PRO M OTING R E FU G E E I NT E G RAT I O N A ND I NC LU SI ON : E M P OW E R I N G M U N I C I PA L I T I E S AC R OSS E U R OP E P R O MOT IN G R E FUGE E IN T EG R ATIO N AN D IN C LUSIO N : EMP OWE R IN G MUN IC IPAL ITIES ACROS S EUROPE Background & guidance 2. Housing Europe’s housing crisis26 has been further thrust into the limelight with the arrival of refugees from Ukraine, with governments in urgent need of policy guidance and resources for augmenting housing stock and finding affordable housing solutions for both refugees and their own citizens. With expenditure on housing costs now representing the highest share of household budgets in most EU countries27, The provision of fair and affordable housing has soared as a priority for mayors in recent years.28 Affordable Housing: While municipalities are predominantly responsible for housing provision, responsibilities on housing at the local level across countries can vary considerably. Existing cross-city analyses throughout the region reveal common responsibilities: granting land usage permissions, management of social housing, regulation of new housing projects or renovation projects, partnerships with key stakeholders (such as housing associations) and provision of housing benefits or subsidies and social evictions and enhance social inclusion.37 Main issues & challenges for municipalities For recent research into housing in Europe, and/or resources outlining a range of housing models and approaches to housing solutions, see: ● Multiple structural and policy factors have made housing less affordable over time. In many places in the OECD and the European Union, demand for affordable housing outstrips the supply, while public investment in housing has been declining over the past two decades.29 ● Particularly in the context of the Ukraine Refugee response, there is a continued emphasis on renewing shorter-term accommodation arrangements30, rather than strategies to support a shift to acquiring autonomous housing embedded in a broader socio-economic inclusion support program.31 ● Scarcity of public/municipal housing stock due to a region-wide trend of accelerated privatization. ● Existing stock is uninhabitable: In many countries, the tiny proportion of housing stock owned by municipalities is dilapidated, and government funding is not available for renovations. ● In most countries throughout Europe, social housing is an option for only a small fraction of the refugee population due to strict eligibility criteria, long waiting times, and limited availability of public housing stock.32 Factors which already restrict access for most of the general population. ● Council of Europe - Policy Brief (p. 9- 13) ● European Website on Integration - Analysis ● Habitat for Humanity, Housing of Ukrainians in Europe ● EU Agency for Fundamental Rights Implementing temporary protection at local levels ● Fleeing Ukraine: Implementing temporary protection at local levels 8 ● Multiple access barriers for refugees looking to rent on the private market, related to high costs, documentation issues, and discrimination or reluctance on the part of homeowners to accept refugees as tenants. ● Lack of support as part of a broader urban development focus: Attractive, sustainable, and affordable housing developments that enhance social cohesion and offset segregation require multistakeholder partnerships.33 These often comprise differing combinations of state and local government, non-profit housing developers, community housing organizations, refugees, and private financial institutions.34 ● Housing and social cohesion: In a comparative study of factors affecting solidarity toward refugees by host communities, collective stress over access to affordable housing for all was noted as a key pain point in shaping public attitudes towards the ongoing presence of refugees from Ukraine in Europe.35 ● Tackling access to housing from a holistic perspective: Though multiple factors affect refugees’ access to housing, access to regular employment is key to overall household prosperity36, and provides refugees with more economic security to cover rent and deposits at market price. In summary, addressing refugees’ socio-economic exclusion greatly increases the prospects of accessing independent longer-term accommodation. UNHCR REGIONAL BUREAU FOR EUROPE, AUGUST 2024 Collaboration with Development Actors on Housing ● Proposals for cooperation between the private and public sectors in terms of increasing the affordability of apartments, based on recent experiences and research in Poland: Models of involving the private sector in the supply of affordable housing (Habitat for Humanity, Poland) ● The European Investment Bank (EIB) provides loans to the private sector for affordable housing solutions: Affordable and Sustainable Housing. 38 Housing Europe’s39 site includes up-to date information on European Funding and tools to deal with vacant housing, among other key resources. Marcin Bazylak, Mayor, and Bożena Borowiec, Deputy Mayor of the city of Dąbrowa Górnicza, Poland, at the inauguration of the Social Rental Agency run by Habitat for Humanity, UNHCR partner supporting socio-economic inclusion of refugees and other vulnerable groups, December 2023. ©UNHCR/Oskar Grzegorczyk. UNHCR REGIONAL BUREAU FOR EUROPE, AUGUST 2024 9