Members joint report on how to ensure undocumented migrant’s rights to housing and shelter
October 6 – On the occasion of World Habitat Day, the Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants (PICUM) together with the European Federation of National Organisations working with the homeless (FEANTSA) and the European Anti-Poverty Network (EAPN) launch their new report outlining strategies and good practices to overcome barriers for undocumented migrants to access housing and shelter.
The report, entitled “Housing and Homelessness of Undocumented Migrants in Europe”, which is available in English, French and Spanish, analyses how to ensure undocumented migrants human right to housing. An adequate standard of living is stipulated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and the International Covenant of Economic Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR). However, there is a gap between legal entitlements and actual policies in most countries. Restrictive policies at national level and discrimination prevent undocumented migrants from their right to adequate housing.
Welcoming this report, Ann-Charlotte Nygård of the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) highlighted that in many EU member states, landlords are criminalised for renting housing to irregular migrants which creates a major barrier for irregular migrants to find housing on the private market:
To download the press release, click here.
