Research note 8/2011 during the crisis

European Commission Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion

Social Situation Observatory – Income Distribution and Living Conditions 2011

Social Situation Observatory – Income distribution and living conditions Applica (BE), European Centre for the European Centre for Social Welfare Policy and Research (AT), ISER – University of Essex (UK) and TÁRKI (HU)

Nicole Fondeville and Terry Ward Applica

November 2011

This Research note was financed by and prepared for the use of the European Commission, Directorate- General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion. It does not necessarily reflect the opinion or position of the European Commission, Directorate- General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion. Neither the Commission nor any person acting on its behalf is responsible for the use that might be made of the information contained in this publication.

2 November 2011 European Commission Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion

Social Situation Observatory – Income Distribution and Living Conditions 2011

Table of Contents

Table of Contents ...... 3

1. Introduction ...... 4

2. Definition of homelessness in the EU ...... 4

3. Monitoring homelessness ...... 6

4. Recent developments in homelessness in the EU ...... 8

Homelessness among migrants ...... 9

Homelessness among young people ...... 12

Pathways into homelessness during the economic crisis ...... 13

Measures to prevent homelessness ...... 16

5. Concluding remarks ...... 17

Annex: Recent trends in homelessness across the EU ...... 18

3 November 2011 European Commission Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion

Social Situation Observatory – Income Distribution and Living Conditions 2011

1. Introduction The economic crisis which hit the EU in 2008 has been slow to recede in many countries where lack of jobs and high levels of unemployment have become major problems. Moreover, recovery which seemed to be underway until mid-2011 has stalled and the prospects of any early substantial improvement in both the economic and labour market situation seem remote. In this context, a growing number of people, especially those that have lost their jobs and are unable to find new ones, have faced difficulties in paying rents or servicing their mortgages. At the same time, welfare systems have come under increasing strain as the demand for income and social support has escalated. The situation has led to a rise in homelessness which could well become much more of a problem over the coming year and beyond.

Although there is an acute lack of reliable data, nearly three out of four people in the EU believe that homelessness has increased in their country since 2007 1. This perception is particularly strong in the Central and Eastern European Member States as well as in Spain and in , both of which have been especially badly affected by the economic downturn. Against this background, homelessness has also become a major policy concern at EU level as well as in many Member States. The European Parliament has adopted the aim of putting an end to homelessness by 2015 and the issue has featured prominently in meetings of the Social Protection Committee over the past two years as well as in the European Year against poverty in 2010.

Any attempts to obtain a reasonably accurate figure for the number of homeless in the EU and the extent to which it is tending to rise in the prevailing economic situation, however, are fraught with both conceptual and practical difficulties. There is a lack of consensus on both how homelessness should be defined and how meaningful data should be collected and diverse methods of counting the number of people affected exist across Member States.

The concern here is to examine the evidence on the number homeless people in different EU countries in order to obtain an indication of developments during the crisis period and the characteristics of those affected. It begins, however, by considering the methodological difficulties of compiling a comparable set of statistics on the problem.

2. Definition of homelessness in the EU Homelessness is not easy to define as it covers a diversity of living situations and affects various groups of people. It tends to be the culmination of a complex process, often extending over many years, with a range of pathways leading up it. Because of the complexity, it is often the case that narrow definitions are adopted, such as, in particular, rough sleeping or sleeping in special shelters, which reduce homelessness to its most visible forms. The ‘hidden’ homeless, such as those living with friends or relatives or in precarious

1 Special Eurobarometer 355, Poverty and Social Exclusion Report , December 2010. http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_355_en.pdf

4 November 2011 European Commission Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion

Social Situation Observatory – Income Distribution and Living Conditions 2011 and unsuitable accommodation, need also to be covered to obtain anywhere close to a complete picture. To do so, however, raises difficulties since the coverage needs to exclude those who living in particular situation voluntarily, quite apart from problems of defining what constitutes precarious or inadequate housing, which is likely to vary between countries depending on what is regarded as the norm.

FEANTSA 2, the European Federation of National Organisations Working with the Homeless, has developed a typology of the different categories of homelessness (see Box), but this typology has yet to be agreed and adopted by EU Member States. This makes it difficult to compare the situation not only between countries but also often between different places within countries as well as over time, since the same method is not necessarily used for surveys conducted at different points of time in the same location.

The ETHOS categories of homelessness

According to ETHOS – the European Typology of Homelessness and Housing Exclusion - the homeless can be classified into four categories:

• people without a roof over their heads who sleep rough or in overnight shelters; • people without a home who, while they have a roof over their heads, are excluded from the legal rights of occupancy and do not have a place to pursue normal social relations (such as those living in hostels or temporary accommodation for the homeless, women living in refuge accommodation, migrants living in specific accommodation and people living in institutions); • people living in insecure housing, who do not have a secure tenancy and/or are threatened with eviction or are a victim of domestic violence; • people living in inadequate housing conditions (such as with friends or relatives, in squats, in caravans or illegal campsites, in conditions of extreme over-crowding and in other generally unsuitable places).

There is therefore currently a wide range of definitions of homelessness used across the EU both to collect data and identify the scale of the problem and to determine the nature and scope of policies for tackling it (see Box).

Definition of homelessness in different Member States

In many countries, homelessness is defined by legislation. In Ireland for instance, it is defined by the Housing Act 1988, which includes people sleeping rough but excludes those living in state institutions. In the UK, several categories of homeless are legally defined: the street homeless (or those sleeping rough, the statutory homeless (households for which local authorities have a statutory duty to provide temporary accommodation) and the non-statutory homeless (who are regarded as “voluntarily” homeless). Similarly, in the Czech Republic and Italy, the homeless are considered to be those living on the streets and those using specific social services. In Finland and France, the homeless cover all who have no permanent accommodation and who sleep in places not meant for human habitation as well as in various types of temporary shelter, including those living in long-term hostels (such as women living with their children in refuges). In France, however, statistics on homelessness exclude those forced to stay in ‘bed-

2 Edgar, B. and H. Meert, Fifth Review of Statistics on Homeless in Europe , FEANTSA (European Federation of National Organisations Working with the Homeless), 2006 http://www.feantsa.org/files/transnational_reports/2006reports/06RSen.pdf

5 November 2011 European Commission Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion

Social Situation Observatory – Income Distribution and Living Conditions 2011

and-breakfasts’ or with friends or relatives. In Latvia, on the other hand, the homeless are more widely defined under the law on social aid to be ‘people with no permanent housing’.

