BRUSSELS — Homelessness remains one of Europe’s most persistent housing and social challenges, but research from the European Parliament shows that tackling it requires more than emergency accommodation or simply increasing the number of homes available.
A European Parliament study published in 2023 examined homelessness across the European Union and compared developments in countries including Denmark, Finland and Ireland. Its central argument was that homelessness should not be treated simply as a problem of individual failure or inadequacy.
Instead, the study called for systems that can prevent homelessness, provide secure and affordable housing quickly when homelessness occurs, and connect housing with welfare and health services.
That research remains relevant as the European Union develops new policies on housing exclusion and poverty in 2026.
On 6 May 2026, the European Commission presented the first EU Anti-Poverty Strategy and proposed a Council Recommendation specifically aimed at fighting housing exclusion. The Commission estimates that approximately 1 million people are affected by homelessness across the EU.
The proposed EU approach focuses on preventing homelessness, expanding social and affordable housing, providing stable housing solutions and connecting people with personalised support.
Homelessness is not measured in the same way across Europe
One of the difficulties in understanding homelessness across Europe is that Member States do not collect or present homelessness data in exactly the same way.
Definitions differ.
Counting methods differ.
Administrative systems differ.
And some forms of homelessness are more visible to government services than others.
The European Parliament study examined these differences when comparing countries and warned against treating national figures as if they were directly comparable without considering how the data were produced.
A person sleeping in emergency accommodation may be recorded in official statistics, while someone temporarily staying with relatives or friends may not be counted in the same way.
This means official homelessness statistics are essential, but they do not necessarily capture every person experiencing housing insecurity.
The European Parliament research nevertheless identified significant differences in homelessness trends between countries.
Its analysis included Denmark, Finland and Ireland, allowing the researchers to examine different approaches to measuring and responding to homelessness.
Finland provides a contrasting experience
Finland is one of the countries most frequently examined in discussions about homelessness because of its long-term reduction in homelessness.
The European Parliament study examined Finland’s homelessness figures from 1987 onwards, including trends in long-term homelessness, people living rough and people using shelters or other accommodation for homeless people.
The country’s experience is closely associated with Housing First, an approach that places permanent housing at the centre of the response.
The principle is that a person does not necessarily have to resolve every other difficulty before obtaining a permanent home.
Instead, housing provides the stable foundation from which other problems can be addressed.
That can include mental-health support, addiction services, healthcare, employment assistance, income support and help maintaining a tenancy.
Housing First therefore does not mean that housing is the only intervention.
It means that secure housing is treated as a starting point rather than simply the final reward after other problems have been resolved.
Housing First does not mean housing alone
This distinction is important.
A person experiencing homelessness may require a home, but may also need support to remain in that home.
Someone leaving institutional care may need accessible accommodation and community-based services.
A person dealing with addiction may require treatment and ongoing support.
Someone experiencing mental-health difficulties may need healthcare alongside stable housing.
And a household facing rent arrears may need financial or housing advice before homelessness occurs.
The European Parliament study therefore argues for integrated housing, welfare and health services rather than treating homelessness as an isolated housing problem.
The objective is not simply to provide a roof.
It is to create the conditions that allow people to obtain and maintain stable housing.
Ireland shows a different homelessness trend
Ireland provides an important contrast within the European Parliament’s research.
The study examined the growth in adults using emergency and temporary accommodation in Ireland and tracked new presentations to homelessness services and exits from emergency accommodation into housing.
The study’s Irish analysis covered the period up to 2023 and showed a substantial increase in adults living in emergency or temporary accommodation over the period examined.
This does not mean that Ireland and Finland can simply be compared by looking at a single homelessness figure.
The countries have different housing markets, welfare systems, social-housing provision and methods of measuring homelessness.
The comparison is nevertheless important because it demonstrates that homelessness can move in very different directions across European countries.
Prevention is becoming central to EU policy
The European Parliament’s 2023 research placed prevention at the centre of the response to homelessness.
Three years later, prevention has also become an explicit part of the European Commission’s 2026 policy approach.
The Commission’s proposed Council Recommendation on fighting housing exclusion calls for earlier intervention to prevent people from becoming homeless. Its measures include better monitoring, early-warning systems, emergency rent support, debt and housing advice and mediation.
The logic is straightforward.
If a household can receive help while it is still struggling with rent arrears, the intervention may prevent the loss of the home.
If someone is leaving institutional care, suitable accommodation and support can be arranged before they become homeless.
If a household cannot find an affordable home, access to social or affordable housing can reduce the risk of housing exclusion.
