At FEANTSA we have been working on the issue of criminalisation of homelessness since 2012. In 2012, we launched and ran a campaign to raise awareness of the issue called 'Poverty is not a Crime'. As part of the campaign, we asked pro bono lawyers to provide a snapshot of anti-social behaviour laws and their impact on the criminalisation of homelessness in 17 EU Member States. See below for the full text of the reports:
In 2013, FEANTSA published Mean Streets: A report on the criminalisation of homelessness in Europe. The book can be downloaded from our website and includes insights into the political drivers of criminalisation, case studies from Belgium, Hungary, Poland and Spain, and examples of good practice, including the use of ombudsman services, legal services and others. Click here for more information.
A relevant position paper was published in 2015 on the Criminalising Homeless People - Banning Begging in the EU and in November 2017, we launched The Homeless Bill of Rights, a European Campaign for the recognition of the Rights of Homeless People.
We are very interested in hearing about examples of the criminalisation of homelessness and any campaigns to combat criminalisation, as well as strategic litigation on the issue.
Please contact: Maria Aldanas with your comments and suggestions.
Subject:
Criminalisation