3. Monitoring homelessness Estimating the number of homeless people in the EU is, therefore, far from straight-forward. First, there is a general lack of data. The homeless tend, for obvious reasons, not be included in household surveys and the attempts which are made to collect data by other means – through, in particular, special surveys of the various groups concerned – in most cases are focused on counting numbers and contain very limited information on the personal characteristics (age, nationality and so on) of the people concerned. Nor do they tend to cover relevant aspects which would help to interpret and assess the data collected, such as the period of time they have been homeless for (whether it is temporary state or a long-term one), whether or not they have dependents, their access to income and support services and so on. Secondly, as indicated above, the data which are collected are not based on a common counting methods or set of definitions, which severely limits the extent to which data can be compared between countries or over time. Thirdly, few countries collect data on homelessness on a regular basis (see Box). NGOs or particular agencies might try to provide some figures by organising monitoring of the situation in different places in a more or less coordinated way but it is complicated to do so 3.

Data collection and monitoring of homelessness in the EU Member States

Denmark, Finland and Sweden have all set up register-based systems. Finland has undertaken an annual survey since the 1980s (quantitative trends in homelessness are monitored annually thanks to a questionnaire that is sent out to every local authority). Denmark has set up a register-based system for accommodation provided under specific sections of the Social Welfare Act. In Sweden, national surveys are carried out approximately every five years. Despite some disparities in approach and definition over time in each country, the surveys have been frequent enough to be able to understand broad trends.

In Ireland, local authorities are responsible for making periodic quantitative and qualitative assessments of the homeless households in their administrative zones. Assessments of homelessness have therefore been carried out every three years by local authorities since 1991. In Dublin, the Homeless Agency has refined a survey method which provides a good evaluation of those using homeless services, and the Agency carries out counts of people sleeping rough across the Dublin City Council area every year in March and November, and across the four local authorities in Dublin once a year.

In the UK, reporting on homelessness is based on returns from local authorities under the homelessness legislation. The information on statutory homelessness is collected by central government in all four jurisdictions. In addition, some ad hoc surveys of people sleeping rough are carried on regularly in London boroughs and other towns of the country by NGOs.

France has three sources of data on homelessness (general census of the population, surveys specifically targeted on the homeless, data from administrative systems recording the

3 Edgar B., 2009 European Review of Statistics on Homelessness , FEANTSA, December 2009. http://www.feantsaresearch.org/files/freshstart/European%20Statistics%20Reports/FEANTSA_2009StatsReview_EN. pdf

6 November 2011 European Commission Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion

Social Situation Observatory – Income Distribution and Living Conditions 2011

homeless). A census of homeless people takes place every five years in municipalities of more than 10,000 inhabitants and by rotation in smaller municipalities (it took place for the first time in 2006).

In the Netherlands, the main data sources are the client record systems Regas (from the Dutch Federation of Shelters) and Clever (from the Salvation Army). A nationwide monitoring system, based on housing and homeless services records, is also in place. In addition some large municipalities work with a system of centralised access to shelter and support services.

In Austria, Belgium, Germany and Spain, data on homelessness are collected at regional and municipal levels rather than at national level. In Belgium, for example, the Centres for General Welfare set up by the Flemish regional government, which cater for the homeless are legally obliged to provide information to the authorities on those using their services. In Germany, the region of Nordrhein-Westfalen organises every year a one-day count covering all homeless people in temporary accommodation provided by public authorities. In Austria, the city of Vienna produces a regional annual report on homelessness support in the city. In Spain, monitoring of the homeless has been developed in Madrid and Catalonia, but progress elsewhere has been irregular.

In the other EU Member States, there are either no administrative data on homelessness (Bulgaria, Cyprus, Greece, and Slovenia) or no systematic monitoring (the Czech Republic, Italy, Romania, Slovakia) and initiatives of data collection rely mostly upon NGOs. In some countries however a monitoring system is under development (Estonia, Malta, and Portugal). Data collection has also progressed in the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland though this has been based mainly on the capital cities (Prague, Budapest) or particular regions (Pomerania in Poland). In Italy, homelessness has become a political concern in recent years but systems of data collection are still under-developed and local in scope.

The most common way of counting the people sleeping rough or in overnight hostels is through surveys conducted on a particular day or over a given period. These can take the form either of taking a sample of places which are reckoned to be reasonably representative in terms of the numbers involved or of attempting to count all the people sleeping rough or in shelters in a particular city or area on a given night or sequence of nights. Surveys are carried out in many countries of the number of people in temporary accommodation provided by public authorities. Such counts are supplemented by administrative data in some cases, particularly from the local or regional authorities responsible for the implementation of housing and social welfare legislation. In addition, in a number of countries, official registers are maintained of organisations allowed to provide services to the homeless under legislation or which are funded by public agencies, which can include information on the number of beds provided and their occupancy over a given period. National censuses and households surveys are also used as sources of information on the homeless living in institutions, with friends or relatives or in special accommodation for the homeless, as well as on those living in overcrowded conditions, in unfit housing or in accommodation lacking basic amenities.

These various methods of data collection each have potential limitations. In particular, the period when the data are collected can significantly affect the results because of seasonal variations and changes from day to day in the numbers involved. Reliable sampling methods for counting those sleeping rough are difficult to establish and it is equally hard to identify those living temporarily with friends or relatives or friends or in unofficial shelters. In practice, it is easier to count users of services for the homeless, but

7 November 2011 European Commission Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion

Social Situation Observatory – Income Distribution and Living Conditions 2011 here the difficulty is to allow for those using multiple services and to record the number of individual people using the services concerned rather than the number of uses as such.

Despite the limitations and the difficulties of identifying trends, the data collected in different countries provides some insight into the scale of homelessness across the EU, even though it is one which is partial and incomplete. In particular, the data in question relate mainly to estimates of those sleeping rough or in overnight shelters and only in a few cases to those living with friends or relatives and not at all to those living in unsuitable accommodation.

4. Recent developments in homelessness in the EU A number of tendencies are evident in the data available despite their limitations, partial coverage (surveys are often carried in towns or particular areas instead of nationally) and differences in the collection methods adopted.

First, in all countries where recent data are available, homelessness seems to be on the rise (see Annex which summarises the data available in different Member States). This increase, however, conceals potential differences between different places within countries. It is possible, therefore, that homelessness declined in some areas, perhaps because of the effects of local policies implemented to tackle the problem, while it is increased in others. For instance, recent statistics show that there are 20% fewer homeless people in Hamburg in 2009 than in 2002 4, but this does not necessarily mean that it also declined in other parts of Germany where data are not available.