Prevention therefore operates before a person reaches emergency accommodation.
Affordable housing remains fundamental
Preventing homelessness cannot be separated from the availability and affordability of housing.
The European Commission says house prices in the EU have increased by around 60% since 2013 and identifies the lack of affordable housing as a major concern. The Commission says approximately 40% of citizens identify the lack of affordable housing as an immediate and urgent problem where they live.
The shortage is also affecting the ability to provide enough homes to meet demand.
In July 2026, the European Commission estimated that the EU needs more than two million homes every year to match current demand. It said around 1.6 million homes are currently being built annually, implying a gap of approximately 650,000 additional homes each year.
The Commission has begun gathering evidence for a Housing Simplification Package planned for 2027, examining ways to reduce unnecessary administrative burdens, costs and delays affecting housing supply.
The homelessness debate is therefore taking place within a much wider European housing shortage.
Poverty and housing exclusion are closely connected
Homelessness is the most severe form of housing exclusion, but the risk often develops before someone actually loses their home.
Eurostat reported that 92.7 million people in the EU, or 20.9% of the population, were at risk of poverty or social exclusion in 2025.
This is not a homelessness statistic.
The measure includes people facing at least one of several risks, including poverty, severe material and social deprivation or very low work intensity.
But financial insecurity can make it much harder for a household to absorb a rent increase, unexpected bill, loss of employment or other financial shock.
That creates a connection between poverty, housing affordability and homelessness prevention.
The European Commission’s 2026 Anti-Poverty Strategy therefore places housing exclusion within a broader approach to reducing poverty and social exclusion.
Disability and independent living are also part of the housing debate
Housing policy also intersects with disability and independent living.
Having accommodation does not necessarily mean that a person has everything required to live independently.
The home may be inaccessible.
Community support may be unavailable.
Healthcare or social services may not be sufficiently coordinated.
The European Commission’s 2026 approach therefore connects housing exclusion with independent living and the transition from institutional care towards community-based support. The Commission said that 1.4 million people with disabilities still live in institutional care and proposed stronger support for community-based living.
For people leaving institutional settings, the availability of appropriate housing and support can be an important part of preventing housing instability.
Emergency accommodation is an essential safety net
Emergency accommodation remains essential for people who have already lost their homes.
But it is not necessarily the final solution.
The European Parliament study argues that public policy should seek to minimise the duration of homelessness by rapidly providing secure and affordable housing. It also links this approach to reducing reliance on costly emergency accommodation and limiting the trauma associated with prolonged homelessness.
A person living in temporary accommodation may still face difficulties maintaining employment, education, healthcare and family life.
Moving into permanent accommodation can provide a more stable foundation from which other issues can be addressed.
The objective, therefore, is not simply to increase emergency capacity.
It is to reduce the number of people who become homeless and shorten the period for which people remain without permanent housing.
Why homelessness data are difficult to compare
The European Parliament study provides an important warning about comparing national homelessness figures.
Denmark, Finland and Ireland use different approaches to collecting and presenting homelessness information.
The study examined administrative data, national homelessness counts and other estimates when looking at the three countries.
In Ireland, for example, the study examined administrative information relating to people in emergency and temporary accommodation, as well as new presentations and exits from emergency accommodation.
In Finland, the research examined longer-term trends in homelessness and different categories of homeless people.
Denmark’s data included national homelessness counts and information from services used by people experiencing homelessness.
These differences mean that statistics need to be understood within their national context.
A lower reported figure does not automatically mean that fewer people are experiencing all forms of homelessness.
Some people may never enter emergency accommodation.
Others may stay temporarily with family or friends.
Some may move between unstable housing arrangements.
Better data collection is therefore essential to understanding the full scale of homelessness.
Europe does not have one homelessness model
The experiences examined by the European Parliament show why there is no single European homelessness pathway.
Denmark, Finland and Ireland have different:
- Housing markets
- Rental systems
- Social-housing sectors
- Welfare systems
- Homelessness services
- Data-collection methods
- Government structures
A policy that works in one country cannot automatically be transferred unchanged to another.
Housing First, for example, can provide lessons for other countries, but implementation depends on the availability of permanent housing, support services and the wider housing system.
European cooperation can nevertheless allow Member States to examine what has worked elsewhere and adapt those approaches to local circumstances.
The EU’s 2026 response puts housing exclusion higher on the agenda
The European Commission’s first EU Anti-Poverty Strategy, adopted on 6 May 2026, represents a new layer of EU policy focused on poverty, housing exclusion and social support.
