lack  of  official 
quantification  of the  number of homeless  people. Such  quantification is essential to allow a 
proper estimate of the need for this type of accommodation. 

An important issue facing the Romanian authorities is ensuring the transition from emergency 
centres and night shelters to permanent and stable accommodation. At the moment, solutions 
seem limited and largely depend on the volume of social housing, either existing or currently 
being built. Another issue concerns how to motivate local authorities to make building land 
available. Currently, local authorities tend not to make their land available for the construction 
of social housing because it is not profitable for them. 

3.2. 

Quality 

2007  SILC  data  points  to  problems  with  the  quality  of  Romanian  housing:  29.5%  of  the 
population live in houses with a leaking roof, as against 18% on average in the EU-27; 42% 

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of  Romanians  live  in  a  dwelling  without  bath  or  shower,  as  against  3.3%  on  average  in  the 
EU-27;  44%  live  in  a  dwelling  without  in-door  flushing  toilet  for  the  sole  use  of  the 
household,  as  against  3.6%  on  average  in  the  EU-27.  Another  worrying  indicator  is  the 
percentage of people living in an overcrowded accommodation which is the highest in Europe 
(54% as against 17.3% on average in the EU in 2007). The country report indicates that an 
significant  share  of  Structural  Funds  (notably  the  FEDER)  will  be  used  to  improve, 
rehabilitate, modernise, develop and fit out social infrastructure. 

4. 

HOMELESSNESS AND ACCESS TO SERVICES 

The  main  instrument  to  promote  access  to  services  is  the  National  Strategy  for  the 
Development  of  the  National  System  of  Social  Services.  Even  though  homeless  people  are 
consistently  mentioned  among  the  vulnerable  groups  in  most  national  strategic  documents 
(e.g;  the  National  Strategy  Report  for  Social  Inclusion  and  Social  Protection),  their  actual 
access  to  services  remains  very  limited  especially  for  those  who  do  not  have  official 
identification.  Access  to  employment  also  seems  limited  and  there  is  no  specific  and 
individualised program for these people. While homeless people can receive free meals from 
social canteens, their access to health care is limited to emergency care (which sometimes also 
offers temporary shelter for these people, substituting for social assistance services). Specific 
attention needs to be paid to the imbalance between the services available in urban areas and 
in rural or remote communities. 

5. 

MONITORING AND EVALUATION 

Data on homelessness or housing exclusion are still difficult to find and most figures available 
are produced by NGOs. The Ministry of Labour, Family and Social Protection is responsible 
for the national coordination of social policies in Romania and also has responsibilities for the 
monitoring  and  evaluation  .  The  monitoring  and  evaluation  of  social  policies  are  based  on 
decision  n°  488/2005  of  the  government  concerning  the  national  system  of  social  inclusion 
indicators.  Up  until  now,  indicators  in  the  field  of  housing  cover  four  dimensions:  housing 
quality  (adequacy),  access  to  utilities  (water,  electricity,  heating);  basic  necessity  durables 
(fridge,  phone);  and  overcrowding  (households  where  there  are  more  than  2  persons  per 
bedroom). There is a need to improve the data collection system. 

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SLOVENIA 

1. 

CURRENT SITUATION 

The  term  social  housing  itself  has  not  been  in  use  in  Slovenia  since  2003,  and  the  concept 
does  not  exist  anymore.  When  used,  it  is  only  for  “practical  reasons”.  However,  there  are 
three 
temporary  emergency 
accommodation.  

in  Slovenia:  profit,  non-profit  and 

types  of  housing 

Slovenia has not adopted the typology of HHE and there is no reference to ETHOS typology. 
Homeless  people  are  not  recognised  as  a  separate  group.  Therefore,  they  are  in  the  same 
position as any other person applying for non-profit housing. 

According  to  the  share  of  population  whose  housing  cost  burden  exceeds  40%  by  income 
quintile  and  poverty  risk  status  in  2007,  Slovenia  is  well  below  the  EU  average  (EU27: 
12.3%). This share is 5.1% in total, out of which 16.1% in the first quintile and 0.5% in the 
fifth quintile. 

According  to  the  share  of  population  whose  housing  cost  burden  exceeds  40%  by  tenure 
status  in  2007,  with  2.9%  Slovenia  is  well  below  the  EU  average  (EU27:  6.7%)  for  the 
outright owners; Slovenia is also below the EU average for tenants with reduced price or free 
rent (5.5%  for  Slovenia and EU27: 13%). However, with 16.5% Slovenia is well  above the 
EU27 average (8.6 %) for owners repaying a mortgage, while when it comes to tenants with 
market price rent, it is close to the EU average (Slovenia 25.5% and EU27: 25.4%). 

Slovenia  is  much  above  the  average  according  to  the  overcrowding  rate  in  all  households 
(Slovenia  39.1  %  and  EU27:  17.3%  in  2007)  and  also  above  the  average  when  1-person 
households are excluded (Slovenia 40.1% and EU27: 18.1% in 2007).  

With  regard  to  the  proportion  of  people  deprived  in  2007,  Slovenia  is  close  to  the  average 
when considering the item ‘leaking roof’ (Slovenia 17.5% and EU26*: 18% in 2007), ‘dark 
dwelling’  (Slovenia:  9.7%  and  EU26*:  8.1%  in  2007),  ‘indoor  toilet’  (Slovenia:  1.1%  and 
EU26*: 3.6% in 2007), and ‘bath or shower’ (Slovenia 1% and EU26*: 3.6% in 2007).98  

86. 

OVERALL POLICY FRAMEWORK AND GOVERNANCE 

The Slovenian Constitution acknowledges that the State should set possibilities for citizens to 
gain access to adequate housing. The Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning (MoESP) 
has the overall competency for housing policy. 

The  two  main  legal  instruments  are  the  "Housing  Act"  and  the  "National  Housing 
Programme". However, none of these documents includes homelessness, which is mainly the 
domain of the Ministry of Labour, Family and Social Affairs (MoLFSA). Moreover, there is 
no consistent intersectional policy or co-ordination in the area of Homelessness and Housing 

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Exclusion. MoESP does not integrate the HHE in housing policy and MoLFSA can offer only 
accommodation in the form of residential units and shelters. There is no joint governmental 
plan for tackling homelessness.  

In 2008, national budget allocated €5 Mio for the acquisition of non-profit housing. However, 
the Cohesion Policy funds have not been used in any housing projects and it is not envisaged 
in the future. 

The  State  prescribes  the  conditions  for  housing  allocation,  the  amount  of  the  highest  non-
profit  rent  and  subsidy  amounts.  It  also  invests  in  the  construction  of  new  rental  housing 
through  the  Housing  Fund  of  the  Republic  of  Slovenia  together  with  municipalities.  Local 
communities  provide  housing  and  assign  residential  units  and  subsidies  to  tenants.  The 
cooperation of local communities with NGOs is in place. MoLFSA is also funding the work 
of NGOs in this area and 16 NGOs have received funding in year 2009.  

The  main  objective  in  the  field  of  housing  is  to  provide  suitable  housing  to  a  maximum 
number  of  citizens  in  need  of  accommodation,  giving  the  priority  to  handicapped  people, 
young families, and  families with  several children. However, there are no objectives set for 
the homeless. There is also no gender dimension within housing policy, for example tenders 
published for non-profit housing did not give any priority to single mothers, since they are not 
treated as a family according to national legislation.  

87. 

ACCESSIBILITY AND QUALITY OF HOUSING 

87.1.  Accessibility 

Housing  shortage  for  people  with  low  incomes  is  most  evident  in  larger  cities.  Housing 
legislation  was  therefore  changed  on  1  January  2009  to  include  subsidies  for  persons  who 
reside in apartments rented at market price, yet meet the requirements for renting non-profit 
housing. Funds for non-profit housing are provided from the State and municipal budgets. The 
Housing Act entitles tenants of non-profit rented accommodation to unlimited tenancy for a 
low-income  rent.  Consequently,  tenancy  agreements  cannot  be  terminated  as  long  as  the 
tenant  complies  with  all  the  provisions  of  the  agreement.  Tenants  cannot  be  evicted  if 
defaulting due to difficult economic situation, provided they also applied for subsidy.  

