Can we really prevent young people from becoming homeless in Europe? We believe so. We can dramatically reduce the flow of young people into homelessness by ensuring that there are measures in place to address their needs at all crucial stages in their lives. Research and evidence from North America and Europe indicate that the best prevention strategies take a holistic approach, focusing on both the personal and structural factors that contribute to a young person becoming homelessness.

This edition of Homeless in Europe shines a light on the situation of young homeless people in a number of European countries: Croatia, Belgium, Austria, Germany, Serbia, Ireland, The Netherlands, Scotland as well as Canada and the USA. We also look at some of the prevention models being pioneered in Canada, in particular the A Way Home approach, which serves as a catalyst to bring together the sectors beyond the homeless service sector, who must work together to make prevention of youth homelessness happen.