Answer given by Mr Schmit on behalf of the European Commission
21.12.2023
Delivering on Principle 19 of the European Pillar of Social Rights, in June 2021, representatives of the EU institutions, national governments, local authorities and civil society organisations signed the Lisbon Declaration[1] and launched the European Platform on Combatting Homelessness[2], which facilitates mutual learning among stakeholders, supports the development of reliable monitoring systems, and promotes the optimal use of EU funds to tackle homelessness.
The European Social Fund (ESF) in 2014-2020 and ESF+ in the 2021-2027 programming period support initiatives to ensure homeless people’s access to housing, such as housing assistance programmes and social services[3][4]. Under the Employment and Social Innovation strand of ESF+, a EUR 15 million call for proposals was launched in September 2023 aiming to support innovative projects and capacity building in the field of homelessness and housing exclusion[5].
The European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) can finance investments in housing infrastructure, equipment and complementary investments in education, employment, health, and social care[6] while investments in the field of affordable and social housing are also supported under the Recovery and Resilience Facility[7], the Social Investment and Skills Window of the InvestEU programme[8] and the Affordable Housing Initiative.
Finally, the ‘Renovation Wave’[9] aims to double the renovation rate, with special focus on the worst performing buildings and energy poverty. Directive (EU) 2023/1791 introduces a definition of energy poverty, to better target vulnerable households with energy efficiency measures. Implementation is supported by the Commission Recommendation 2023/2407 on energy poverty[10] and from 2026 by the Social Climate Fund.
- [1] The full text of the Declaration available here: https://ec.europa.eu/social/BlobServlet?docId=24120&langId=en
- [2] https://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=1550&langId=en&preview=cHJldkVtcGxQb3J0YWwhMjAxMjAyMTVwcmV2aWV3
- [3] A few recent projects can be found here: https://ec.europa.eu/european-social-fund-plus/en/search?search=homeless&type=project. The Kohesio database of projects 2014-2020 contains other relevant examples: https://kohesio.ec.europa.eu/en/projects?keywords=%22homeless%22&fund=ESF---European-Social-Fund&sort=Total-Budget-(descending)&page=2
- [4] Nearly EUR 8.5 billion have been programmed by Member States in the ESF+ programmes in this regard.
- [5] Call for proposals on https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/topic-details/esf-2023-homeless;callCode=ESF-2023-HOMELESS;freeTextSearchKeyword=;matchWholeText=true;typeCodes=1;statusCodes=31094501,31094502,31094503;programmePeriod=null;programCcm2Id=43254019;programDivisionCode=null;focusAreaCode=null;destinationGroup=null;missionGroup=null;geographicalZonesCode=null;programmeDivisionProspect=null;startDateLte=null;startDateGte=null;crossCuttingPriorityCode=null;cpvCode=null;performanceOfDelivery=null;sortQuery=sortStatus;orderBy=asc;onlyTenders=false;topicListKey=callTopicSearchTableState
- [6] In the 2021-2027 programmes, several regions have programmed direct investments in housing in the scope of social inclusion, amounting to approximately EUR 1 billion.
- [7] Nearly half of the Member States have programmed reforms or investments related to social housing in their Recovery and Resilience plans (RRPs). The related allocations represent EUR 15.1 billion.
- [8] InvestEU Guarantee with the 2.8 billion allocated to Social Investment and Skills Window can offer an important leverage to mobilise financing in the area of affordable and social housing.
- [9] COM 2020 662 final .
- [10] C/2023/4080, OJ L, 2023/2407, 23.10.2023.