The impact of the European End Street Homelessness Campaign

Almost 350 people, who were previously homeless, have moved into permanent accommodation, through the work of several organisations taking part in World Habitat’s European End Street Homelessness Campaign.

Finding long-term homes, including 163 independent Housing First units, for people sleeping on the streets is one of the principal impacts of the campaign. This and other achievements are detailed in an Impact Report – published today, Monday 24 June 2019 – covering the campaign’s first three years (2015 – 2018).

The European End Street Homelessness Campaign, which brings together local organisations from cities across Europe, has:

• worked with the Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, to influence a national homelessness initiative in Spain;

• recruited almost 3,000 volunteers to talk to thousands of local homeless people to discover what support they need and want;
• worked with the Mayor and regional government in Valencia to secure commitments and then run a joint Housing First service;
• produced a feasibility study in Torbay – funded by the Nationwide Foundation – which led the local Council to commit £500,000 over two years for a brand new Housing First service;
• one hundred flats have been secured across Barcelona, which house over 200 people, including 95 Housing First units. A new project – Flat Zero – has also been introduced, which provides emergency accommodation for people in most need;
• brought together a range of partners in Leicester – including the local universities, statutory bodies, the City Mayor, homelessness organisations and faith groups – to develop and launch the city’s first Homelessness Charter;
• developed Brussels first ever modular housing project for homeless people;
• held a ‘Day of Action’ – ‘We Are Not Invisible’ – to raise awareness and campaign for greater protections in national legislation for people experiencing homelessness in Bratislava; and
• formed a partnership between decision-makers from key charities and public sector organisations in Westminster, central London.

Luis Carlos Perea, campaign partner at RAIS Fundación in Valencia, said:

“We thought it was vital to be part of the driving force piloting this European campaign. We thought the campaign clearly connected with us as an organisation through an approach based on transformation, change and citizen mobilisation… aimed at learning more about the reality of homelessness and about homeless people, linked to an effort to change the system.”

David Ireland, Chief Executive of World Habitat, said:

“Safe and secure housing is a human right and street homelessness is the most extreme form of housing exclusion.  We started this campaign to stop ‘managing’ street homelessness and start the process to end it. We’ve worked with organisations in several cities across Europe because we know how communities are often best placed to tackle the most difficult housing problems and find their own solutions, often in the most challenging circumstances.

“Already we’re seeing really positive outcomes – as detailed in this report – and ways of working that could be transferred to other cities. Progress may be frustratingly slow for many, but the first hurdles are so often the hardest to overcome. And this Campaign will keep pushing until street homelessness is ended, and the most vulnerable people in our communities are provided with a home with which to start living to their full potential again.”

The Impact Report is available to download here.

If you would like to keep up-to-date with the campaign, please sign up to our e-bulletin here.

Image: AMKO Photography