SUPPORTED HOUSING AND HOMELESSNESS IN THE EUROPEAN UNION

Abstract

This paper considers the nature of support in housing as a solution to homelessness and the way in which it has developed across Europe. The paper begins by considering the nature of support in relation to housing and suggests a typology to provide a framework for discussing the relationship between the accommodation and care perspectives involved in supporting a person to live independently in the community. There follows a consideration of the nature of support in housing which examines the different approaches to the provision of support and housing in Europe. This section examines the development and form of provision of support in housing in different welfare systems. This understanding is then employed to identify the nature of the contribution of supported housing to the solution to homelessness. The role is examined in greater detail by examination of the use of supported housing for people with a mental illness.