Secondly, the extent of the rise appears to vary between Member States and there is no clear relationship between the size of the increase and the scale of the recession, since there are marked variations in the policies pursued and the programmes set up at national level to combat the problem. For example, in Latvia, where there is no strategy to reduce homelessness, the number of homeless people increased dramatically following the onset of the crisis. In Hungary too, many people lost their homes in Budapest because they were unable to pay the rents or service their mortgages and no government support was provided to help them avoid this.

In Ireland, by contrast, the repercussions of the crisis were limited by measures to assist those made homeless as part of a national strategy of coordinating support at local level. Even in Finland, which succeeded in the past in reducing homelessness through various measures, there is evidence of a rise in the number of homeless people since the financial crisis and economic downturn hit (Figure 1).

In addition, while homelessness is traditionally associated with large cities, a recent increase is apparent in towns and rural areas in a number of countries (Denmark and the UK, in particular), though in Poland, homelessness remains concentrated in major cities.

Less surprisingly, the data from surveys indicate that the characteristics of the homeless have also changed since the crisis began, with people who have lost their jobs or have suffered a sudden reduction in income joining the mentally ill, the drug addicts and the social misfits who tend to make up the core part of the homeless population.

4 http://www.business-on.de/hamburg/deutlich-weniger-obdachlose-menschen-in-hamburg_id19317.html

8 November 2011 European Commission Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion

Social Situation Observatory – Income Distribution and Living Conditions 2011

Nevertheless, the homeless remain for the most part men of working-age. While some have jobs, these are often in the informal economy and provide little security and no right to social benefits in many countries. Migrants, as described below, constitute a large and growing share of the homeless, particularly among rough sleepers, though the extent varies markedly between countries.

Figure1. Homeless people living alone in Finland

Source: ARA, Asunnottomat 2009

Homelessness among migrants

Two groups of people across the EU have been particularly hit by homelessness since the crisis began - migrants and young people – though they were not affected in the same way. While the share of migrants among the homeless has risen, it has done so at very different rates in different countries. In Italy and Spain, in particular, migrants account for a large part of the total, whereas in Austria, they account for only a small share.

The data available from surveys in a number of countries indicate that many migrants have found themselves homeless because the sectors in which they worked, construction and manufacturing, especially, have shed a substantial number of jobs and they have found it difficult to obtain low-skilled jobs in other parts of the economy. This is not least because of a steep rise in unemployment among nationals, many of whom with higher qualifications have been prepared to take low skilled jobs. Partly as a result, a disproportionate number of migrants work in the informal economy, where they have no access normal social rights (unemployment benefits, social support and so on). This is especially so for those without ‘official papers’. It is also the case that migrants from outside the EU (most of them from Africa) tend to be more vulnerable because they do not have the same rights as EU nationals, though the extent to which these rights are respected varies significantly between countries. Accordingly, those without jobs and friends or relatives to support them, often have little choice but to live on the streets and sleep rough or in shelters.

9 November 2011 European Commission Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion

Social Situation Observatory – Income Distribution and Living Conditions 2011

Recent night counts in a number of Spanish cities indicate that migrants make up 50-75% of people living rough. Similarly some 63% of all those who are registered with the homeless network in Spain are migrants 5. The Fundación Arrels , for example, reported an increase of 20% from 2008 to the first part of 2010 in the numbers of migrants using their services in Catalonia 6. In addition, the crisis seems to have led to a deterioration of living conditions for many migrants who have remained in work. An investigation in 2010 revealed that African migrants employed to grow salad vegetables for supermarkets were paid half the minimum wage and were living in shacks without sanitation or access to drinking water. The Red Cross co-ordinator in Almeria estimated that there were between 15,000 and 20,000 homeless migrants in this province alone, some 5,000 of them living in abandoned or makeshift houses and others sleeping rough 7.

In Italy, surveys also indicate that migrants represent a growing share of the homeless. A study by the Caritas Diocese 8 found that the number of homeless people doubled in Pisa between 2000 and 2009 and that between 2006 and 2009, the number of foreign nationals among them increased by 55% as against a rise of 27% for Italian nationals. In Milan, 90% of people living in slums are reported to be migrants9.Since the recent uprisings in North Africa, the number of people from abroad among the homeless has increased and their average age has fallen. At present, 77% of homeless people are foreign national in Naples 10 and 73% in Bologna 11 .

A growing number of migrants are requesting assistance. Some 78% of the new requests received at the Help Centre for homeless people in the Termini train station in Rime come from foreign nationals. A report from the National Observatory on Poverty and Solidarity added that of 76,794 requests, most were from male migrants, almost 60% of them under 40. Moreover, increasing numbers of minors from Afghanistan were seeking assistance, especially in Milan and Rome 12 .

5 Bosch Meda, J., Homelessness among Migrants in Spain , European Journal of Homelessness Vol.4, pp139-154, December 2010. http://eohw.horus.be/files/freshstart/European%20Journal%20of%20Homelessness/Volume%20Four/policy-review- 3.pdf

6 Feantsa, Flash Newsletter June 2010 : http://www.feantsa.org/files/freshstart/Communications/Flash%20EN/PDF_2010/10_06_June_FEANTSA_Flash_EN.p df

7 Feantsa, Flash Newsletter February 2011: http://www.feantsa.org/files/freshstart/Communications/Flash%20EN/PDF_2011/February/11_02_February_FEANTS A_Flash_EN.pdf

8 http://www.regione.toscana.it/regione/opencms/RT/sito- RT/Contenuti/notiziari/fonti_esterne/ansa/notiziario/visualizza_asset.html?id=190838&pagename=503

9 Braga, M., and Corno, L., Being an homeless: evidence from Italy , Working paper 2009-17, university of Milan, 2009. http://www.economia.unimi.it/index.php?id=389&wp=347&mode=view&L=0

10 http://www.santegidio.org/index.php?pageID=64&id=7307&idLng=1085&res=1

11 http://bologna.repubblica.it/cronaca/2011/04/28/news/la_denuncia_di_piazza_grande_in_un_anno_mille_pers one_in_strada-15481798/

12 Feantsa, Flash Newsletter March 2011: http://www.feantsa.org/files/freshstart/Communications/Flash%20EN/PDF_2011/March/11_03_March_FEANTSA_Fl ash_EN.pdf

10 November 2011 European Commission Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion

Social Situation Observatory – Income Distribution and Living Conditions 2011

In Ireland, the migrant population has increased dramatically over the past decade, attracted by the high rates of growth achieved before the onset of the crisis. Because migrants tend to be employed in informal jobs, many in the construction industry before the crisis, they have been particularly exposed to wage cuts and layoffs as the housing bubble burst. Migrant workers have been hit harder than Irish workers in the recession, experiencing an annual rate of job loss of nearly 20% in 2009, compared with one of 7% for Irish nationals. Many of the migrants from other EU Member States, especially in Central and Eastern Europe, returned home under the Government repatriation scheme. However a large number of those without adequate income to support them or unable to return to home have fallen into poverty and homelessness since the onset of the crisis13 .