Temporary  residential  units  are  intended  as  a  temporary  solution  for  the  most  socially 
disadvantaged individuals. It is not known whether the number of these units is sufficient, as 
local communities have to provide them and as there is not central monitoring of supply. 

A network of accommodation options for the homeless is currently set up in eight different 
cities  in  Slovenia.  In  addition  to  accommodation  options  (such  as  shelters  and  temporary 
residential  units),  various  support  programmes  have  also  been  set  up  (first  care  services  for 
people without health insurance, hygiene treatment, food distribution points), and field work 
with the homeless. MoLFSA funded 16 programmes for homeless people, some of which also 
offer accommodation.  

87.2.  Quality 

Rules on renting non-profit apartments prescribe the apartment size according to the number 
of household members. The minimum level of quality is defined under the Rules on minimum 

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technical  conditions  for  the  construction  of  apartments.  The  standards  are  high  and 
satisfactory. 

Temporary emergency housing in cases of no transfer to permanent housing remains an issue 
of quality. The standards for temporary accommodation are very low and situations where a 
family with several children end up in a single room with shared bathroom and shared kitchen 
still occur. Such situations are only an option for a short period of time.  

88. 

HOMELESSNESS AND ACCESS TO SERVICES 

Homelessness  in  not  a  political  priority,  therefore  no  specific  comprehensive  homelessness 
policy  or  approach  exists.  Homelessness  in  its  most  acute  form  –  sleeping  rough  –  is  still 
relatively hidden and it is not very widespread. Nevertheless, some improvements have been 
made  in  increasing  the  quantity  and  quality  of  housing  provided  to  vulnerable  groups.  In 
2008,  there  were  107  places  available  in  shelters  and  78  places  in  the  programmes  of 
admission centres and day centres.99.  

The  issue  of  homelessness  is  partially  addressed  also  in  the  field  of  social  care.  Homeless 
people  can  claim  social  benefits  under  the  same  conditions  as  other  Slovene  citizens.  They 
can obtain social assistance under the Social Security Act to cover basic survival needs, and in 
extreme circumstances, additional financial aid may also be authorised, either as a one-off aid 
or on a periodic basis. Homeless people cannot get any additional financial aid to cover costs 
such  as  health  care  or  transportation.  The  rights  of  the  public  health  care  are  accessible  to 
anyone with proper health insurance; however, a recent research100 conducted for the Ministry 
of  Health  showed  that  the  majority  of  homeless  people  do  not  have  such  insurance.  They 
mostly  go  to  two  voluntary  health  centres  that  have  been  set  up  by  retired  general 
practitioners. 

There are currently no national standards in place for the quality of social services dedicated 
to homeless people.  

89. 

MONITORING AND EVALUATION  

Currently, there are no statistics available and no systems of monitoring or evaluation put in 
place.  It  is  difficult  to  find  data  on  rent  subsidies  since  they  are  the  responsibility  of  local 
communities and there is no central register.  

The lack of data poses a serious problem to policy makers; therefore it is crucial to establish a 
national data base which would enable better monitoring and evaluation.  

99 
100 

National Report on Strategies for Social Protection and Social Inclusion 2008-2010.  
Razportnik, S., Dekleva, B., Brezdomstvo, zdravje in dostopnost zdravstvenih storitev (Homelessness, 
health and accessibility of the health care), Ljubljana, Ministry of Health, 2009.  

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SLOVAKIA 

1. 

CURRENT SITUATION 

Access to housing has been severely influenced by the suspended State support to the housing 
construction  in  the  1990's  and  its  relatively  slow  increase  in  this  decade.  In  2001101,  the 
population accounted for 5.4 Mio people distributed among 1.6 Mio households. The number 
of dwellings was 1.9 Mio out of which 1.7 Mio were permanently occupied. 

The lack of housing confirmed in the 2001 Census also revealed that the proportion of flats 
with  two  and  more  households  was  18.8%  compared  to  11.8%  in  1991.  According  to 
estimates, there was a shortage of ca. 230-250,000 flats in 2005. Available data indicate that 
the owner-resided housing, representing 85% of the dwelling stock, is not an option for young 
households, due to a mismatch between housing prices and household incomes. The financial 
crisis has even worsened this situation. Even though housing prices have slightly decreased102 
(from  €1,511  per  sq.  meter  in  2008  to  €1,342  in  2Q  2009),  with  the  unemployment  rate 
rapidly  increasing  (12%  in  July  2009  vs.  9%  in  August  2008),  housing  sales  are  on  the 
decline.  

Though  the  housing  shortage  has  not  been  compensated  by  a  more  generous  funding  in  the 
building sector, the importance of investing in social housing, declared at political level, has 
strengthened in the last years: since 2004, the emphasis on the development of social housing 
is  in  all  strategic  documents,  such  as  NAP/inclusion  or  National  Reform  Plan.  By  way  of 
example, 17,184 flats in total were completed in 2008, out of which 2,632 represented rental 
flats. 

The share of population living in a household where housing costs represent more than 40% 
of the total household income was 18.9% in 2007 (EU average: 12.3%). By tenure status, the 
share  is  higher  for  the  tenants  paying  a  market  price  rent  (37%  vs.  EU  average  25.4%).  In 
2005,  the  net  expenses  for  housing  per  capita  per  month  were  68  EUR,  while  the  average 
monthly  wage  was  573103  EUR  (with  substantial  differences  between  regions).  The 
overcrowding rate is fairly high (41.1% in 2007, EU: 17.3%). As to the proportion of people 
deprived  in  2007,  it  was  below  the  EU  average  –  the  rate  of  population  reported  to  live  in 
acceptable living standards was second highest in the EU at 89.8% vs. 75.2% in the EU.  

However, some groups threatened by social exclusion, in particular Roma, still face important 
challenges  in  terms  of  basic  housing  quality.  There  are  no  official  statistics  on  homeless 
people. According to estimates by the NGO "Proti prúdu"104, there are around 2,000 homeless 
people in Bratislava.  

101 
102 
103 
104 

2001 Census, carried out every 10 years 
Source: National Bank of Slovakia, www.nbs.sk  
Source: Statistical Office of the Slovak Republic 
Information  cited  in  the  National  report  on  strategies  of  social  protection  and  social  inclusion  2006-
2008 

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90. 

OVERALL POLICY FRAMEWORK AND GOVERNANCE 

The Slovak constitution does not acknowledge the right to housing, though it guarantees the 
inviolability of the residence. Slovakia did not commit to Article 31 Right to housing in the 
revised  European  Social  Chart  in  2008.  The  development  of  SK  legislation  has  gradually 
reduced  the  warrants  of  safe  housing,  the  most  important  amendment  being  probably  the 
change of the Civil Code in 2001 which considerably weakened the legal position of tenants 
in municipal apartments. 

The overall housing policy, in particular creating a market environment for the provision of 
housing,  is  in  the  competence  of  the  Ministry  of  Construction  and  Regional  Development 
(MCRD).  The  Ministry  of  Labour,  Social  Affairs  and  Family  (MLSaF)  is  in  charge  of 
establishing  the  social  instruments  such  as  a  provision  of  social  services  or  housing 
allowances. The responsibility for social services facilities is split between the MCRD, which 
provides  resources  for  their  re/construction  and  the  MLSaF,  which  does  the  same  for  their 
running.  

