Breaking Housing Barriers Webinar
On December 18, 2024, in the spirit of International Human Rights Day (December 10), the International Rescue Committee – IRC Hellas hosted a webinar to shed light on the challenges asylum seekers, refugees, and unaccompanied children face in accessing dignified accommodation across the European Union. With representatives from the Council of Europe (CoE) and experts from civil society organizations (CSOs) operating in five EU member states, the event served as a platform to exchange experiences, share best practices, and explore innovative solutions to improve housing access for vulnerable populations.
The webinar "Breaking Housing Barriers" was organized in the context of the “RAISE EU- Rights Awareness and Information Services for Enhancing EU Values” project, with the objective of empowering the socioeconomic integration of beneficiaries of international protection. The webinar featured insights from both IRC Hellas’ “RAISE EU” project and integration program in Greece, enriched by experts across the EU who provided their own experiences and solutions.
Marc Van den Reeck, representative of the Migration Committee (Conference of INGOs) of the Council of Europe , emphasized the crucial role of dignified accommodation in the integration process of refugees and asylum seekers. He portrayed it as a key pillar of social inclusion and outlined the five fundamental criteria for accommodation policies. Mr. Van den Reeck stressed that authorities have the ultimate responsibility to set policies ensuring appropriate accommodation, while NGOs and CSOs can adopt a subsidiary role. He emphasized that accommodation policies should provide dignified solutions for vulnerable populations, moving away from shelters and overcrowded facilities that fail to meet basic needs and end up dehumanizing those they aim to serve. Additionally, Mr. Van den Reeck suggested that housing policies should adopt long-term perspectives, as short-term and medium-term solutions, often hindered by frequent policy changes and budget cuts, undermine the integration and future planning of those they aim to serve. He also underlined that housing policies should create safe conditions to protect vulnerable populations and foster an environment of security. Finally, Mr. Van den Reeck underscored the need for holistic approaches to accommodation, including local partnerships between authorities and CSOs, as well as solutions focused on urban environments with unhindered access to healthcare, education, and employment. These measures aim to foster intercultural interactions and create an environment of mutual understanding among newcomers and host communities. As a final remark, he encouraged CSOs to strengthen their advocacy efforts with policymakers and leverage the best practices implemented across the Union.
Simona Barbu from FEANTSA spotlighted the rising housing crisis across Europe, affecting approximately 1.29 million people nightly. This crisis impacts a wide range of demographics, including women, families with children, migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers, who bear the greatest burden. Drawing from FEANTSA’s experience, she flagged that the implemented policies on homelessness traditionally used to have a focus on managing the phenomenon with short-term planning, rather than addressing the root causes and designing long-term interventions. Ms. Barbu underlined that the main contributing factors to homelessness are restrictive policies, inadequate implementation of legislation, financial barriers, discrimination, and a severe shortage of affordable housing. She shared solutions and best practices from the Netherlands, Sweden, and France on social housing schemes for refugees, as well as self-rehabilitation projects in Italy where unaccompanied minors renovated houses with community support. Finally, Ms. Barbu called for more inclusive policies on homelessness, increased funding, and collaboration between authorities and CSOs to launch successful initiatives to address the needs of vulnerable populations.
Christina Arnal, representing Samusocial , highlighted the interrelation between homelessness and migration in Brussels, noting that homelessness has been exacerbated since 2021 when the Belgian government stopped providing housing for single male asylum seekers, contrary to Belgian and international law. This has led to an increased backlog of persons waiting for accommodation for 6 to 8 months. She stressed that long asylum procedures, limited available houses, rising rentals, overbooked social housing, discrimination, language barriers, and limited access to civil rights have intensified the accommodation crisis, creating additional humanitarian challenges for refugees and asylum seekers. Drawing from her organization’s experience, she explained that the country serves both as a reception and transit destination, where vulnerable populations, including women, families, and unaccompanied children, face multiple hardships, including homelessness. To respond to this, Samusocial launched the Dubruk shelter project in 2022, where the facility offers a safe space and provides 100 housing places for minors to reside for up to 3 months. Finally, Ms. Arnal stressed the need for CSOs to continue their work and collaborate to improve policies and support vulnerable populations amid an uncertain future under the incoming new government.
Ersi Kotsovolou from the IRC provided an overview of Greece’s housing scheme and challenges, with a particular focus on unaccompanied minors, highlighting the legal framework foreseeing dignified living conditions for vulnerable groups. She flagged that accommodation centers, such as the Closed Control Access Centers (CCACs), are overcrowded, lack adequate infrastructure and medical services, and are located far from cities, exacerbating hardships and hindering integration. Ms. Kotsovolou underscored that unaccompanied children face additional challenges, such as limited freedom of movement when hosted in CCACs, delays in transfers to shelters, improper accommodation shelters, and hindrances to accessing education, healthcare, and entertainment, which worsen their psychosocial conditions. She also discussed the Helios program, which aims to integrate beneficiaries of international protection and individuals granted temporary protection with housing assistance, language courses, counseling sessions, and employment support. Finally, Ms. Kotsovolou underscored the need for improved infrastructures, faster transfers of children to shelters, expanded available services, and called for deeper collaboration between CSOs and authorities to address these needs.
