Unsheltered Europe: More Than 1.2 Million Individuals Experiencing Homelessness
Revised Article:
In essence, over a million folks in Europe are couch surfing or sleeping on the streets, according to the latest report from FEANTSA. This figure has skyrocketed by 43% since 2024 alone, painting a grim picture. However, governmental responses have been fragmented, largely emergency-based, and seldom structural.
While countries like Finland and, more recently, Austria have embraced long-term strategies to safeguard the right to housing, several other European nations continue to tackle this issue on an ad-hoc basis.
This escalating homelessness is primarily due to a perfect storm of factors. Housing prices and rents have soared across the EU, with an average increase of 48% between 2010 and 2023. Particularly hard-hit countries include Portugal (prices surged by 81% in just a decade), Ireland (housing prices 101% above the EU average in 2023), and Hungary (a 173% increase between 2015 and 2023).
As a result, households are spending an alarming proportion of their income on housing. In urban Europe, 10.6% of city dwellers shell out over 40% of their income on housing, and 9.3% of Europeans were falling behind on mortgage, rent, or utility payments in 2023. Poor households, especially single-parent families, bear the brunt of the burden, with an average of 38.2% of their income going towards housing—more than three times what the rest of the population spends.
Government interventions vary. On the temporary front, Wales has offered temporary accommodation to vulnerable individuals. However, repeat placements indicate ongoing housing instability, as 1,272 people were placed into temporary accommodation in March 2025, a decrease from the previous year.
Long-term strategies include boosting affordable housing supply, refining fiscal and regulatory measures, and implementing rental market reforms. Efforts to make housing affordable are also linked to climate goals, acknowledging the dual challenge of affordability and climate change.
Despite these measures, the housing affordability crisis is expected to persist, with renters and low-income households feeling the pinch. Governments are focusing on vulnerable groups, integrating housing strategies within broader policy frameworks like energy transition and social welfare, aiming for comprehensive solutions to complex problems.
| Country/Region | Key Interventions | Long-Term Strategies | Interesting Points ||----------------|--------------------------|-------------------------------------|----------------------|| Wales | Temporary accommodation | Homelessness prevention, repeat help | Repeat placements common || EU (general) | Affordable housing, reforms | Decarbonization, social welfare | High affordability pressure || Poland | Macro stability | Low unemployment focus | Limited homeless focus |
These interventions highlight the diversity of approaches, yet all share the goal of curbing the rise in homelessness by providing both immediate assistance and sustainable housing policy reforms in the long run.
- Despite the ongoing housing affordability crisis in Europe, some countries like Finland and Austria have initiated long-term strategies to secure the right to housing, while others continue to address the issue on an ad-hoc basis.
- Amidst the escalating homelessness problem in Europe, governments are prioritizing vulnerable groups and integrating housing strategies within broader policy frameworks like energy transition and social welfare, aiming for comprehensive solutions to complex problems.
