What is EUH?

The necessity of the setting up of a European participation-network of people without housing took hold during the European consultation of homeless people 2010 that was conducted for the ‘European consensus conference on homelessness” that took place in Brussels on 9 and 10 December 2010 . The idea for such a network came from all stakeholders concerned, policy makers, scientists, the services and the people without housing themselves. The setting up of a European participation network of people without housing is also a proposition In the political recommendations of the jury of the consensus conference.

After two days of talks, on12 and 13 may 2011, in Brussels, representatives of 4 self-organizations in 4 EU-countries founded the “European Union of Homeless”(EUH). On 9 February 2012 a fifth member joined EUH. At this moment EUH is composed of Armutsnetzwerk Germany, Á Varos Mindenkié Hungary, Comité Des Sans Logis France, Daklozen Aktie Kommitee The Netherlands and Front Commun SDF Belgium.

The principals and goals of EUH are enunciated in the EUH-CHARTER. EUH is an independent network that is open to all people who are houseless, those who live temporarily with friends or relatives, those who live on the street, those who took refuge in the services, to those who live in unfit housing, those who are at risk of losing their home. EUH gives a voice to houseless people in all matters that concern them.

EUH collects and diffuses information about policies and about the actual situation. EUH wants to be a place to share knowledge with all parties concerned, the population in general, the houseless people, civil society, policy makers, EU-institutions,etc.EUH organizes debates and develop political demands around minimum income, access to housing, access and standards in the services, security and repression, migration...

It is the pinion of EUH that the causes of homelessness are the same as those of poverty and social exclusion in general. The solutions are to be found in the realization of social rights such as access to housing, health-care, education, and employment. As long as a person is houseless, a decent accommodation should be available whereby the authorities must be able to ensure concrete access to proper independent housing within a specified lapse of time. Preventive measures should be taken so that people should not become houseless.

EUH has no organizational structure yet nor is it a legal entity yet. There is a temporary commitee that consists of 5 persons, one from each of the 5 organizations. On 12 and 13 May 2012 we will hold a meeting in Brussels. There we will decide together about the organizational structure and about putting up a legal entity. We will formulate political standpoints and develop a strategy for the future.

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