Dimitra Kalogeropoulou from the IRC provided an overview of IRC’s experience with accommodation programs in Greece, highlighting the challenges and solutions when it comes to housing for displaced populations. Starting in 2016, the IRC engaged in emergency accommodation schemes, implementing safe zones in refugee camps to address the short-term needs of refugees and unaccompanied children. However, as borders closed and displaced populations were no longer able to continue their journey towards central Europe, and long-term housing solutions were not widely available, unaccompanied children were compelled to stay in the safe zones for longer periods where safety, stability, and personalized support could not be provided. In light of this, in 2019, the IRC launched Supported Independent Living schemes as an alternative care for unaccompanied children, offering holistic personalized support that significantly improved their educational engagement and pathways to adulthood. Today, though IRC does not operate housing programs in Greece, the IRC continues to support young adults aged 18 to 23 years old through psychosocial assistance, employment integration, and housing navigation with informative sessions. However, as they transition from a very protective environment, these young individuals face significant challenges in their transitional period to adulthood, often ending up living in precarious situations with unstable housing, living with non-family members, and engaging in unsafe activities to secure accommodation. The upcoming integration programs Helios Plus and Helios Junior are expected to better address the integration and accommodation needs of these individuals. Finally, Ms. Kalogeropoulou underscored that Greece experiences fragmented program-based solutions in relation to migration. She highlighted the importance of sustainable long-term accommodation solutions as the key to addressing protection and integration challenges of displaced populations since migration remains a continuous reality.
On behalf of the Irish Refugee Council, Alan O'Leary presented an overview of the significant rise in accommodation needs of applicants for international protection in Ireland, rising from 7,000 before February 2022 to 32,000. This rise, coupled with pre-existing reliance on emergency accommodation centers, left the responsible state agency unprepared to address the increased housing needs of displaced populations. Of the 324 accommodation centers in the country, 267 are emergency centers, such as hotels, B&Bs, guesthouses, and in many cases unsuitable options like sports halls, office buildings, and even tents, many of which offer inadequate conditions with low standards, poor heating, inadequate water supply, and limited services. Mr. O'Leary stressed that homelessness among applicants for international protection is rising, with more than 3,000 single male applicants aged over 18 and under 55 years old without shelter, often ending up living in public spaces. To address these issues, Mr. O'Leary stated that the Irish Refugee Council offers information services, performs advocacy, provides legal representation, and collaborates with partners and volunteers. However, progress is hindered due to limited resources and rising anti-migrant sentiments. Finally, Mr. O'Leary concluded by emphasizing the importance of collaborative efforts and legal advocacy in addressing these systemic issues.
Madeleine Allen, speaking for the Irish Refugee Council, shed light on the challenges faced by beneficiaries of international protection in accessing dignified accommodation, highlighting the gaps in Ireland’s housing system. Ms. Allen stressed that the Department of Housing, the state agency responsible for housing people with status to live in Ireland or similar, has not incorporated these individuals into the first draft housing policies agenda, leaving 5,286 people stuck in accommodation for asylum seekers and unable to transition to independent living. Recent government measures have focused on relocating these individuals far from their established communities, further disrupting their lives and deepening the problem. As a result, 179 adults and nine families became homeless during the third quarter of 2024. Ms. Allen also highlighted systemic issues, including a severe shortage of social housing, where waiting times can extend to 10 or even 12 years, and a lack of housing options for families and individuals. Those dependent on housing assistance payments face significant barriers such as discrimination against HAP recipients compounded by racism, while many people fear leaving institutionalized settings due to the uncertainty and extreme instability of the private rental market. As of September 2024, only 33 suitable properties were available nationwide. Ms. Allen flagged that Ireland experiences a massive homelessness crisis, with 14,966 homeless individuals, including 4,645 children, and 46% of those accessing homeless services are migrants. Despite this, the new government did not include homelessness in their agenda, leaving many without clear support in precarious conditions. As a final note, Ms. Allen noted that Ireland has implemented several positive initiatives to support those in need of accommodation. Since 2019, caseworkers have been assisting individuals in finding tenancies, with increased state subsidies, including deposits, at rates close to market value. Work permits introduced after six months helped several people, as employment is crucial for their integration. Additionally, Ireland runs a hosting program for 16,000 Ukrainian nationals, and local integration authority teams promote early community engagement for inclusive housing solutions.
During the follow-up discussion, participants highlighted the pressing need for more affordable housing policies, including limiting short-term rental platforms and enforcing stricter regulations. Concerns were also raised about the EU’s new migration and asylum pact, which largely overlooks integration and homelessness.
In conclusion, the webinar highlighted the pressing challenges vulnerable populations face across Europe, among which refugees, asylum seekers, women, and unaccompanied children. Speakers shared valuable insights and solutions drawn from their experience, stressing the need for policy change, EU-wide housing strategies, and deeper collaboration between CSOs and national governments to address the needs of vulnerable populations and ensure their needs are prioritized in future policies.
The project "RAISE EU" is implemented in the framework of the BUILD programme by the International Rescue Committee Hellas and NGO A.S.P.I.D.A. The programme "Building a robust and democratic civic space" (BUILD) aims to protect, promote, and raise awareness of EU fundamental rights and values by supporting civil society organizations (CSOs) in Greece and Cyprus and strengthening their capacities and sustainability. BUILD is co-funded by the European Union, through the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values (CERV) programme, and by the Bodossaki Foundation and the NGO Support Centre Cyprus with a total grant amounting to €2.9 million. BUILD is coordinated by the Bodossaki Foundation (Greece) in partnership with the NGO Support Centre (Cyprus).
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are, however, those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union, the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA), or the Bodossaki Foundation. Neither the European Union nor the EACEA can be held responsible for them.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are, however, those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union, the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA), or the Bodossaki Foundation. Neither the European Union nor the EACEA can be held responsible for them.
