The 2014-2019 European Parliament's Record On
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THE 2014-2019 EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT’S RECORD ON HOMELESSNESS A FEANTSA Report THE 2014-2019 EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT’S RECORD ON HOMELESSNESS TABLE OF CONTENTS 17 EVENTS 17 Homelessness Among Mobile EU Citizens: 2 What Are the Reasons, What Are the FOREWORD Solutions? 17 Launch of Be Fair, Europe - Stand up for Homeless People! Campaign 3 18 Roundtable on Homelessness Among RESOLUTIONS Migrants in Transit 18 Launch of the Third Overview of Housing Exclusion in Europe 2018 5 FOCUS ON… 18 Roundtable on Providing Support for Undocumented Migrants 5 Women’s Homelessness 6 Youth Homelessness 19 6 Marginalised Communities STANDOUT MEPS 19 Marian Harkin, Group of the Alliance of 7 Liberals and Democrats for Europe RAPPORTEURS 19 Neena Gill, Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats 19 Jean Lambert, Group of the Greens- 8 European Free Alliance EXTENT OF CROSS-PARTY SUPPORT 20 RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FUTURE 15 WRITTEN QUESTIONS 22 REFERENCES 16 22 Resolutions WRITTEN DECLARATION 25 Written Questions 1 2 FEANTSA FOREWORD Homelessness and Representatives from the four largest political housing exclusion groups have asked Written Questions, are on the increase co-authored a Written Declaration and been in Europe. Millions of the rapporteur for a Report which has related to citizens are being left homelessness. Indeed, what emerges from the behind by inadequate policy report is that support for European action on responses, with knock-on effects on social homelessness is not a left versus right issue, but cohesion and economic growth. The tools rather a question of pro-EU versus Euroscepticism. required to deal with these challenges already exist and the EU has a crucial role to play in MEPs have also organised a wide range of finding solutions. events and initiatives to support the fight against homelessness, as will be detailed further in the In 2010, the European Union committed to lifting report. 20 million people out of poverty by 2020. By the European Parliamentary elections in 2014, Such activities signal an intent by the European homelessness was rapidly increasing across the Parliament to tackle homelessness. continent. Following the elections, FEANTSA called on the new Chairs of the European However, it is now vital that as the EU draws Parliamentary Groups, who had voted in favour up its post-2020 agenda, the fight against of a Resolution on EU Homelessness Strategy homelessness is at the heart of the ambition for a in 2011, to use their new positions to follow-up social “triple A” with “no one left behind”. That on their calls and to act as catalysts in putting a is why this report will finish with 5 strategic approach to end homelessness in place. recommendations for action for the new 2019-2024 European Parliament. FEANTSA has long seen the European Parliament as a crucial ally in the fight against homelessness. The current mandate has seen a wide range of positive action by the Parliament in tackling homelessness. This report will survey the outputs of the EP in relation to homelessness and show Freek Spinnewijn the extent to which this is a cross-party issue. FEANTSA Director THE 2014-2019 EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT’S RECORD ON HOMELESSNESS RESOLUTIONS Throughout the 2014-2019 term, the These calls reflect the changing profile of European Parliament’s commitment to tackling homeless people, with women, young people, homelessness across Europe has been clear, with people with a migration background, the numerous relevant resolutions having been passed working poor becoming increasingly numerous which reflect the Parliament’s concern about among the homeless population. These calls also the challenge posed by increasing homelessness emanate from across party lines, with all of the across Europe. Since 2014, the Parliament has main parties in the European Parliament having passed 19 resolutions with a specific mention of fielded a rapporteur for a resolution related to homelessness; with topics ranging from gender homelessness. This makes it clear that solidarity inequality, fundamental rights, children, disability, toward the homeless of Europe is a non-partisan marginalised communities, the European Pillar issue. of Social Rights, the European Semester, Roma, employment, poverty and urban policy.1 1 See bibliography on p. 20 for full list 3 4 FEANTSA AVERAGE ALIGNMENT OF PARTY VOTES FOR RESOLUTIONS RELATING TO HOMELESSNESS IN 2014-2019 For Against Abstentions 2% 5.4% 9.3% 7.7% 5% 7.7% 3.6% 12.7% 16.9% 18.4% 8.8% 25.8% 10.6% 32.7% 57% 62.2% 81.3% 81.9% 91% 56.9% 81.7% 93% 59.6% 26.1% 17.3% 19.4% 6% EPP S&D ECR ALDE Greens/EFA GUE-NGL EFDD ENF Non- attached The graph above charts the alignment of been overwhelmingly positive support for the individual votes from each party for each of resolutions from most of the largest political the 19 resolutions that passed through the groups, with support stemming from all sides of Parliament. As it clearly shows, there has the political spectrum. THE 2014-2019 EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT’S RECORD ON HOMELESSNESS FOCUS ON… Women’s Homelessness In 2017, the EU began accession to the Istanbul Social Affairs and stated that “more research is Convention on Preventing and Combating required on the rates and causes of women losing Violence Against Women and in September 2017, or leaving their homes.” The second Resolution, the European Parliament endorsed this by a large on poverty: a gender perspective was adopted majority. 