FEANTSA is worried by the increasing penalization measures that directly or indirectly affect homeless people in Europe.
Such measures are often motivated by the desire to reduce the visibility of homelessness and poverty and hide them as social issues. The criminalization of begging and migration are part of the same trend.
We believe that there is a different way to address these issues. We believe that local governments should assume their responsibilities for upholding the rights of all its residents. First of all there is an obligation to ensure their rights to adequate housing and an adequate standard of living.
We believe that public funding should be used to assist families and individuals and protect them instead of carrying out costly operations to penalize them. Criminalization can push a homeless person further into poverty and social exclusion.
FEANTSA and Housing Rights Watch are launching this European campaign to encourage cities to recognize the rights of people who are homeless as a reminder that a rights-based approach is needed. We would like to open the debate among European cities to raise awareness about this essential approach.
By endorsing the Homeless Bill of Rights, European cities reaffirm their commitment to human rights law and standards which should guide all public actors towards tackling the root causes of poverty and homelessness. The campaign has already been endorsed by the cities of Madrid, Barcelona (Spain), Kranj, Slovenj Gradec, Maribor and Murska Sobota (Slovenia).
You can find more information about this initiative here.
The Homeless Bill of Rights was officially launched at a press conference at the CITIES Forum in Rotterdam on 28 November 2017.
The updated relevant info can also be found on the FEANTSA website.
For more information, please contact: Maria Aldanas
