Housing: to Overcome Unstable Situation in Europe (H:OUSE)

The main objective of the project is to provide a systematization and multiplication of the most effective practices, building on the Irish model and leveraging on all the successful experiences in the field in which the partners themselves have participated in recent years or with which they are most familiar. This also includes pilot initiatives to increase the number of sponsors (individuals, families, groups, and communities at the neighborhood, village, or city level) and promote a higher diversity of them. Partners` efforts will focus on access to housing for newcomers, as the living environment and housing conditions are priority elements in their integration process, and thus a starting point for structuring effective programmes. As the Policy briefing on housing for refugees and migrants in Europe (2007) points out, only "by making housing equally accessible to refugees, migrants and citizens, and by stimulating multicultural living environments, can true integration be achieved". As emerges from the partners' analysis of their context, and highlighted by the Policy briefing mentioned above, the reality in most MS is that for many asylum seekers, refugees and migrants lack of adequate housing is a common barrier. Moreover, depending on their legal status, nationality, gender, and/or marital status, they face multiple obstacles, especially financial and social disadvantages to access decent accommodation.