The present key objective of housing policy presented also in the National Strategies Report 
(NSR)  2008  is  to  support  the  affordability  of  (rented)  housing  and  the  construction  of 
apartments intended for vulnerable groups. However, the exclusive focus on rental housing in 
NSR neglects the complexity of the issue of homelessness. 

Due to the high degree of decentralisation in the housing policy, the responsibility is shared at 
all  three  levels  of  the  administration  (national,  regional,  and  local).  The  state  budget 
allocations  for  housing  support  consisting  of  mortgage  loan  interest  subsidy,  home  savings 
bank bonus, and State Housing Development Fund have been steadily decreasing in the last 
years, reaching level of 0.24% of GDP in 2007. Following the decentralised policy, the local 
governments are free to design and implement their own housing policies since the early 1990 
without being obliged to follow any common standards. Some of them started the process of 
pushing low-income families (very often Roma) out of central parts of towns and villages to 
their  immediate  outskirts,  concentrating  rent-debtors  in  the  same  neighbourhoods,  thus 
creating  local  ghettos.  The  long-term  concept  of  low-standard  housing  for  marginalised 
groups was elaborated (a flushing toilet or basin is not required); however the participation of 
municipalities in the programme is voluntary.  

91. 

ACCESSIBILITY AND QUALITY OF HOUSING 

91.1.  Accessibility 

The  homelessness  prevention  is  the  issue  of  a  complex  multidepartment  approach  (4 
Ministries, 8 self-governing regions, NGOs, all under the administration of the Deputy Prime 
Minister) that risks being too complex to be correctly implemented into practice.  

Three  categories  of  social  housing  are  established  (rental  flats  in  the  public  rental  housing 
sector,  flats  for  low  income  families,  and  flats  of  lower  standards  for  non-payers  of  rent). 
However they are not interconnected and generally not very accessible, partly because there 
are  not  enough  of  them  (only  5  %  of  occupied  dwelling  stock  is  for  rental105)  and  partly 
because of their relatively high monthly rent. Other services provided depend on the towns: 

105 

Housing statistics in the EU 

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for instance, some of them operate overnight facilities for the homeless in winter (in 2006, 18 
homeless people had frozen to death in Bratislava, as there was not any low threshold shelter); 
others may financially support NGOs working with the homeless.  

As a rule, the tenancy contracts are time limited. The rent regulation adopted by the Ministry 
of Finance effective as of 1 May 2008 concern only flats returned to original owners on the 
basis of restitution, while in municipal rental flats the "market" rent is set up. The prices of 
utilities,  which  represent  another  serious  problem  (90.5%  of  the  total  population  are  able  to 
pay total housing costs only with difficulties or great difficulties)106, are with some exceptions 
not  regulated  at  all.  The  coverage  of  the  housing  allowance  established  in  Act  599/2003  on 
assistance in material need is considerably limited by the strict conditions of eligibility on the 
one  side  (members  of  Roma  marginalised  communities  as  well  as  homeless  people  are  in 
principle  not  covered  at  all  due  to  problems  with  official  approval  of  ownership  and  other 
legal difficulties), and on the other hand, by fairly low amounts (€52.12 monthly for 1 person, 
€83.32  for  a  family).  For  the  above  reasons,  jobless  families  often  cannot  afford  to  rend  a 
standard social flat. Social housing is not seen as a core solution for homeless people, as the 
requirement of a permanent residence and often certain income level exclude this possibility. 

The  main  institutional  tool  for  provision  of  housing  for  low  income  groups  is  the  State 
Housing  Development  Fund,  established  in  1996.  It  allocates  funds  annually  for  the 
construction, reconstruction and purchase of flats and houses, intended for individuals, legal 
entities,  municipalities,  as  well  as  for  NGOs.  In  2008,  the  Fund  spent  ca.  €160  Mio  for  the 
support of the housing development, out of which 99% represented a loan.107  

New  Act  No  448/2008  on  Social  services  defines  6  temporary  types  of  housing,  namely 
overnight facilities,  shelters, halfway houses, low-threshold day  centres, emergency  housing 
facilities,  and  low-threshold  centres  for  families  and  children.  These  types  of  housing 
facilities still need to be more significantly translated from the law into daily life. The supply 
of  temporary  accommodation  differs  from  region  to  region,  for  example  in  Bratislava  the 
demand  substantially  exceeds  the  capacity  of  available  facilities.  The  programmes  of 
transition from emergency accommodation to more permanent or safe housing do not exist.  

Limited social assistance and social work may have contributed to increasing debts in some 
cases;  the  municipalities  routinely  use  the  non-payment  of  rent  as  the  reason  for  evicting 
tenants.  In  some  districts,  the  town  curators  do  not  have  any  other  tools  for  helping  people 
released from prison than their advice.108  

91.2.  Quality 

Minimum conditions for adequate housing were introduced in Act 355/2007 on the protection, 
support and development of public health, and Order 259/2008 of the Ministry of Health on 
the  details  and  requirements  for  the  internal  equipment  of  buildings  and  minimum 
requirements  for  lower  standard  flats  and  housing  facilities.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  Slovakia's 
legal system does not include the exact definition of the term "inadequate housing". As stated 
above  in  part  II,  the  low  standard  housing  being  built  for  marginalised  groups  in  the 
framework of the long-term concept require only the technical possibility to install facilities 
for cooking, a flushing toilet, or a basin (their actual fitting is apparently up to the tenant).  

106 
107 
108 

EU SILC 2008 
Official webpage of the State Housing Development Fund, http://www.sfrb.sk 
Personal research experience of EC expert 

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The quality of housing is not mentioned in national key strategic documents, neither covered 
by  targets  and  indicators  in  NAP/incl.  2008-2010.  The  quantitative  approach  is  the  basis  of 
Slovakia's policy, based on the factual overcrowding of dwellings. The issue of improving the 
quality  of  housing  depends  on  the  availability  of  financing,  which  is  limited  as  the  rent 
defaulting is deeply manifested in vulnerable groups.  

At 41.1% in 2007, the overcrowding rate is considerably higher than the EU average (17.3%). 
But there is a considerably smaller proportion of people deprived on all five indicators than 
the EU 27 average (leaking roof, bath or shower, indoor toilet, dark dwelling, and bath and 
toilet). It is worth mentioning however that the poorest households, coming from segregated 
Roma communities, are under-represented in the EU-SILC sample.  

92. 

HOMELESSNESS AND ACCESS TO SERVICES 

The  standards  of  the  provision  of  social  services  are  established  by  Act  448/2008  on  social 
services – shelters and over-night facilities should provide temporary accommodation, social 
counseling and conditions for basic personal hygiene and preparation and provision of food. 
The  Act  576/2006  on  Healthcare  provides  good  access  to  health  care  for  homeless  people, 
with exception of dental care.  

The Government has no official estimates available of the total number of homeless people in 
Slovakia.109 Unofficially their number is estimated at 2-3000 people110 in Bratislava, it could 
be half in the second biggest city Košice. According to the SK Statistical Office111, as to 31 
December  2007  Slovakia  offered  the  services  of  12  establishments  of  protected  housing 
(available  places:  246),  26  houses  for  lone  parents  (available  places:  611),  and  69  shelters 
(available places: 1,754).  

At  the  local  level,  at  the  beginning  of  2009112,  360  clients  used  the  services  of  the  lodging 
house,  9  clients  used  the  low  threshold  daily  centre,  and  22  clients  used  the  low  threshold 
daily centre for families and children. At the regional level, 0 clients used the services of the 
half-way home, 7 persons used the facility of the emergency housing, and 0 clients used the 
services of the integration centre. 

93. 

MONITORING AND EVALUATION 

The key negative aspect is the fact that local governments have no reporting obligation about 
the housing situation and/or data collection on homeless people in their municipalities. There 
is no regular monitoring or research, leading to a significant lack of data, a non-existence of 
standards, and a lack of co-ordination. 

