Social innovation is an increasingly central area of policy and research in the context of the Europe 2020 strategy. This guide makes the case that homelessness is an important thematic priority for social innovation, and suggests areas of focus where social innovation can support the fight against homelessness in the EU. It argues that homeless service providers can be key actors in social innovation and makes recommendations as to how the sector can best be supported in developing, testing and scaling up innovations in order to combat homelessness and thus contribute towards progress on the objectives of the Europe 2020 strategy.