In the UK, many migrants from Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) are also experiencing homelessness. Some 30% of those in Wales have experienced some form of homelessness, mostly poor or insecure housing on their arrival, but some were exploited by employment agencies that place them in poor accommodation and throw them out when the job is finished 14 . In London, a significant part of the increase in the number sleeping rough is made up of Central and Eastern Europeans (see Box).

At the same time, migrants in Poland are also experiencing homelessness. The number of refugees who are homeless is estimated at between 1,400 and 2,120 15 . Large family size, single motherhood and lack of adequate housing for families with many children all tend to increase their risk of homelessness. Single men have the greatest chance of avoiding homelessness since it is easier for them to find casual work in the informal economy.

Migrant and homeless in London

Broadway, a voluntary organisation which manages the Combined Homelessness and Information System (CHAIN), reports that the number of people seen sleeping rough in London had risen regularly since 2006, from 2,997 in the year to end March 2007 to 3,472 two years later and to 3,673 at end-March 2010. Most of the increase in the year up to the latter date was made up of people from Central and Eastern Europe, mainly from Poland 16 (see Figure below).

13 United Nations, Human Rights Council, Report of the independent expert on the question of human rights and extreme poverty, Magdalena Sepúlveda Carmona, Mission to Ireland , May 2011. http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/hrcouncil/docs/17session/A.HRC.17.34.Add.2_en.pdf

14 Shelter Cymru, Living in Wales - the housing and homelessness experiences of central and east European migrant worker, 2010 http://www.feantsa.org/files/freshstart/Communications/Flash%20EN/Docs_relating_to_Flash_2010/June/MigrantWorkersExecSumm ary.pdf

15 Wysieńska K. And N. Ryabińska, Bezdomność uchodźców w Polsce– wyniki badania pilotażowego , Warszawa 2010 . http://www.feantsa.org/files/freshstart/Communications/Flash%20EN/Docs_relating_to_Flash_2010/December/ISP-bezdomnosc- uchodzcow.pdf

16 CHAIN, Street to Home Annual Report 2009/10 , July 2010. http://broadway.jamkit.com/CHAIN/Reports

11 November 2011 European Commission Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion

Social Situation Observatory – Income Distribution and Living Conditions 2011

Figure2. Number of people seen sleeping rough by outreach or building based services across London, April 2008 to March 2011.

Source: Broadway According to interviews with homeless people from CEE countries in London and Nottingham, migration was a route of escape from economic problems (poverty and unemployment) and personal troubles (broken relationships, alcohol addiction) in their home country. The people concerned suffered from an accumulation of difficulties resulting in social exclusion (poor social networks in the UK, their location often decided by social networks rather than job opportunities, limited English, low level insecure jobs with low pay and ineligibility for or local authority accommodation)17 .

Homelessness among young people

Young people are the second group that has been affected by homelessness because of the crisis, though less generally so than in the case of migrants. The most alarming tendency is the increase in children becoming homeless which is evident in a number of places, either because their family has been left homeless or because of a breakdown of family relationships due to the strain resulting from the crisis.

Young people have been particularly affected by the reduction in employment since 2008, accounting for around a half of the overall decline between 2008 and 2010, and in many countries, many of them are not entitled to social benefits. Without the support of family or friends, some young people unable to find a job end up living in the streets and sleeping rough.

17 G. Bowpitt, et all, Land of Opportunity? Comparing Street Homeless Experiences Between Polish Migrants and UK Citizens in Two British Cities, in Understanding Homelessness and Housing Exclusion in the New European Context , FEANTSA's European Observatory on Homelessness - European Research Conference, Budapest, Friday 17 September 2010

12 November 2011 European Commission Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion

Social Situation Observatory – Income Distribution and Living Conditions 2011

Local data from Germany and Austria show that an increasing number of young people and children are experiencing homelessness. In Salzburg, as in many other Austrian cities, the number of young people (aged 18-29) becoming homeless is rising 18 . In Baden- Wurttemberg (Germany), surveys indicate that the number of homeless men and women under 25 is also on the rise, reaching a peak of 1,265 in 2009, 17% higher than in 2008 19 . Surveys also reveal that 264 young people were living on the street in Stuttgart and that nearly 12% of the homeless in Hamburg were under 25 in 2009 and 10% between the ages of 10 and 19.20 .

In Ireland , 785 children became homeless and in need of emergency accommodation in 2009, a quarter of them under 12. Most of the children concerned ended up in emergency hostels, residential services or emergency foster families. Many of them had previously been in State care and some had drug or alcohol addiction problems. Significant numbers were from violent homes 21 .

Pathways into homelessness during the economic crisis

Recent studies show that the profile of the homeless population is changing as result of the recession, with migrants and young people in particular coming to form a larger part, as indicated above. The economic crisis has led to a sharp increase in homelessness in Greece (see Box), though to tackle the problem effectively still requires an understanding of its origins.

Crisis and homelessness in Greece

In Greece, homeless people as such are not officially recognised as a social group in need of assistance. There is still no statutory organisation involved in data collection and research on the issue. The first systematic attempt to examine the issue was undertaken in 2005 by the Klimaka NGO. Interviews with 200 of the homeless living in , Thessaloniki and Larissa between July 2005 and May 2006 revealed that the people concerned were mainly men (75%), 47 years of age on average and low skilled. Homelessness was mainly due to financial difficulties and low incomes (50%), unemployment (46%) and insufficient family support (35%). 22

The deep economic recession which Greece has experienced since 2009 has led to an increase in the levels of housing exclusion in the country. According to Klimaka ’s figures, the number of homeless amounts to around 17,000–20,000 people, a rise of 20-25% compared with

18 WOHNUNGSLOSENERHEBUNG 2009 Stadt Salzburg http://www. soziale - arbeit.at/fileadmin/user_upload/ais/Wohnungslosenherhebung_2009.pdf

19 http://www.stuttgarter-nachrichten.de/inhalt.auf-stuttgarts-strassen-264-junge-menschen-ohne- obdach.2e2be1f7-2751-4e38-84f1-2a1adf1147c6.html

20 http://www.business-on.de/hamburg/deutlich-weniger-obdachlose-menschen-in-hamburg_id19317.html

21 Feantsa, Flash Newsletter November 2010 : http://www.feantsa.org/files/freshstart/Communications/Flash%20EN/PDF_2010/10_11_November_FEANTSA_Flash_ EN.pdf