Currently,  it  is  officially  only  possible  to  monitor  social  services  facilities  according  to  the 
type of social service provided (shelters, etc.). Any other (isolated) monitoring and evaluation 

109 
110 

111 

112 

NAP/SISP 2008 
Estimation  from  February  2006  by  the  Initiative  of  ten  NGOs  stated  that  the  highest  number  of 
homeless in Slovakia was in Bratislava, ca. 2-3 000 persons. 
Report on the social situation of the population of Slovakia in 2008 by the Ministry of Labour, Social 
Affairs, and Family 
The Institute for the Research of Labour and Family: First monitoring of the implementation of the Act 
448/2008 on social services for the period 1 January – 31 March 2009. 

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is run by NGOs and funded by human rights organisations. There are plans to build a database 
on the housing situation and for monitoring housing needs at national and regional levels.  

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FINLAND 

1. 

CURRENT SITUATION 

According  to  the  latest  report  by  the  Housing  Finance  and  Development  Centre  of  Finland, 
the number of single homeless people is estimated to have declined from over 18 000 people 
in  the  end  of  1980’s  to  about  8  000  people  (November  2008).  The  number  of  homeless 
families  has  declined  to  300  from  1  370  in  1987.  The  largest  group  of  homeless  people  is 
those  living  temporarily  with  friends  and  relatives  (almost  5 000  people).  In  addition,  it  is 
estimated  that  about  1  500  people  are  living  in  different  kinds  of  institutions.  Furthermore, 
approximately 1 000 people live in shelters, whereas the amount of people living outdoors is 
very small.  

The share of women is about 25% and nearly as many young people are without permanent 
dwelling. Immigrants represent about 4-5% of single homeless, and about 15% of homeless 
families.  The  data  on  immigrants  is,  however,  imperfect  as  not  even  all  the  biggest  cities 
estimate  the  share  of  immigrants  in  the  data.  It  has  been  estimated  that  one  third  of  all 
homeless are long-term homeless, approximately 2 500, of whom approximately 2 000 live in 
the  Helsinki  Metropolitan  Area.  Long-term  homeless  are  considered  to  be  people  whose 
homelessness  is  classed  as  prolonged  or  chronic  or  is  at  risk  to  be  that  way,  because 
conventional housing solutions fail and there is an inadequate supply of other solutions.  

The  Finnish  homelessness  survey  does  not  count  as  homeless  those  living  under  threat  of 
eviction  or  under  threat  of  violence.  Nor  does  it  include  people  receiving  support  for 
accommodation, as this is seen as a permanent solution to homelessness. The survey is done 
by  the  municipalities  based  on  examination  of  the  situation  on  a  one  single  calendar  day 
(15.11.). Although there are guidelines, there can be some differences between municipalities 
in  how  they  count  the  homeless.  The  guidelines  have  also  changed  a  bit  and  municipalities 
have themselves changed the principles what to exclude and what not, which may reflect in 
statistics independently of real change.  

Recently  the  number  of  homeless  people  has  visibly  increased.  Mainly  because  the 
municipalities in growth centres have not produced enough rental accommodations, especially 
small  flats  with  reasonable  living  cost,  although  the  demand  has  been  increasing.  The 
economic recession and increasing unemployment (8.9% in 2009 and 9.3% in 2010, ECFIN 
Spring forecast) is likely to make the situation worse.  

The overcrowding rate is low (5.7% in 2007) compared to the EU average (17.3%) and even 
lower  when  one  person  households  are  excluded  (2.8%;  EU27:  18.1%).  The  share  of 
population  reported  to  have  acceptable  living  standards  was  88.9%  in  2007  in  Finland, 
whereas  the  EU27  average  was  75.2%.  However,  the  share  of  those  living  in  acceptable 
conditions among the older people is somewhat smaller.  

6. 

OVERALL POLICY FRAMEWORK AND GOVERNANCE 

According to the Constitution of Finland, the authorities shall promote the right of everyone 
to housing and the opportunity to arrange their own housing. The Act on the Development of 
Housing  Conditions  aims  at  guaranteeing  all  people  residing  permanently  in  Finland  an 
opportunity to reasonable housing corresponding to the size of the household and the personal 

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needs.  The  dwellings  should  be  appropriate,  safe  and  well-functioning.  In  addition,  housing 
costs  should  be  reasonable  in  proportion  to  the  size  of  the  household  and  its  disposable 
income. It is the responsibility of municipalities to ensure measures to improve the quality of 
housing especially for the homeless and the deprived. A subjective right to obtain a dwelling 
arranges by authorities does not exist, except in the cases of severe disability and when child 
welfare interests are concerned. 

The  Ministry  of  the  Environment  has  the  responsibility  of  planning  and  monitoring  matters 
concerning overall housing conditions, strategies, special programmes, counselling and other 
preventive  measures.  Municipalities  alone  or  municipalities  in  regional  co-operation  are 
responsible for the implementation of these tasks on local level. Ministry of Social and Health 
Affairs  is  responsible  for  social  and  health  services  related  to  housing,  e.g.  home  care, 
subsistence  income,  housing  allowances.  Municipalities  or  municipalities  in  regional  co-
operation  are  the  implementing  bodies  and  regional  State  authorities  are  the  supervising 
bodies.  The  Prison  Service  of  the  Ministry  of  Justice  is  responsible  for  release  plans  of 
prisoners, which include arrangements for accommodation.  

The overall policy and actor framework is fairly comprehensive. It is a combination of State, 
local  and  private  actors,  including  NGOs,  which  have  at  their  disposal  general  and  specific 
measures to prevent and reduce homelessness. General measures are available for the whole 
population. Special measures are delivered according to the need.  

The current government's housing policy includes a programme for the years 2008-2011. Its 
objectives are to reduce long-term homelessness by 50% and to enforce measures preventing 
homelessness.  The  programme  includes  for  the first  time  funding  for  increases  in  personnel 
needed to produce support services. The objectives are met by producing at least 1 250 new 
supported  flats/places  and  by  giving  more  resources  to  counselling  and  developing  new 
concepts for support services in order to attain earlier interventions.  

Special accommodation for women and families exists, but do not meet the needs. Many of 
the  new  units  are  available  both  for  men  and  women,  but  the  programme  concentrates  on 
measures to help men, who constitute the majority of the homeless people. 

7. 

ACCESSIBILITY AND QUALITY OF HOUSING 

7.1. 

Accessibility 

Rental  accommodation  funded  by  the  state  is  allocated  to  individuals  according  to  their 
income,  property  assets  and  need.  Homelessness  is  naturally  evaluated  as  an  urgent  need. 
Social  housing  is  considered  to  be  the  most  important  solution  for  homeless,  especially  for 
people and families who can manage with normal economic and social support. Most of the 
long-term homeless, however, need special housing solutions and more intensive, round-the-
clock support with supervisory staff. 

Social  mix  in  the  planning,  construction  and  maintenance  of  housing  areas  has  been  the 
mainstream  ideology  in  Finland  since  the  1960’s.  Public  grants  have  been  used  to  acquire 
rented accommodation from owner-occupied housing stock, i.e. housing companies, to avoid 
concentration of social groups. The estimation is that there are about 40 000 supported flats of 
this kind. Social housing can be built or acquired by local authorities or other public bodies 
e.g.  municipalities,  insurance  companies,  other  organisations  designated  by  the  competent 
authority, and limited liability companies of various type in which one or more of the three 

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previously  mentioned  organisations  have  direct  dominant  authority.  In  most  cases  such  a 
limited liability company is owned by a municipality. 

According  to  national  statistics,  the  nation-wide  availability  of  State-subsidised  rental 
dwellings  has  gradually  improved  between  1999  and  2006.113  However,  the  shortage  of 
affordable rental units is a constant cause for complains in major growing urban areas. More 
effort  is  needed  among  both  central  and  regional  policy  makers  to  increased  production  of 
state-subsidised rental accommodation. 

