Family Homelessness in Europe
Comparative Studies on Homelessness 7
About the Research
The aim of this research was to explore the nature of family homelessness in Europe and to provide an overview of the range of preventative measures and other services for families facing homelessness. The research looked specifically at whether the nature of family homelessness – and the responses to family homeless – varies across Europe. The particular concern was to build up a picture of the existing data on families experiencing homelessness, on the services they use and to identify any significant gaps in information.
This comparative research drew on a questionnaire sent to experts in 14 member states of the European Union. Northern Europe was represented by Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Sweden and the United Kingdom. Southern Europe was represented by Greece, Portugal and Spain and Central and Eastern Europe by Hungary, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia. This is the seventh in a series of research reports from the European Observatory of Homelessness and as with the preceding reports, the methodology centres on asking experts on homelessness in each country to respond to a standardised questionnaire.
The report begins by describing the methods used for the research and outlining the key questions the research team were seeking to answer. Chapter 3 looks at definition and measurement of family homelessness, the available data on the extent of family homelessness and at trends.
The reasons for family homelessness are also explored. Chapter 4 looks at preventative services, at service responses once family homelessness has occurred, and at the range and nature of temporary accommodation use by homeless families. Access to permanent housing for families who experience homelessness is also explored.
The questionnaire included a series of vignettes, a set of five hypothetical homeless families, which were used as the basis for a comparison across the 14 countries. In each case, the situation of a hypothetical homeless family was compared, using the response from each national expert to contrast how the same family would fare in, for example, Belgium, compared to Spain, Portugal or Slovenia. Chapter 5 brings together this comparison of what the same hypothetical homeless five families would be likely to experience in each of the 14 different countries.
The report concludes with the discussion in Chapter 6. This chapter revisits the questions outlined in the next chapter, identifies gaps in information and explores the potential for future research.