22 Vlantoni, D., et all, Homelessness in Greece: Psychosocial Profile and Assessment of Needs: Towards the design of a holistic rehabilitation approach, in IX World Congress for Psychosocial Rehabilitation , Athens, 12-15 Oct 2006 http://www.klimaka.org.gr/newsite/downloads/astegi_congresspshycococial.pdf

13 November 2011 European Commission Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion

Social Situation Observatory – Income Distribution and Living Conditions 2011

two years ago 23 . The food portions distributed by the City of Athens Homeless Foundation increased from 1,500 in 2007 to around 3,000 in 2011 while the food hand-outs provided in Athens by the church’s NGO Apostoli climbed from 5,000 in 2009 to 10,000 in 2011. In one of the most depressed neighbourhoods of Athens, Agios Panteleimonas, the food distributed by the church went up by over 60% in the year up to September 2011. According to Apostoli , whereas in 2009 only 14% of those receiving food hand-outs were Greek nationals, in 2011, the figure was 60%.

Although half the homeless in the country live in Athens and Piraeus host, the number has also risen in smaller cities such as Trikala, Heraklion and Chania, where the problem was until recently almost unknown. The profile of people becoming homeless has also been affected by the economic crisis. Α new class of homeless seems to be on the rise; with unemployment climbing to over 16% in the second quarter of 2011 (from under 8% in 2008) and an increasing number of small businesses going bankrupt, more and more people with high education and no psychological or addiction problems are unable to meet monthly bills and service loans and are being forced on to the streets.

At the same time, reductions in public spending and in housing and social service budgets have severely affected the ability of the support services to provide assistance to the homeless at a time when they were already struggling to meet the increasing demand. In November 2010, 61 of the 85 staff at the City of Athens Homeless Foundation were laid off, greatly reducing the services which could be provided. In addition, a new shelter, begun in 2009 and intended to relieve congestion in the two existing hostels, has never opened its doors because of a lack of staff. Perversely, housing benefit was also suspended in 2010, partly because the crisis had reduced the inflow of social contributions funding the scheme. Such action is the reverse of what is needed to protect the most vulnerable groups in Greek society and to prevent the economic crisis from turning into a social catastrophe.

Research carried out in the past – i.e. before the crisis – shows that the traditional causes leading to homelessness are multiple and complex and in most cases involve factors stretching back over many years (such as, in particular, behavioural and social problems). Broadly speaking the factors concerned can be grouped into three broad categories:

• structural factors, which include lack of access to, or availability of, affordable housing, limited access to the labour market and the lack of provision of social services; • social factors, such as barriers to social inclusion or the marginalisation of particular groups in society; • personal factors, such as poor mental health, relationship break-up, alcohol or drug addiction, a low level of education and lack of qualifications, gambling problems, a criminal record, exposure to domestic violence or lack of family support.

Although the first group of factors are clearly important at present, particularly as regards a lack of jobs and an inability to pay for the cost of housing, as well as, in some cases, limited provision of social services, the other two groups remain of significance. Indeed, the various factors tend to reinforce each other in a cumulative way, with unemployment

23 Theodorikakou O., et all, Facing the challenge of confronting homelessness in a national economic crisis: A pilot prevention policy model, in Understanding Homelessness and Housing Exclusion in the New European Context , FEANTSA's European Observatory on Homelessness - European Research Conference, Budapest, Friday 17 September 2010 http://www.klimaka.org.gr/newsite/downloads/Klimaka_research%20conference_2010.pdf

14 November 2011 European Commission Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion

Social Situation Observatory – Income Distribution and Living Conditions 2011 putting increasing strain on relationships and mental health and job shortages tending to lead to the increasing marginalisation of migrants and ethnic minorities.

A study on homelessness 24 carried in Zaragoza (Spain) in November 2010 revealed that 55% of those surveyed became homeless because they lost their jobs, 20% because of financial problems and nearly 18% as the result of a relationship break-up. Another survey 25 carried out in Hungary in 2010 showed that 14% of respondents had lost their home because they had been unable to pay the rent or bills and that the number without a steady source of income had increased as compared with 2009 (in particular, while 39% of those sleeping rough had a reasonably regular wage in 2009, the proportion had fallen fell to 16% in 2010). Overall, some 270,000 households in the country were over 3 months in arrears on servicing their housing debt in 2008.

In Italy, the number of families unable to make mortgage payments had risen to one in four by the first quarter of 2011 26 , suggesting a continuing rise in the number of evictions.

In West Pomerania in Poland, some 2,289 people who requested social assistance were threatened with eviction in 2009 and in 1,979 cases the eviction order was carried out. There is also some concern in the country about new legislation involving the gradual cancellation of the right to housing benefits for owners and co-owners of properties. The fear expressed by local authorities is that this will lead to more people becoming homeless as owners will no longer be able to pay for the cost of the upkeep of their homes 27 .

In France, where the number of evictions was increasing even before the onset of recession in the Paris area 28 , arrears of more than three months on payments to the French social rental organisations increased by 13% between late 2008 and late 2009 and the number of eviction orders made by the courts increased by 5% between 2008 and 2009 to 106,938, the most for 10 years 29 .

In Spain, the number of evictions in Barcelona increased by 16% in 2008 as a consequence of the financial difficulties of tenants caused by the onset of recession 30 . In 2010, there were 18,152 evictions, around 5 a day on average, and the number has remained at this level in 2011 31 . Throughout Spain, around 200,000 families were under threat of eviction in Autumn 2010, many of them migrants.

24 Spanish Red Cross: http://www.cruzrojazaragoza.es/node/934

25 Menhely Alapítványnál: http://www.menhely.hu/

26 Feantsa, Flash Newsletter April 2011 : http://www.feantsa.org/files/freshstart/Communications/Flash%20EN/PDF_2011/April/11_04_april_Flash_FEANTSA.pdf

27 Feantsa, Flash Newsletter July 2011 : http://www.feantsa.org/files/freshstart/Communications/Flash%20EN/PDF_2011/11_07_July_Flash_FEANTSA.pdf

28 Recueil statistique relatif à la pauvreté et à la précarité en Île-de-France, MIPS, 2008 http://www.ile-de-france.pref.gouv.fr/mipes/documents/Mipes_donnees_31_12_2007.pdf

29 Fondation Abbé Pierre pour le logement des défavorisés, L’état du mal-logement en France, 16ème rapport annuel , 2011. http://www.fondation-abbe-pierre.fr/_pdf/rml_11.pdf

30 http://www.elperiodico.com/default.asp?idpublicacio_PK=46&idioma=CAS&idnoticia_PK=581991&idseccio_PK=1022

31 Feantsa, Flash Newsletter July 2011 : http://www.feantsa.org/files/freshstart/Communications/Flash%20EN/PDF_2011/11_07_July_Flash_FEANTSA.pdf 15 November 2011 European Commission Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion

Social Situation Observatory – Income Distribution and Living Conditions 2011

In the UK, the number of homeless recognised by local authorities as such (in the sense that they are statutorily obliged to provide assistance), has risen dramatically in 2011 for the first time in many years, with increases in some areas of more than 50% in the numbers of people declaring themselves in need of housing. Rent arrears or mortgage defaults were mainly the cause of them losing their homes 32 .