Rent  control  in  Finland  was  done  away  with  gradually  during  1992-1995.  There  are  three 
parallel  systems  for  granting  housing  allowances.  These  are  targeted  to  different  population 
groups  according  to  the  phase  of  their  life-cycle.  The  housing  allowance  system  is  means-
tested, i.e. the allowances are available only for households on small incomes. 

7.2. 

Quality 

The quality of housing is regulated by the following legislation: The Law on Land Use and 
Building,  which  includes  the  general  requirements  of  residential  buildings  and  other 
habitations,  the  Decree  on  Housing  Design  containing  more  detailed  provisions  to  the  law, 
and  the  National  Building  Code,  which  includes  regulations  on  the  essential  technical 
requirements of buildings. 

A  dwelling  with  all  basic  amenities  has  piped  water  supply,  drains,  supply  of  warm  water, 
indoor  plumbing  toilet,  washing  space  (shower/bathroom  or  sauna)  and  central  or  electric 
heating.  The  share  of  residents  in  such  dwellings  has  continuously  increased,  being  90%  in 
2004.  Among  over  70-year-olds,  the  share  is  85%,  which  is  a  result  of  some  aged  people 
living in old one-family houses in the countryside without all the basic amenities mentioned 
above.  

In  Finland  households  are  considered  to  live  in  overcrowded  dwellings  when  there  is  more 
than  one  person  per  room,  including  the  kitchen.  The  number  of  such  households  has 
decreased among both owner-occupied and rental dwellings to 4.3% (2003) of all dwellings.  

In  its  judgment  on  client  places  on  institutions  providing  care  for  demented  people,  the 
Supreme Administrative Court ruled that a prerequisite for home-like living conditions is to 
provide a room of his/her own, and that each client's right to privacy, irrespective of the form 
of  housing,  is  safeguarded  as  a  basic  right.  The  Court  considered  that,  as  a  rule,  it  is  not 
justifiable to place two strange people in one room, or to have an increased number of client 
places on economic grounds. 

8. 

HOMELESSNESS AND ACCESS TO SERVICES 

The  Finnish  legislation  on  social  welfare  and  health  emphasises  the  so  called  normality 
principle, which entitles the homeless to same social security benefits and social welfare and 
health  services  as  other  permanent  residents.  Eligibility  for  benefits  depends  on  the 
individual's  needs  for  services.  In  accordance  with  this  principle,  there  has  been  no  good 
reason or need to draft separate norms or quality standards for social welfare services for the 
homeless. 

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A separate social care office solely for the homeless only exists in the city of Helsinki. A new 
reception and assessment unit for the homeless, a first of its kind, was recently established in 
Helsinki  offering  both  social  welfare  and  health  services.  Normally,  however  the  homeless 
use the municipal services available for everyone, e.g. health care centres. Homeless people, 
who  are  also  long-term  unemployed,  can  engage  in  vocational  rehabilitation  based  on  an 
individual  activation  plan  drawn  up  jointly  by  the  social  welfare  authorities  and  the 
employment office. Since a large share of homeless in Finland has multiple problems and they 
do not often turn to the available services for help, the main challenge is to reach them. Day 
centres for the homeless and search work locating those who live outdoors is organised in the 
largest  cities.  The  number  of  the  homeless  people  living  outdoors  (mainly  in  huts  in  the 
woods)  in  the  Helsinki  Metropolitan  Area  is  between  50  and  100  people,  depending  on  the 
time  of  the  year.  There  is  also  an  NGO  carrying  out  search  work  during  night  time  in 
Helsinki.  

9. 

MONITORING AND EVALUATION 

The Housing Finance and Development Centre of Finland is responsible at national level for 
gathering monitoring data on homelessness. Data concerning the numbers of homeless people 
is  collected  by  combining  the  data  from  the  housing  and  social  welfare  authorities  with 
information provided by other organisations involved. Improvements in the system have been 
done mainly by stepping up cooperation in data gathering at local level.  

The Programme to Reduce Long-tern Homelessness involves a detailed monitoring process, 
in which data is collected on measures taken in the cities with respect to individuals and in the 
context of projects. 

In  2006  an  external  evaluation  was  conducted  on  the  National  (2001–2005)  and  Helsinki 
Metropolitan  Area  (2002–2005)  Action  Plans  to  Reduce  Homelessness.  The  programmes 
improved local cooperation among the various authorities and the awareness of the necessity 
to  offer  support  services  connected  with housing/accommodation.  However,  the  programme 
did  not  much  increase  the  stock  of  low-rent  accommodation  essential  for  reducing 
homelessness. On the basis of the recommendation presented in the report a new programme 
to reduce long-term homelessness begun in 2008.  

1 Statistics of Social Housing. Housing Fund of Finland, Housing Indicators, 25.6.2007 

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SWEDEN 

1. 

CURRENT SITUATION 

According to national data, 17.800 people were considered to be homeless in Sweden in 2005. 
Among them, approximately 3.600 were sleeping rough, or were referred to shelters or other 
emergency  accommodation  such  as  women’s  refuges.  The  majority  of  the  homeless  were 
people  who  currently  have  somewhere  to  stay  but  whose  housing  situation  is  uncertain  in 
various respects, such as people about to be released from correctional facilities or treatment 
institutions without having any accommodation arranged before being discharged, or people 
in temporary and transitional supported accommodation provided by social services or others.  

The  most  recent  mapping  showed  an  increase  of  2.000-3.000  people  since  the  previous 
mapping  five  years  earlier.  About  75%  of  the  homeless  were  men,  and  while  the  majority 
were  born  in  Sweden,  there  is  an  over-representation  of  people  born  outside  the  country. 
Women and people born outside the Nordic countries are the groups where the proportion of 
homeless people has increased most. While most of the homeless were reported to be single, a 
third  was  parents  of  children  under  18  years  of  age.  The  average  age  of  the  homeless 
population was 41; about 37% were between 30-45 years old, 24 % 18-29 years old and 23% 
46-55 years old.  

The average yearly rent for a home in Sweden was SEK 842/m² (EUR 83/m²) in 2007.114 The 
share  of  housing  costs  in  disposable  income  ("net"  of  housing  allowances)  is  at  15%  lower 
than  the  EU  average  (19%).  However,  for  people  at-risk-of-poverty,  the  share  is,  at  41%, 
among  the  highest  in  the  EU.  The  share  of  population  living  in  a  household  where  housing 
costs  represent  more  than  40%  of  the  total  household  income  was  however,  at  7.8%,  lower 
than  the  EU  average  (12.3%).  By  tenure  status,  this  share  is  biggest  for  tenants  paying  a 
market price rent (21.6%) and lowest for owners with mortgage. Sweden’s social expenditure 
attributed to housing benefits (% of total benefits) was 3.6% in 2006 (EU27: 2.3%). 

When  it  comes  to  quality,  housing  deprivation  is  less  of  a  problem  in  Sweden  than  the  EU 
average,  as  87.2%  of  the  population  is  reported  to  live  in  acceptable  housing  standards 
compared  to  75.2%  in  EU27.  Although  the  overcrowding  rate  in  general  is  low  in  Sweden 
(9.5% in 2007, EU27: 17.3%), confined living conditions exist to a greater deal in big cities. 

10. 

OVERALL POLICY FRAMEWORK AND GOVERNANCE 

There is no general right to housing in Sweden, but according to the Swedish General Social 
Service  Act,  everybody  should  be  guaranteed  a  fair  standard  of  living.  This  lies  within  the 
responsibility  of  local  authorities  and  hence  the  290  self-governed  municipalities  are 
responsible for ensuring that people in need are offered emergency night accommodation. The 
work to prevent homelessness and housing exclusion is consequently put into practice at local 
level, and in many places NGOs and religious bodies make an important contribution.  