Alongside the strategy, the Commission proposed a Council Recommendation on fighting housing exclusion.
The proposal focuses on:
- Preventing housing exclusion before homelessness occurs
- Improving monitoring and early intervention
- Providing stable housing solutions
- Expanding social and affordable housing
- Supporting housing-led approaches
- Connecting people with personalised services
- Improving access to social support
The Commission describes its approach as people-centred and focused on long-term solutions rather than relying solely on emergency responses.
Importantly, this remains a proposal.
The Commission said in May 2026 that Member States would discuss the proposed Recommendation with a view to Council adoption.
It should therefore not be described as an already-adopted EU homelessness law.
Housing supply and homelessness cannot be separated completely
The EU’s homelessness response is developing alongside efforts to address the wider shortage of housing.
The European Commission’s estimate that more than two million homes are needed each year illustrates the scale of the broader supply challenge.
The European Affordable Housing Plan also recognises that housing policy involves responsibilities at European, national, regional and local levels.
Housing remains primarily the responsibility of Member States, regions and cities, while the EU can provide policy coordination, funding and support.
This matters because homelessness cannot be addressed independently from the availability of homes.
If there are too few affordable homes, people with limited incomes can face increasing difficulty finding somewhere to live.
If social housing supply is insufficient, households may remain exposed to the private rental market.
And if rents and housing costs rise faster than household incomes, more people can become vulnerable to housing instability.
What the European evidence shows
The European Parliament’s 2023 study and the EU’s 2026 policy developments point to several connected issues.
Prevention matters.
Intervening before a household loses its home can prevent homelessness from occurring.
Secure housing matters.
Emergency accommodation can protect people during a crisis, but long-term stability requires permanent housing.
Affordability matters.
A household cannot maintain secure housing if the cost of accommodation is consistently beyond its financial means.
Support matters.
Some people experiencing homelessness require healthcare, disability services, addiction treatment, income support or other assistance alongside accommodation.
Data matters.
Governments need reliable information to understand homelessness and assess whether policies are reducing it.
Housing supply matters.
Where there are insufficient affordable homes, preventing homelessness becomes more difficult.
National circumstances matter.
The experience of Finland cannot simply be replicated in Ireland or another Member State without considering differences in housing, welfare and support systems.
Why housing alone is not enough
The evidence does not suggest that Europe can solve homelessness simply by building more homes.
But it also does not suggest that housing is secondary.
Secure housing is fundamental.
The more accurate conclusion is that housing needs to be combined with prevention and appropriate support.
A person experiencing homelessness may need a permanent home.
They may also need healthcare.
A person leaving institutional care may need accessible accommodation and community support.
A household facing rent arrears may need financial assistance or mediation.
A person with complex needs may require ongoing support to maintain their tenancy.
This is why the European Parliament study called for integrated housing, welfare and health services, while the European Commission’s 2026 proposal combines stable housing with prevention, social support and a housing-led approach.
The long-term challenge for Europe
The European Parliament’s 2023 research shows that homelessness has developed differently across Member States and that the way homelessness is measured can significantly affect how those trends are understood.
The European Union’s 2026 policy response builds on some of the same principles identified in that research: preventing homelessness, expanding access to affordable housing, reducing reliance on emergency accommodation and connecting housing with wider support.
The challenge now is implementation.
For people across Europe, the practical questions are straightforward.
Can households afford a home?
Can people remain in their homes when they experience financial difficulties?
Is affordable and social housing available when the private market is out of reach?
Can people leaving institutional care access suitable accommodation?
Can people with disabilities live independently with appropriate support?
And when homelessness does occur, can people move quickly from emergency accommodation into a secure permanent home?
Homelessness is therefore more than a question of emergency beds.
It is also a measure of how effectively housing systems prevent people from losing their homes, how quickly they can provide secure accommodation when homelessness occurs, and whether wider social and support systems can help people remain housed.
Europe’s homelessness challenge is a housing challenge — but it is also a question of affordability, prevention, social protection, health, support and access to secure long-term homes.
Sources
- European Parliament, Homelessness in the European Union, Study, 22 November 2023.
- European Commission, EU Anti-Poverty Strategy, 6 May 2026.
- European Commission, Fighting housing exclusion and supporting independent living, 6 May 2026.
- European Commission, Fighting housing exclusion.
- European Commission, How can we simplify rules governing housing supply in Europe?, 1 July 2026.
- Eurostat, 20.9% of people at risk of poverty or social exclusion, 30 April 2026.
