The European Parliament adopted by 647 votes to 13, with 32 abstentions, a resolution on tackling homelessness rates in the EU.

The Committee on Petitions received multiple petitions sounding the alarm over the situation of more than 4 million homeless Europeans and an alleged 70% increase of homeless people across the EU over the last 10 years. In addition, the economic recession and loss of jobs due to the current COVID-19 crisis may further increase homelessness rates in Europe.

Ending homelessness by 2030

Expressing its deepest concern at this situation, Parliament stressed that housing is a fundamental human right and called for stronger action from the Commission and Member States to end homelessness in the EU by 2030.

Member States were called on to:

decriminalise homelessness; assume their primary responsibility for tackling homelessness, work on prevention and early intervention and assign a more proactive role to regional and local social security services in assisting homeless people with their reintegration into society; exchange best practice with other Member States; support the integration of homeless people into the labour market through specialised and individualised support and training; implement targeted measures to protect the homeless, provide financial assistance to accredited NGOs and public-private partnerships, and to support local authorities in securing safe spaces and preventing evictions; adopt long-term, community-based, housing-led, integrated national homelessness strategies; provide constant and continuous access to emergency.

The Commission was called on to:

propose an EU Framework for National Homelessness Strategies; improve monitoring and governance and mobilise funding and EU policies relating to homelessness (such as ERDF resources for social housing).

Lastly, Parliament called on the Commission and the Member States to use the existing instruments, as well as instruments under the 2021-2027 MFF and the Recovery and Resilience Facility, to improve employment opportunities and social integration for jobless households.