John Paul Collins, Community Development worker with Pavee Point’s Drugs and Alcohol Programme, attended a trip to the European Parliament in Brussels this week, as a member of the Irish Homeless Policy Group. The Group engaged with Irish MEPs, as well as members of the EU Parliament’s Housing Committee and the Housing Taskforce of the European Commission. This was an opportunity to inform the development of the EU’s plan on housing, advocating that homelessness should be a key focus.
John Paul also attended a Depaul Event: ‘Building an EU Strategy on Eliminating Homelessness’ and met with Freek Spinnewijn, the Executive Director of the European Federation on Eliminating Homelessness (FEANSTA).
John Paul said:
“In recent years, in our role as long term members of the National Traveller Accommodation Consultative Committee, and working directly on the ground with Travellers and Roma, we have witnessed accommodation and homelessness become the main issue which has a knock on effect in terms of health outcomes and the social determinants of health. We know, for example, that people who experience persistent poverty and homelessness or inadequate accommodation are at significantly higher risk of substance use and related harms.
Last week, the European Commission Against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) recognised a clear link between racism and homelessness and poor living conditions. The report highlighted the need for the State to improve living conditions for asylum seekers and refugees, and it also raised the stark realities on the ground for Travellers and Roma, with no evidence of improvement in accommodation or living conditions since their last report in 2019.
It is really important that any housing and homeless plans at EU and national level address racism, and discrimination and the specific needs of minority ethnic groups, but this requires targeted and mainstreaming measures as well as robust data to inform responses.