In Ireland, most of the homeless surveyed in Dublin in 2010 reported that they had lost their homes mainly as a result of personal problems such as alcohol and drug addiction. Only 5% reported being evicted from local authority or private rented housing 33 . Repossessions are relatively rare but tending to increase. At the beginning of 2011, 45,000 homeowners have not made a mortgage repayment for three months or more. In 2010, and the Irish courts issued 600 repossession orders, many of them granted to mortgage lenders in cases where no repayments had been made over a long period of time. Most of the repossessions were for residential properties, with 306 properties being seized by the banks, 263 of them due to default on home loans 34 .

Measures to prevent homelessness

Leaving aside action to stimulate economic growth and create jobs, which is ultimately the most effective way of reversing the rise in homelessness which has occurred since the onset of the crisis, there are various direct ways of trying to reduce the numbers. The provision of social housing is one option, but the stock of such housing needs to sufficient and in good repair. In Estonia, for example, more and more families with children and people previously unaffected by homelessness are making use of homelessness services. Some have access to social housing but it is in short supply and because it tends not to be energy efficient, heating costs can be high enough to cause pressure on family budgets 35 .

Special programmes have been adopted in some countries to prevent evictions or repossessions taking place. In rural districts in Munich, for example, a special unit for the prevention of ‘rooflessness’36 has successfully helped many people to avoid eviction. Of the 1,001 requests for support in 2009-10, 846 resulted in eviction being prevented. In the UK, Government measures were introduced at the end of 2008 to make it easier for homeowners to defer mortgage payments if they faced a temporary or unexpected drop in income, with the express intention of reducing repossessions. Although repossessions increased from 40,000 in 2008 to 46,000 in 2009, this was far less than was initially expected (the Council of Mortgage Lenders had forecast a rise to 75,000 before the measures began to take effect), and in 2010, the number fell by almost a quarter to 36,000 37 .

32 http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/corporate/statistics/homelessnessq12011

33 Dublin Simon Community, Homelessness makes you sick , Snap Shot Health Survey Report 2010. http://www.drugsandalcohol.ie/14001/1/HomelessnessMakesYouSick_HealthReport2010.pdf

34 http://www.stop-repossessions.co.uk/news/2011/Feb/repossessions-in-ireland-increase-93761870.html

35 Feantsa, Flash Newsletter December 2010 : http://www.feantsa.org/files/freshstart/Communications/Flash%20EN/PDF_2010/10_12_December_FEANTSA_Flash _EN.pdf

36 http://www.landkreis-muenchen.de/familie-gesellschaft-gesundheit-soziales/soziale-hilfen-und- notlagen/obdachlosigkeit-gemeinsam-verhindern/

37 Council of Mortgage Lender statistics, http://www.cml.org.uk/cml/media/press/2836

16 November 2011 European Commission Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion

Social Situation Observatory – Income Distribution and Living Conditions 2011

5. Concluding remarks The absence of any agreed and consolidated set of data on the extent of homelessness across the EU means that it is difficult to assess the numbers affected and how they have risen over the past three years since the onset of the financial crisis and economic recession. It also means in some degree that the scale of the problem is concealed and, accordingly, subject to less public concern than it otherwise would be, or deserves, as a result. Pressure, therefore, tends to be taken off policy-makers to do something about the problem, while the same absence of data makes it all the more difficult to take effective action to tackle it.

Despite the lack of coherent and comparable statistics and the methodological difficulties of defining and measuring the concept, it is evident from the piecemeal data available that homelessness has risen across the EU as the economic – and financial – crisis has persisted. The profile of the homeless population has, therefore, altered as people losing their jobs, not being able to find work or experiencing a sudden drop in income have joined the core group of social misfits, the mentally disturbed, those suffering from drug or alcohol addiction and those experiencing a break-up of a relationship. The extent of the increase varies markedly both between and within countries, reflecting the scale of the downturn in economic activity but also the measures put in place – or not put in place –to avoid people being evicted from rented accommodation or having their homes repossessed, as well as the general attitude of mortgage lenders to payment arrears and their willingness to accept rescheduling.

The evidence also suggests that migrants, especially those from outside the EU, but not only, and young people have been disproportionately affected, in part because of their lack of access to social benefits and support services, especially in countries where the informal economy is well developed. The rise in homelessness among these groups has put increasing pressure on voluntary organisations which are in any case struggling to cope with the increased demand for their assistance as a result of cutbacks in both benefits and social services which have been introduced as part of measures in a number of countries. The continuing emphasis on budgetary consolidation and the limited prospects for any significant economic recovery imply that this pressure is likely to intensify across the EU over the next year or two.

17 November 2011 European Commission Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion

Social Situation Observatory – Income Distribution and Living Conditions 2011

Annex: Recent trends in homelessness across the EU Belgium There are estimated to be around 17,000 homeless people in the country, though these leave out of account the growing number of people ‘without official papers'. Two censuses carried in Brussels in November 2008 38 and November 2010 39 showed that the number of homeless increased from 1,771 to 1,944. The proportion of people sleeping rough or in squats, however, declined from 31% to 22% over the period. In the 2010 census, 33% of the people interviewed had no official documents and 9% were refugees.

During Spring 2010, the Catholic University of Leuven 40 interviewed a sample of 275 ‘homeless’ people and 170 people with no regular papers. Most were men (61%) and were living alone (79%), but 32% of homeless women were living with their children. The majority spent nights in shelters (83%). Most were poorly educated (70% had left school without any qualifications) and only 20% of men and 5% of women had a formal job. A third worked in the informal economy. Some 16.5% of those ‘without official papers’, however, had a university degree but were low skilled.