2017 was the European Year of focus by the Committee on Women’s Rights and on violence against women. This has helped put Gender Equality which reasserted the need to women’s homelessness, which is often directly “undertake research into female homelessness caused by violence, in the spotlight in a range as the phenomenon is inadequately captured in of EP resolutions. In the first half of 2016, two current data.” Resolutions within the space of six weeks called for more research to be done into women’s homelessness. The first, the Resolution on meeting the antipoverty target in the light of increasing household costs, was adopted by the Committee of Employment and 5 6 FEANTSA Youth Homelessness Throughout the 2014-2019 Parliamentary term, recognised the growing precarity of Europe’s the profile of homeless people across Europe youth and called for recognition of initiatives has been changing. Young people are now in such as the Youth Guarantee to help prevent a more precarious position than ever before, the expanding figure of young people facing with 30% of homeless people reported to be poverty and housing exclusion. Similarly, the 2017 under the age of 25. The European Parliament Resolution on combating the sexual abuse has recognised this changing demographic and sexual exploitation of children and child and has worked to address these shocking pornography recognises the need for further figures, and to protect those who already find research into abuse of vulnerable young people themselves on the streets. In February 2016, the experiencing homelessness, particularly those in Resolution on meeting the antipoverty target the LGBTI+ community. in the light of increasing household costs Marginalised Communities Across the EU, minority communities are marginalised communities including refugees, disproportionately affected by homelessness. asylum seekers, and ethnic and linguistic minorities, including Roma. Similarly, the The European Parliament, through its resolutions, European Parliament resolution of 25 October has clearly recognised this systemic prejudice and 2017 on fundamental rights aspects in Roma has worked hard to help the social integration integration in the EU was structured around of marginal communities, such as Roma Gypsies. combatting anti-Gypsyism, quoting the often The 2015 resolution on cohesion policy discriminatory practices that the Roma community and marginalised communities recognises face on the housing market, making housing the frequency of housing exclusion among instability a frequent part of Roma’s lives. RAPPORTEURS The level of cross-party support for action within the Parliament to help end homelessness is also reflected in the rapporteurs for each of the resolutions produced. As can be seen in the graph below, seven out of the eight political groups have had at least one rapporteur compose a report that referenced homelessness and concern about its growth throughout the EU 28. NUMBER OF RAPPORTEURS 1 S&D 1 EPP 2 6 Greens/EFA ALDE 2 EFDD GUE-NGL ECR 3 4 7 8 FEANTSA EXTENT OF CROSS-PARTY SUPPORT The following is a list of the votes on resolutions passed through the parliament with the greatest amount of cross- party support. The content of the resolutions varies, but, in essence, they all centre around the idea of protecting the rights of the most vulnerable in our society, who are often themselves the most often at risk of experiencing homelessness. Below you will find the 5 resolutions, accompanied by the text of the resolution relating to homelessness, as well as graphs outlining the make-up of the political groups voting. THE 2014-2019 EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT’S RECORD ON HOMELESSNESS European Parliament resolution of 24 November 2015 on REDUCING INEQUALITIES WITH A SPECIAL FOCUS ON CHILD POVERTY 24 November 2015 Rapporteur 3 Inês Cristina Zuber, GUE/NGL Q. whereas children and their parents, foster It should be noted that 11% of children live in parents and caregivers must be protected from families that spend more than 40% of their discrimination on any grounds such as sex, race, disposable income on housing costs (in Greece colour, language, religion or belief, political or this figure is 38%) and the latest reports from the other opinion, national, ethnic or social origin, European Federation of National Organisations association with a national minority, property, Working with the Homeless state that birth, disability, age or other status, and whereas accommodation for the homeless is increasingly children from vulnerable population groups occupied by women, young people and families are more at risk of marginalisation, poverty with children, with migrant children being and social exclusion, as confirmed by the latest over-represented.