In 2007, the government presented a three-year national strategy to combat homelessness and 
exclusion from the housing market, comprising four objectives: 

114 

http://www.scb.se/statistik/BO/BO0406/2007A01/BO0406_2007A01_SM_BO39SM0801.pdf 

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Everyone  should  be  guaranteed  a  roof  over  his/her  head  and  be  offered  further  coordinated 
action based on the needs of the individual. 
There  shall  be  a  reduction  in  the  number  of  women  and  men  who  are  in  prison  or  at  a 
treatment unit, or have supported accommodation and who do not have any housing arranged 
before being discharged or released. 
Entry  into  the  ordinary  housing  market  shall  be  facilitated  for  women  and  men  who  are  in 
temporary and transitional supported accommodation provided by social services or others.  
The number of evictions shall decrease and no children shall be evicted.  

The main purpose of the strategy is to establish a structure that clarifies the responsibility of 
multiple  actors  at  national,  regional  and  local  level,  that  have  a  role  to  play  in  the  work  to 
address  homelessness  and  exclusion  from  the  housing  market.  The  Ministry  of  Health  and 
Social  Affairs  is  responsible  for  coordinating  work  in  the  government  office.  The  National 
Board  of  Health  and  Welfare  is  commissioned  to  lead  and  coordinate  the  monitoring  and 
implementation of the strategy, in consultation with relevant authorities (such as the National 
Board  of  Housing,  Building  and  Planning,  the  Swedish  Prison  and  Probation  Service,  the 
Swedish  Enforcement  Service  Authority)  and  the  Swedish  Association  of  Local  Authorities 
and Regions, the county administrative boards and other organisations working in the field.  

Apart from encouragement of partnerships and enhanced coordination, other key elements of 
the  strategy  are  mutual  learning  of  evidence-based  practice  and  development  of  methods  of 
collecting and monitoring data on homelessness. Action to implement the strategy covers both 
incentives for local development work and commissions to government agencies to develop 
knowledge and working practices. 

11. 

ACCESSIBILITY AND QUALITY OF HOUSING 

11.1.  Accessibility 

As part of the national strategy on homelessness and housing exclusion, the government also 
has  an  overarching  objective  of  making  it  easier  for  people  to  establish  themselves  in  the 
housing  market.  In  a  bigger  context,  this  is  linked  to  the  government's  overall  objective  to 
break  patterns  of  social  exclusion  by  creating  conditions  for  more  jobs.  In  other  words,  the 
direction of housing policy is to seek to establish people on the labour market so as to be able 
to establish long-term stable conditions for housing ownership and construction. 

Unlike most countries, Sweden does not have social housing. However, the tradition of public 
housing and the regulated rental market aim at providing affordable housing. The production 
of  public  housing  has  however  been  on  the  decrease  for  some  time,  creating  a  shortage  of 
affordable  rental  apartments  in  larger  cities.  The  share  of  public  dwellings115  in  completed 
buildings has decreased from 24% of all dwellings in 1987 to 16% in 2007,116 and in 2008 the 
number of vacant rental apartments was 26,412 (including both public and private), the lowest 
since  1992.  The  total  dwelling  stock  was  2.4  Mio  by  the  end  of  2007.  Many  people  fall 
outside the general rental market as a consequence of not being accepted as tenants (often due 
to not having sufficient income or lacking references from previous landlords). Municipalities 

115 
116 

In Swedish: "Allmännyttiga bostäder" 
SCB: Bostads- och byggnadsstatistisk årsbok 2009.  

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can  in  these  cases  rent  apartments  to  sublet  (this  is  referred  to  as  a  "secondary  housing 
market") and if a person is eligible, social assistance will also cover the housing cost.  

As  part  of  its  National  strategy  to  combat  homelessness  and  exclusion  from  the  housing 
market,  the  government  aims  to  decrease  the  number  of  evictions  and  totally  eliminate  the 
eviction  of  children.  This  seems  to  have  had  some  effect,  as  the  number  of  evictions  has 
decreased  annually  from  year  2000  onwards.  In  2008,  there  were  3000  cases  of  evictions, 
whereof  700  concerned  children  (the  number  of  individuals  behind  the  figures  is  however 
unclear). The work to prevent eviction varies among the municipalities, but many are actively 
using co-operation between different stakeholders to do so.  

As  the  work  on  homelessness  and  housing  exclusion  is  handled  at  local  level,  the  way  in 
which  temporary  accommodation  for  the  homeless  is  provided  for  accordingly  varies  from 
municipality  to  municipality.  Accessibility  conditions  and  limitations  in  terms  of  use  also 
differ from accommodation to accommodation. Since no data are aggregated at national level, 
it  is  not  possible  to  get  an  overview  and  the  government  is  not  able  to  produce  any 
information as to the adequacy of supply of such accommodation. The municipalities' housing 
support  for  homeless  people  often  follows  a  "staircase  model",  where  people  successively 
over  a  period  of 
to  supported 
time  are  moved  from  emergency  accommodation 
accommodation, aiming at a permanent solution in the regular housing market. 

In  Sweden,  there  is  a  growing  interest  in  the  so  called  housing  first  model.  There  are  some 
municipalities  who,  within  the  frameworks  of  an  innovation  project,  are  willing  to  test 
housing first as a model for solving the homelessness situation.  

11.2.  Quality 

Laws  and  regulations  on  construction  set  up  basic  requirements  concerning  safety, 
accessibility and habitability of buildings. It is the municipalities that have the responsibility 
to supervise that rules are followed and to ensure the quality of all forms of accommodation 
(also  emergency  accommodation  for  the  homeless),  under  the  supervision  of  county 
administrative boards. The proportion of people reported to live in acceptable living standards 
is among the highest in EU (87.2% in 2007). 

At 9.5% in 2007, the overcrowding rate is lower in Sweden than the EU average (17.3%). The 
poor  and  lone  parents  are,  however,  considerably  more  prone  to  confined  living  conditions 
with overcrowding rates at 28.2% and 24.2% respectively.  

12. 

HOMELESSNESS AND ACCESS TO SERVICES 

The causes of homelessness are multiple and complex and seem to be a mixture of individual 
and structural problems. Clear gender differences also exist. The latest mapping showed that 
60%  of  the  homeless  had  addiction  problems  and  40%  some  form  of  psychiatric  disability 
(often  a  combination  of  the  two).  One  of  the  reasons  pointed  out  for  the  increase  in 
homelessness is an increase  in heavy  misuse  in combination with deficiencies in health and 
social  care  for  substance  abusers  and  people  with  psychiatric  problems.  The  number  of 
women  in  women’s  refuges  has  more  than  doubled  since  the  previous  mapping.  Naturally, 
there  is  also  a  connection  between  homelessness  and  the  housing  market  in  the  sense  that 
municipalities  without  homelessness  rarely  have  a  shortage  of  accommodation,  while 
municipalities  with  many  homeless  people  find  it  hard  to  meet  the  housing  needs  of  the 
homeless. Connected to this is also the lack of affordable apartments. 

EN 

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   EN 

Services for homeless are thus varying depending on the individual’s situation, and as access 
to such services rests within the responsibility of municipalities with a multiplicity of actors 
involved in the work, it is hard to get an overview of the situation on the ground.  

Since Sweden has a general welfare system, homeless people as well as all other people can 
benefit  from  health  care,  social  services  and  services  in  the  employment  domain.  However, 
the fact that homeless people often have multiple disadvantages creates special needs for this 
target group. As stated, the government encourages partnerships and enhanced coordination, 
and integrated strategies seem to exist in many places at local levels. In some cities there are 
specific  day  centres  for  homeless  people,  sometimes  combined  with  outreaching  activities 
especially for people sleeping rough. In some places, there are also health services specialised 
in homeless people. 

13. 

