Over the course of a night, more than 2,000 volunteers took part in Paris’ first ever official homeless count, organised by the city’s mayor, Anne Hidalgo. Motivated by a lack of official data on homelessness in Paris, Hidalgo hopes that the “snapshot of reality” will lead to better policies for homeless people. Asked to comment on the count, FEANTSA’s Policy Coordinator, Ruth Owen, explained that rough sleeping has soared in Paris since the financial crisis, a phenomenon seen in other European cities such as London, Dublin and Athens. "On a basic level, it's due to house prices rising faster than incomes," she said, adding that despite France having the strongest housing rights in Europe, this doesn't always amount to much. Click here to read more.