EPOCH: A Turning Point in the Fight Against Homelessness
Homeless in Europe Magazine Autumn 2024
Read the magazine here (online PDF)
In 2021 the EU’s Member States, the Commission, the Portuguese Presidency of the Council, the European Parliament and stakeholders including FEANTSA (the European Federation of National Organisations Working with the Homeless), came together to launch the European Platform on Combatting Homelessness (EPOCH).
EPOCH is a landmark in European cooperation on homelessness. It is the first dedicated policy initiative coordinated by the European Commission on the issue. It is part of the Action Plan to deliver on the European Pillar of Social Rights. It is important to stress that responsibility for tackling homelessness remains primarily at the national, regional, and local levels. EPOCH simply seeks to coordinate and support the efforts of cities, regions, national governments, and stakeholders, in line with subsidiarity.
The establishment of EPOCH represents a turning point in how we collectively address the homelessness crisis in Europe. It provides an opportunity to reframe our approaches to homelessness. Most importantly, it establishes a common European goal of ending homelessness in Europe, which would mean:
- no one sleeps rough for lack of accessible, safe, and appropriate emergency accommodation
- no one lives in emergency or transitional accommodation longer than is required for the successful move-on to a permanent housing solution
- no one is discharged from any institution (e.g. prison, hospital, or care facility) without an offer of appropriate housing
- evictions should be prevented whenever possible and no one should be evicted without assistance for an appropriate housing solution, when needed
- no one is discriminated against due to their homelessness status
To reach these objectives, EPOCH promotes prevention and integrated, housing-led approaches. EPOCH has 3 workstreams: evidence, finance, and exchange. These workstreams aim to improve policy and practice by making evidence available, mobilising EU funding and finance and sharing knowledge and experience. A key focus of EPOCH’s work so far has been national homelessness strategies.
This edition of Homeless in Europe explores themes of reflection, collaboration, and progress in depth. Evident throughout each article is the need to remain critically engaged, open to learning, and willing to adapt our strategies to meet the evolving needs of the people we aim to serve.
Editorial by Ruth Owen, Deputy Director at FEANTSA
Articles
EPOCH: From Necessity to Opportunity, By Yves Leterme, Chair of the Steering Board of EPOCH and Patrick Develtere, Advisor to the Steering Board
An Epoch of Innovation and Awareness: Still Only Halfway Home By Clara Parez, intern at the Interministerial Delegation for Access to Housing (DIHAL) working on the European affairs
European Platform on Combatting Homelessness: Past, Present, and Future By Henrique Manuel Marques Joaquim, Executive Manager of the National Strategy for Social Inclusion of Homeless People in Portugal
Housing: A Matter of Human Rights By Mari Carmen Barrera Chamorro, Vice-President of the Workers Group of the European Economic and Social Committee
EPOCH Practice – Advancing Mutual Learning and Evidence Building By Saoirse Browne, EPOCH Practice Project Officer
Experts by Experience in EPOCH: A Reality Check By Silvia Busi, on behalf of Khadim Diagne, and the Experts by Experience group, EPOCH Practice officer