MONITORING AND EVALUATION 

There  is  no  regular  reporting  system  put  in  place  for  monitoring  homelessness  but  national 
mappings of homelessness are carried out approximately every five years.  

The  National  strategy  to  combat  homelessness  and  exclusion  from  the  housing  market 
includes  commissions  to  government  agencies  to,  among  other  things,  develop  statistics  on 
eviction  orders  and  knowledge  summaries  on  the  effects  of  different  methods  to  integrate 
homeless people on the regular housing market. The  National Board  of Health and Welfare 
and the National Board of Housing, Building and Planning were also commissioned to do a 
mapping of the "secondary housing market", i.e. housing that municipalities sublet to people 
who cannot get into the regular housing market. Furthermore, the National Board of Health 
and Welfare was commissioned to present a plan for how to continuously monitor the extent 
and character of homelessness.  

As the current strategy plan covers 2007-2009, the National Board of Health and Welfare is to 
deliver a joint report from the government agencies no later than 1 July 2010 that includes the 
question  of  how  local  development  work  has  helped  to  achieve  the  above  mentioned 
objectives  set  up  (the  strategy  does  however  not  include  any  indicators  for  monitoring  the 
development,  except  for  eviction  orders).  This  report  will  also  form  a  basis  for  future 
priorities set by the government.  

EN 

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UNITED KINGDOM 

1. 

CURRENT SITUATION 

The  number  of  people  accepted  under  the  statutory  scheme  as  being  homeless  and  owed  a 
duty to secure accommodation (“homeless acceptances”) (see section II for description of the 
statutory  scheme)  rose  steeply  in  the  UK  in  the  late  1990s  and  early  2000s.  However,  in 
recent  years,  the  number  of  homeless  acceptances  reduced  in  all  four  UK  nations,  with  the 
most remarkable reduction in England (with the total halving by 2007/2008). The number of 
statutory homeless acceptances is significantly higher in Northern Ireland and in Scotland. 

Around half of the applications for assistance considered under the statutory scheme are not 
accepted as being owed a duty to secure accommodation. Some of these cases are accepted as 
‘homeless’,  but  they  are  not  included  in  the  figures  for  ‘homeless  acceptances’,  mentioned 
above.  Equally,  no  data  is  available  for  those  who  may  be  homeless  but  have  not  been 
considered  under  the  statutory  scheme  ("non-statutory"  homeless  people).  However,  an 
indication  of  the  number  of  non-statutory  homeless  people  is  the  55.239  households  with 
which services, funded under the "Supporting People programme" worked in England alone 
in  2007/2008.  These  services  mainly  work  with  single  men,  while  families  with  dependent 
children, most of them single mothers, and pregnant women are captured under the statutory 
homelessness  definition  (2/3  of  households  in  England  and  half  in  Wales  and  Northern 
Ireland). 

The numbers of people sleeping rough, based on nationally conducted street counts117, show a 
downward trend and are relatively low for three UK  nations (England:  502; Wales: approx. 
150;  Northern  Ireland:  10).  These  figures  are  based  on  street  counts  whereas  in  Scotland, 
which  asked  homeless  applicants  whether  they  slept  rough  the  night  before,  reports  3,370. 
Rough  sleeping  by  migrants,  particularly  economic  migrants  from  the  EU,  is  currently  of 
major concern.  

According to EU indicators, housing costs are a significant issue in the UK. For 16.9 % of the 
population  in  the  United  Kingdom,  the  housing  cost  burden  was  more  than  40%  in  2007, 
which is one of the highest shares in EU 27 (EU average: 12.3%). Of these, 46.1% fall within 
the first income quintile (higher are only EL: 65.8%; RO: 47%; EU average: 35.2%), while 
46.6%  are  classed  as  'poor'  (compared  to  38.1%  in  EU).  Furthermore,  the  proportion  of 
"owners" and "tenants" with a housing cost burden of more than 40 % are substantially higher 
than the EU average: 14.5 % of owners with a mortgage in the UK exceed the 40 % threshold 
(EU  average:  8.6  %),  and  42.2  %  of  tenants  paying  market  prices  (EU  average:  25.4  %). 
Moreover,  the  UK,  with  24.7%,  has  the  highest  share  of  tenants  with  reduced  rent  or  free 
accommodation  in  the  EU  27  with  a  housing  cost  burden  of  more  than  40%  (EU  average: 
13%).  

The median share of housing costs for the population as a whole was 23% (compared to 18% 
in EU) falling to 21% when housing allowances are taken into account. The highest median 
for  different  groups  of  the  share  of  housing  costs  in  household  income  was  for  households 
headed  by  a  lone  parent  (40%)  or  classed  as  'poor'  (45%)  –  compared  to  32%  and  36% 
respectively  in  the  EU.  The  UK  is  about  the  EU  average  in  terms  of  deprivation  indicators 

117 

Figure supplied by national authorities in reply to SPC HHE questionnaire 

EN 

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with the largest reported problem being a leaking roof (14.75) and 'dark dwelling' being the 
only above EU average indicator (11.2%). At 5.6% and far below the EU average of 17.3%, 
overcrowding is not a serious issue in the UK. 

14. 

OVERALL POLICY FRAMEWORK AND GOVERNANCE 

Under legislation first introduced in England and Wales in1978 and subsequently extended to 
other  parts  of  the  UK,  local  authorities  (the  Housing  Executive  in  Northern  Ireland)  must 
ensure  that  accommodation  is  made  available  to  homeless  households  who  fulfil  certain 
criteria: eligible for assistance, unintentionally homeless and fall within a priority need group. 
People are defined as statutorily homeless in England and Wales, if, broadly, they do not have 
accommodation  that  they  have  a  legal  right  to  occupy,  which  is  accessible  and  physically 
available  to  them  and  which  it  would  not  be  reasonable  for  them  to  continue  to  live  in  (for 
example, because that is likely to lead to violence against them or members of their family). 
The  definition  of  homelessness  in  other  UK  nations  is  very  similar.  Further  more,  persons 
who are likely to become homeless within the next 28 days (2 months in Scotland) are defined 
as  being  "threatened  with  homelessness".  Reasonable  steps  must  be  taken  to  ensure  that 
applicants who are eligible for assistance, unintentionally threatened with homelessness and 
who fall within a priority need group do not cease to have accommodation available. 

The  definition  of  "rough  sleepers"  in  England  is:  "People  sleeping,  or  bedded  down,  in  the 
open air (such as on the streets, or in doorways, parks or bus shelters); people in buildings or 
other places not designed for habitation (such as barns, sheds, car parks, cars, derelict boats, 
stations, or "bashes", that is temporary self-built shelter)". Wales and Northern Ireland have a 
similar approach, whereas Scotland defines a rough sleeper as anyone who has slept outside in 
a place not specifically designed for human habitation at least once in the last seven days.  

In relation to the ETHOS typology, depending on their particular circumstances, people who 
are  "homeless"  within  the  UK  statutory  definition  could  fall  within  any  of  the  ETHOS 
categories. However, due to the unusually strong statutory homelessness safety net in the UK, 
people  who  are  recorded  as  unintentionally  "homeless"  and  within  a  “priority  need”  group 
would be owed an immediate duty to secure accommodation and would therefore no longer 
be  homeless.  That  duty  continues  until  an  offer  of  a  settled  home  can  be  made.  People 
"threatened with homelessness" within the UK statutory definition are likely to fall within the 
ETHOS definition: “living in insecure housing”. People who fall within the UK definition of 
‘rough sleeper’ would come within ETHOS category: “rooflessness”. However, the ETHOS 
category  of  "people  in  accommodation  for  immigrants"  does  not  appear  to  be  explicitly 
covered.  

