Housing First Introduction

What is Housing First

An introduction to Housing First

The Housing First Europe Hub is a partnership of organisations, foundations, governments & experts that supports Housing First as a core response to homelessness in Europe.

​​In many traditional homeless services, people are first expected to demonstrate that they are ‘housing ready’ – meaning that they have to prove they are able to live independently or with only low levels of support – before they can access stable housing.

In Housing First, housing is the starting point rather than an end goal, supported by policies and practices that are designed to keep people in existing ordinary housing if they are experiencing or at risk of homelessness.

As the name suggests, a Housing First service provides housing as soon as possible, without attaching conditions such as a requirement to abstain from drugs and alcohol. This means that people in Housing First programmes have a high degree of control over the support and treatment they receive, including whether or not to use different support services.

Housing First is a key solution to help end homelessness. Some countries and cities have well-established Housing First programmes that are integrated into their social strategy, others are just getting started. On our webpage you can find resources to help introduce and/or scale up Housing First in your community.

Got a question? Don’t hesitate to contact our Hub Coordinator, Samara Jones, for more information about how the Hub can support you.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Housing First for?

Does Housing First work?

Do tenants have to accept Housing First support?

How are local authorities involved in the development of Housing First?

Where does the resistance to the implementation of Housing First come from on a country level, and how do you approach it?

What are the key factors for successfully implementing Housing First ?

To what extent is the EU policy making level involved in the implementation of Housing First?

What are the challenges/limitations in relation to the practical application of the Housing First framework?

How can organisations working with Housing First source housing?

Can Housing First also work for migrants?