The event, which welcomed the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Adequate Housing, Koldo Casla, reflected on how EU social policy instruments can be used to address the issue, and to inform discussions around the Council recommendation on fighting housing exclusion and homelessness.

Here are the key messages which emerged from the discussion:

• Homelessness is a matter of human rights: Child homelessness is one of the most serious forms of poverty and social exclusion.
• There is a growing crisis in Europe: Nearly one in four children is at risk of poverty and social exclusion in the European Union.
• Housing is a right, not a privilege: Homelessness is, at least in part, the result of financialization of housing.
• Homelessness is about housing, but not only: It is a multidimensional phenomenon that is often the result of several interacting circumstances, such as unaffordable housing, inadequate income support, low labour market attachment, family breakdown, domestic violence, discrimination, migration status, disability, and health problems.
• There is a need to move from emergency to human rights-based responses: Too often, Governments focus on emergency responses rather than preventing homelessness.
• EU’s leadership role: The EU has a crucial role to play in setting ambitious standards, as its policies influence housing and homelessness responses globally.

Read the full outcome document here.