Homeless man Tarragona streets.
Credit: Anna LoFi – Shutterstock
Homelessness in European countries has increased significantly over the last 10 years with some capitals reaching crisis point.
An estimated one million people in the EU and UK sleep rough every night and in countries like Germany and France, the number has doubled in the last 10 years. In fact, the European Federation of National Organisations Working with the Homeless (FEANTSA) says the number is likely to be far higher due to the fact hat there is no universally agreed definition of homelessness and so each county presents its own interpretation of the data.
According to OECD statistics, England has the highest rate of homelessness in the continent of Europe, which includes people sleeping on the streets or housed in emergency accommodation, with 43 homeless people per 10,000 residents.
Within the EU, France has the highest number of homeless individuals with 30.7 homeless for every 10,000 people, followed by Czechia (28.4), Germany (25.8), and Ireland (25.3). Spain fares somewhat better (5.4) and Nordic countries also reported comparatively lower rates of homelessness.
According to an OECD report, the total estimated number of homeless people is about 333,000 in France and 263,000 in Germany while the UK housing and homeless charity Shelter estimated that there are a shocking 309,000 homeless people in England alone.
Rocketing housing costs and economic changes go some way to expoing the situation in England. Also, inadequate benefits, including freezing of some people’s housing benefit compound the problem further, forcing local authorities to rely on temporary accommodation to alleviate the crisis.