Denmark According to a census conducted across the country, the total number of people who were homeless in the survey week was virtually the same in February 2009 as in February 2007 41 . There was also little difference in the composition of the homeless in terms of the proportion sleeping on the street, shelters, with friends, etc. Latest statistics show a slight shift of homelessness to medium-sized municipalities. The number of people registered as homeless had fallen in Copenhagen and surrounding towns, while it had risen in most large and medium-sized provincial towns, particularly in Aarhus and Aalborg. Most of the homeless were staying overnight with family or friends (22%) or in sheltered accommodation (39%). However 10% were sleeping rough (19% of these were between 18 and 29 years old). The great majority were men (78% in 2009) and only 5% were aged 60 or over). Around 20% were from ethnic minorities. Few were employed and most received social assistance or disability benefits. Some 25 % of those surveyed had been homeless for over 2 years and 22% for less

38 La Strada, Une première tentative de dénombrement des personnes sans-abri dans la Région de Bruxelles- Capitale, 2008 http://www.feantsa.org/files/freshstart/Working_Groups/Data_collection/Data/comptagelastrada.doc

39 La Strada, Deuxième dénombrement des personnes sans abri, sans logement et en logement inadéquat en région de Bruxelles-Capitale le 8 novembre 2010, May 2011 http://www.lstb.be/pdf/DENOMBREMENT%20VERSION%200505.pdf

40 Schockaert, I., and I. Nicaise, Les conditions de vie des personnes sans abri et sans chez soi et des personnes en séjour irrégulier , HIVA, 2010. http://www.luttepauvrete.be/publications/confpresse%20silcut/texte%20recherche%20HIVA.pdf

41 Benjaminsen, L., 2009 , The Danish National Centre for Social Research http://www.sfi.dk/Default.aspx?ID=4726&Action=1&NewsId=2300&PID=9422

18 November 2011 European Commission Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion

Social Situation Observatory – Income Distribution and Living Conditions 2011

than 3 months.

Ireland Some 2,366 people were assisted by homeless services in Dublin in 2008, after the onset of the crisis, only slightly more than in 2005. Just over twice as many men as women (68% of the total as against 32%) made use of the services and almost half had become homeless for the first time over the preceding three years. Only 5% reported that they were sleeping rough, just over half as many as in 2005 and 38% of these were non-Irish nationals as compared with only 9% in 2005 42 . The Homeless Agency’s annual street count, conducted on a single night in November 2010, found only 70 people sleeping rough in Dublin, up from 60 in 2009. Half were non-Irish nationals as against almost three-quarters in in 2009 43 .

Spain According to a study carried out by the National Statistical Office 44 , on average 13,701 people were accommodated each day in the 755 shelters for homeless in 2010. This was 16% more than in 2008. Just over half of the shelters mainly accommodated migrants. The number of rough sleepers who were foreign nationals also increased 45 . In Madrid, it rose from 535 in March 2009 to 596 a year later 46 . Half were migrants. Most were men (78%), predominantly in their mid-40s and socially vulnerable. Some73% were alone and had no family or social support. In Seville, 253 rough sleepers were recorded on the night of 3 November 2010, 84% of them men and 59% foreign nationals 47 . Surveys 48 carried out in 2008 in Barcelona and Lerida (a medium-sized city in Catalonia with an economy linked to agriculture) show a similar picture with 62% of the 658 rough sleepers having foreign nationality in Barcelona and 75% of the 7-0 in Lerida.

Italy The number of homeless people in Italy is estimated to total around 50- 60,000 49 . This compares with a national survey estimate of 17,000 in 2000.

According to a Catholic Congregation Sant’Egidio count in Rome in early 2011 50 , there were 6.000 homeless people, 2,700 of them in temporary

42 Homeless Agency Partnership, Counted In, 2008 – A report on the extent of homelessness in Dublin http://www.homelessagency.ie/About-Homelessness/Homeless-Figures.aspx

43 http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2010/1206/1224284846907.html

44 INE (Instituto Nacional de Estadística), Encuesta sobre las Personas sin hogar- Centros año 2010, Notas de prensa , 12 julio 2011 http://www.ine.es/prensa/np667.pdf

45 http://www.bbc.co.uk/mundo/noticias/2010/11/101110_espana_migrantes_sin_techo_jrg.shtml

46 http://noticiaspsh.org/spip.php?article2479

47 Informe Nessum Dorma, Recuento de Personas sin hogar en la ciudad de Sevilla 2010 , 2011. http://www.noticiaspsh.org/IMG/pdf/Nessun_Dorma_2010.pdf

48 Cabrera, P. et all, ¿Quien duerme en la calle? Una investigación social y ciudadana sobre las personas sin techo , Barcelona, Fundación Caixa Catalunya, 2008. http://obrasocial.catalunyacaixa.com/osocial/idiomes/2/fitxers/solidaritat/duerme_calle08.pdf

49 Feantsa, Flash Newsletter April 2011 : http://www.feantsa.org/files/freshstart/Communications/Flash%20EN/PDF_2011/April/11_04_april_Flash_FEANTSA.pdf

50 http://www.romasette.it/modules/news/article.php?storyid=6721

19 November 2011 European Commission Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion

Social Situation Observatory – Income Distribution and Living Conditions 2011

accommodation or shelters run by the city or by religious organisations, 1,000 in makeshift homes and 2,300 sleeping rough.

Latvia The number of people sleeping in night shelters in Riga rose from 2,164 in 2007 to 2,597 in 2009. Most of the rise consisted of an increasing number of families using the service (+108% between 2007 and 2008 and + 52% between 2008 and 2009). In addition, the social rehabilitation services in Riga helped 475 people per month in 2009, (9% more than in 2008. The rise in numbers is linked to the increase in unemployment, 72% of those assisted being unemployed in 2009 as against 35% in 2008. Only 6% were employed. Most of the homeless have insufficient income to rent or buy accommodation 51 .

Hungary According to the data collected by Budapesti Módszertani Szociális Központ on 3 February of each year,7,270 homeless people (40% of them rough sleepers) were interviewed in 2009 in Budapest and 8,075 in 2010 (38% rough sleepers) as against 2,539 in 1999 (only 3% being rough sleepers). Around half of the people concerned had owned or rented their own home before becoming homeless 52 .

Poland Two surveys carried out by the Department of Social Assistance and Integration of the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy 53 in December 2009 and January 2010 collected data on the number of shelters, of the places in them and of the homeless using them in each of the 16 Polish provinces. In total, 39,187 homeless people were found to use shelters during the times concerned, concentrated mainly in large cities like Warsaw, Poznan, and Katowice. Only 5,411 were covered by the Individual Programme for Getting Out of Homelessness in 2009, or just 18% of the total 54 . Regional surveys further show that homelessness is on the rise, though it remains concentrated in large cities.

