Europe’s Homelessness Crisis: Seeking Solutions Through Social Investment
Europe Grapples with rising Homelessness: Conference Seeks Solutions Through Social Investment
Strasbourg,France – As the number of homeless individuals in Europe climbs to an alarming 1.3 million, policymakers, social leaders, and experts are converging in Strasbourg on December 3rd for a critical conference aimed at tackling this growing crisis. The event, “Addressing Homelessness through Social Investment,” co-organized by the Council of Europe and the Council of Europe Development bank (CEB), will explore human rights-based solutions to this complex issue.“The Council of europe’s response to this challenge is necessarily a human rights-based one: people facing homelessness, especially the moast vulnerable, have to be helped and not penalized,” stated Gianluca Esposito, Director General of Human Rights and Rule of Law, ahead of the conference. “They need to be understood and not become victims of indifference or, worse, stereotypes.”
Esposito emphasized the urgent need for coordinated efforts at both local and international levels to reduce and ultimately eliminate homelessness, making housing a right accessible to all.
Tomáš Boček, CEB Vice-Governor for Target Group Countries, highlighted the CEB’s commitment to social and affordable housing, including finding permanent solutions for the homeless. “CEB’s operations have shown that prioritizing enduring, long-term funding and adopting appropriate financing models is essential for the long-term success of housing-led solutions,” he stressed.
The conference, which will be livestreamed, offers a timely platform to analyze current trends and identify effective housing strategies and social investments. Local authorities and organizations working directly with the homeless will share practical approaches, including housing-led solutions that prioritize immediate access to stable housing without preconditions.
Special attention will be given to the experiences of grassroots organizations in France,Germany,and the Slovak Republic. The CEB recently published a discussion paper examining financing-led solutions in France and Portugal, aiming to raise awareness about how actors in the sector can facilitate projects through adequate funding.
Solutions discussed at the conference will be grounded in the standards and achievements of the Council of Europe and the European Social Charter, which protects the right to housing and requires states to prevent and gradually eliminate homelessness. The jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights and recommendations from other international bodies will also inform the discussions.
This event is supported by the European Union under the InvestEU Advisory Hub.
Europe Grapples with Rising Homelessness: A Human Rights-Based Approach
Strasbourg, France: As Europe faces a growing homelessness crisis, with an estimated 1.3 million individuals without stable housing, a crucial conference is convening in Strasbourg on December 3rd.
Entitled “Addressing Homelessness through Social Investment,” the event, co-organized by the Council of Europe and the Council of Europe Growth bank (CEB), aims to bring together policymakers, social leaders, and experts to explore innovative solutions.
Gianluca Esposito, Director General of Human Rights and Rule of Law at the Council of Europe, stressed the importance of a human rights-based approach: “People facing homelessness…have to be helped and not penalized. They need to be understood and not become victims of indifference or, worse, stereotypes.” Esposito highlighted the urgent need for coordinated action at both local and international levels to make housing a right accessible to all.
Tomáš Boček, CEB Vice-Governor for target Group Countries, emphasized the CEB’s commitment to social and affordable housing. He stated, “CEB’s operations have shown that prioritizing enduring, long-term funding and adopting appropriate financing models is essential for the long-term success of housing-led solutions.”
The conference will delve into current trends, identify effective housing strategies, and explore social investment models. Local authorities and organizations working directly with the homeless will share practical approaches, with a particular focus on housing-led solutions that prioritize immediate access to stable housing without preconditions.
Experiences of grassroots organizations in France, Germany, and the Slovak Republic will be showcased.The CEB recently published a discussion paper examining financing-led solutions in France and Portugal, aiming to raise awareness about facilitating projects through adequate funding.
Discussions will be informed by the standards and achievements of the Council of Europe and the European social Charter,which protects the right to housing and requires states to prevent and gradually eliminate homelessness. The jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights and recommendations from other international bodies will also guide the conversations.
The conference will be livestreamed, offering global access to this critical dialog on tackling homelessness in Europe.
This event is supported by the European Union under the InvestEU Advisory Hub.