More than 4 Million Homeless in The European Union

EU struggling to cope with homelessness




It is a very wet and bitterly cold night on the streets of Brussels. Within minutes of having left their office, Red Cross volunteers find someone living on the streets. Homelessness in modern-day Europe has no boundaries. Red Cross volunteers are assisting people of all ages and from all social backgrounds. 41-year-old homeless man, Lionel Plasschaert, says he was ordered, by his dysfunctional parents, to leave home when he was just 17-years-old. He has a college education and in the past has been employed but now feels that the system has let him down. People without a home in the EU face reduced life expectancy, health problems, discrimination, isolation and barriers to access basic public services and benefits. Official figures from the European Commission estimate that around four million people are homeless in the EU. Charities, however, argue that the true figure is probably considerably higher. Because of the unprecedented economic crisis in the bloc, the profile of homeless people in the EU has changed. It is no longer just drug, alcohol or gambling addicts who fall victim. Former professional workers are ending up on the streets and so too are many families with young children. When EU governments and institutions let homeless people down, organizations like the Red Cross have to step in to fill the gaps. Campaigners say homelessness in the EU is already at crisis levels and the problem will get even worse unless radical measures are taken to tackle the causes of poverty in the bloc head on.



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