In the Lublin province, for example, the number of homeless people receiving social assistance increased by 399 between 2005 and 2008 (and by 182in 2008 alone) with a further rise in 2009. Nearly 10% reported being homeless due to eviction, 146% due to unemployment and 7% because of indebtedness. Housing problems were most often reports by young people

51 Moors M., and L. Grobina, Homelessness in Latvia , Peer review on the Finnish National Programme to reduce long-term homelessness, 2-3 December 2010. http://www.peer-review-social-inclusion.eu/peer-reviews/2010/the- finnish-national-programme-to-reduce-long-term-homelessness

52 Gyõri P. and B. Fehér, Life on the Margins of the Housing Market, in Understanding Homelessness and Housing Exclusion in the New European Context , FEANTSA's European Observatory on Homelessness - European Research Conference,Budapest, Friday 17 September 2010

53 Ministerstwo Pracy i Polityki Społecznej, BEZDOMNOŚĆ W POLSCE diagnoza na dzień 31 stycznia 2010 , Warsawa, 2010. http://www.mpips.gov.pl/gfx/mpips/userfiles/File/Departament%20Pomocy%20Spolecznej/BEZDOMNOSC_diagn oza%2010%2011%202010.pdf

54 Bielecka-Prus J., et all., Social and institutional aspects of homelessness in the Lublin Province , WSPA, Lublin 2011. http://www.projektybadawcze.wspa.pl/files/social-and-institutiona-aspects-of-homelessness-www.pdf

20 November 2011 European Commission Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion

Social Situation Observatory – Income Distribution and Living Conditions 2011

under 35 (44%) and financial difficulties by those between 46 and 55 (35%). A larger proportion of women reported housing problems than men (36% as against 31%) as well as family problems (24% as against 14% as causes of homelessness. Overall, around half of the homeless supported themselves by working, while the other half were in receipt of pension or benefits. Few (4%) had permanent jobs 55 .

Portugal In Lisbon, a survey conducted at the end of 2008 estimated the number of homeless at around 1,200 56 . In 2010 AMI, an NGO in Lisbon, provided support to 19% more homeless than in 2009 and the number supported for the first time was 23% larger. The great majority were men (84%) if working-age, nationals (58%) and without any qualifications (68%). Only 8% were in work. Some 27% reported sleeping rough, 31% in shelters and 16% with friends or relatives 57 .

Finland The 2009 ARA report 58 shows that homelessness had risen since 2006 in almost every city, but most of all in Helsinki and Kuopio. Most of the people concerned in Helsinki (2,460 out of 3,465) lived with relatives or friends. The 2010 report 59 indicates that while lonely homeless declined slightly (by just over 3%), the number of homeless families increased (by 8%).

There were 7,877 homeless people living alone in Finland in November 2010, 83% of them men and 18% under 25. The share of migrants among them had risen by just 3% or so between 2000 and 2006, but by 7% in 2009 and 9% in 2010. The proportion of migrants among homeless families in 2010 was over 40% in 2010 as opposed to only 16% in 2007.

Sweden A new national census of homelessness was carried in 2011 but the results are not yet available. Data collected at local level, however, indicate the problem is growing. The yearly homelessness count in Malmö 60 shows that in 2010 there were 900 homeless people in the municipality, 40 more than in 2009. The majority were aged 25-39. Although most of these were men, the number of women increased markedly in 2010 (to 170 from 86 in 2009), while the number of men fell by 52. This was accompanied by an increase in the number of children to 196.

55 Bielecka-Prus J., et all., Social and institutional aspects of homelessness in the Lublin Province , WSPA, Lublin 2011. http://www.projektybadawcze.wspa.pl/files/social-and-institutiona-aspects-of-homelessness-www.pdf

56 Damon, J., Les politiques de prise en charge des sans-abri dans l’Union Européenne , Rapport au Ministre du Logement, 2009 http://www.julien-damon.com/IMG/pdf/RapportJDamonSansAbridansUnion.pdf

57 AMI, Homelessness in Lisbon – 2010 : http://www.feantsa.org/files/freshstart/Communications/Flash%20EN/Docs_relating_to_Flash_2011/May/Homeless ness%20in%20Lisbon.pdf

58 ARA (The Housing Finance and Development Centre of Finland), Asunnottomat 2009 , 2010. http://www.ara.fi/download.asp?contentid=23753&lan=fi

59 ARA (The Housing Finance and Development Centre of Finland), Asunnottomat 2010 , 2011. http://www.asuntoensin.fi/files/1068/Selvitys_4_2011_Asunnottomat_2010.pdf

60 http://svt.se/2.33782/1.2215522/hemlosheten_okar_i_malmo?lid=senasteNytt_1851293&lpos=rubrik_2215522

21 November 2011 European Commission Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion

Social Situation Observatory – Income Distribution and Living Conditions 2011

UK Recent statistics show that homelessness is on the rise in all parts of the UK and seemingly by twice as fast in rural areas as in towns and cities. Waiting lists for local authority housing in rural areas have reached record levels, with the number recognised as homeless rising by 25% in 2010 as compared with a rise of 11% in urban areas 61 .

According to the Northern Ireland Housing Bulletin, 5,759 households officially reported being homeless in the province during the first three months of 2011, bringing the total for the year up to end-March 2011 to 20,158 compared with 18,664 the year before 62 .

In England, around 12,000 households were recognised by local authorities as being homeless at the end of 2008, in the sense that there was a statutory duty to house them. During the last quarter of 2010, 10,870 new applications were accepted (up by 15% on the same period in 2009) and the number continued to rise during the first half of 2011 63 . In parallel with this rise, a survey 64 conducted between June 2010 and January 2011 showed that sleeping rough was also on the increase. Some 76% had slept rough at some point during their spell of homelessness, many for a prolonged period.

61 Feantsa, Flash Newsletter February 2011 : http://www.feantsa.org/files/freshstart/Communications/Flash%20EN/PDF_2011/February/11_02_February_FEANTS A_Flash_EN.pdf

62 Feantsa, Flash Newsletter August 2011 : http://www.feantsa.org/files/freshstart/Communications/Flash%20EN/PDF_2011/11_08_August_Flash_FEANTSA_EN. pdf

63 Communities and Local Government, Housing Statistical Release, Statutory Homelessness data. http://www.communities.gov.uk/housing/housingresearch/housingstatistics/housingstatisticsby/homelessnessstatis tics/publicationshomelessness/

64 Reeve K., and E. Batty, The hidden truth about homelessness: Experiences of single homelessness in England , Crisis, May 2011. http://www.crisis.org.uk/data/files/publications/HiddenTruthAboutHomelessness_web.pdf

22 November 2011