People who are homeless (or owed a duty under the statutory scheme) are legally entitled to 
"reasonable  preference"  in  the  allocation  of  local  authority  housing  (in  Scotland  they  are 
entitled  to  reasonable  preference  in  housing  association  allocation).  In  practice,  this  means 
they  must  be  given  reasonable  preference  for  "social  housing".  Apart  from  NI  (where 
legislation is currently in train), applicants are entitled to request a review of local authority 
decisions and, if dissatisfied with the review decision, can appeal to the courts on a point of 
law. 

Responsibility  for  homelessness  policy  and  legislation  is  wholly  devolved  to  Scotland  and 
Northern Ireland, and partly devolved to Wales. England and the Devolved Administrations 

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each  have  their  own  homelessness  strategy  (a  strategy  to  end  rough  sleeping  is  only 
mentioned  for  England  and  Wales).  A  common  objective  is  to  reduce  homelessness.  In 
England,  a  target  has  also  been  set  to  halve  the  number  of  households  in  temporary 
accommodation  by  2010)  and  a  commitment  made  to  end  the  long  term  use  of  Bed  and 
Breakfast accommodation for 16 and 17 year olds (long term use of B&B accommodation for 
families  was  ended  in  2004).  Scotland  has  committed  to  abolishing  the  statutory  ‘priority 
need’  criteria,  so  that  all  unintentionally  homeless  people  would  be  entitled  to  settled 
accommodation by 2012. 

Implementation  of  housing  and  homelessness  policies  rests  principally  with  local  housing 
authorities  (the  Housing  Executive  in  Northern  Ireland)  and,  to  a  lesser  extent,  a  range  of 
other organisations, such as housing associations, health authorities, and NGOs.  

Local  authorities  receive  mainstream  funding  from  central  government  for  the  provision  of 
services, including homelessness services, in the form of a block grant and since 2002 this can 
be  supplemented  through  homelessness  grants,  such  as  "Supporting  People"  funding.  By 
removing  certain  restrictions  on  how  these  grants  can  be  used,  local  authorities  in  Scotland 
have the right to decide themselves how to spend the funding. The removal of this restriction 
is also under discussion in England.  

15. 

ACCESSIBILITY AND QUALITY OF HOUSING 

15.1.  Accessibility 

Schemes are in place to prevent eviction/re-possession or litigation in cases where a tenant or 
a  home  owner  faces  difficulties  in  paying  his/her  rent  or  mortgage.  "Mortgage  rescue" 
schemes aim at helping home owners in difficulty to become tenants or shared equity owners 
(established in England and Wales in 2009). Homeowners Mortgage Support help households 
in temporary income shock to defer their mortgage interest payments (UK wide). Through the 
Repossessions  Prevention  Fund  (£20m),  English  local  authorities  can  grant  small  loans  or 
one–off  payments  to  households  at  risk  of  repossession  or  homelessness  because  of 
repossession.  Should  a  mortgage  holder  become  unemployed,  they  can  receive  financial 
support via the welfare benefits system in the UK (Support for Mortgage Interest). Also, from 
October 2009, mortgage lenders are required to notify a property against which repossession 
action is being taken addressed to the “occupiers/tenant”, and to send this notification to the 
local authority where the property is located. 

All four UK nations have established various protocols and working arrangements to improve 
access to housing for people leaving institutions. Particular attention has recently been given 
to improve housing and other conditions for ex-prisoners and young people leaving care, and 
also to ensure a level playing field for access to housing for ex-service personnel.  

At the end of June 2009, just over 60,000 households were in temporary accommodation in 
England awaiting a settled home. Of these, three quarters were in London (Scotland: roughly 
5,000, Wales: 1,000, no information on NI). Although there is no time limitation on how long 
households  may  remain  in  temporary  accommodation,  the  policy  aim  is  for  people  to  be 
offered  settled  accommodation  as  quickly  as  possible.  In  England,  numbers  have  reduced 
from  a  peak  of  101,000  in  2005  and  authorities  are  well  on  the  way  to  meeting  the 
Government’s target of halving the numbers by 2010.  

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The  "Supporting  People  programme  and  funding"  is  an  important  service  provided  to 
vulnerable  people  in  social  and  private  housing  and  includes  support  in  gaining  life  skills 
(maintaining a tenancy, budgeting and cooking), in accessing health/social services, benefits 
and in gaining training and employment.  

All  four  nations  recognise  the  importance  of  social  housing  supply  and  three  of  them  set 
targets  and  set  funding  aside  (over  £7.5billion  is  being  invested  which  will  deliver  over 
112,000 new affordable homes in 2009 and 2010). In 2006, the social sector stock was 18% of 
the  total  stock  in  England,  26%  in  Scotland  and  17%  in  Wales  and  in  Northern  Ireland 
respectively.  

People  who  are  homeless  or  owed  a  duty  under  the  homelessness  legislation  must  be  given 
reasonable  priority  in  the  allocation  of  local  authority  housing  (along  with  various  other 
groups of people in housing need). 

The  UK  wide  housing  benefit  system  assists  some  4  million  households  in  Great  Britain 
which  equals  approximately  14  %  of  all  households.  It  is  primarily  paid  to  economically 
inactive  households  who  receive  baseline  welfare  benefits  and  covers  the  whole  rent  in  the 
social rented sector.  

15.2.  Quality of housing 

The  minimum  standards  for  housing  in  England,  Wales  and  Northern  Ireland  have  recently 
been defined by the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) and this aims to take 
into account a wide range of risks, for example, tripping hazards, fire safety and poor repair. 
In England, overcrowding is defined in the Housing Act 1985 via a "room standard" (no male 
of  female  person  aged  over  10  should  have  to  share  a  bedroom)  and  a  "space  standard" 
(usually  no  more  than  2-3  persons  should  share  a  bedroom).  Living  space  for  two  persons 
should  not  be  less  than  10.2  metres  square.  Any  overcrowded  household  must  be  given 
reasonable preference on waiting lists for social housing, 

Apart from the minimum standards above, all nations have also more ambitious standards for 
the social housing sector. Both the Scottish and the Welsh standards are somewhat higher than 
the English ones. 

Accommodation  secured  for  applicants  under  the  homelessness  legislation  in  England  and 
Wales must be "suitable" for the applicant and all members of the household. Although not 
defined in legislation, case law has established that ‘suitability’ includes factors such as size, 
condition,  location  and  accessibility.  Scotland  requires  a  minimum  of  physical,  safety  and 
proximity  standards  (distance  to  health  services  and  schools  for  families  with  children  and 
pregnant women). 

Offers  of  accommodation  to  homeless  applicants  in  Northern  Ireland  must  be  deemed 
‘reasonable’  which  is  a  discretionary  judgment  based  on  factors  such  as  overcrowding, 
accessibility, location and condition.  

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16. 

HOMELESSNESS AND ACCESS TO SERVICES 

There are efforts across all four UK nations to improve co-operation among stake holders to 
support homeless people. The National Health Service provide specialist services adapted to 
the needs of homeless people across the UK while specific guidance and standard notes have 
been  or  are  developed  in  Scotland  and  Wales.  Some  of  the  homeless  people  will  also  be 
targeted by a new programme, led by the Cabinet Office, for those hardest to reach.  

Various  initiatives  and  projects  set  up  by  NGOs,  and  funded  by  DWP,  aim  at  supporting 
homeless people to find and maintain employment (e.g. "Off the Street and into Work"). In 
addition,  Scotland  has  a  Homelessness  and  Employability  Network  and  Northern  Ireland  a 
Promoting  Social  Inclusion  Steering  Group,  with  subgroups  on  employment,  training  and 
healthcare.  

17. 

MONITORING AND EVALUATION 

National reporting is based on returns by local authorities under the homelessness legislation. 
The  information  on  statutory  homelessness  is  collated  by  central  government  in  all  four 
jurisdictions. Scotland records data on characteristics and composition of households whereas 
all other three nations record the number of households assessed.  

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