Plan to drastically reduce homelessness not implemented by over 80% of municipalities

The government’s plan to drastically reduce homelessness by immediately housing people who are or are threatening to become homeless is not being implemented by over 80 percent of the responsible municipalities, Pointer discovered when surveying these municipalities. Half of them called the plan unfeasible and unrealistic.

The government launched its National Action Plan for Homelessness in 2023. The plan’s main pillar is “housing first”: Find a home for a homeless person immediately, instead of first placing them in a shelter. According to the government, the Housing First approach has enjoyed international success in places like the United States and Finland. It also saves society money, given the high costs of shelters.

Pointer surveyed 44 regional municipalities about the plan. 33 of them said that they were not implementing it. Seven are trying to make it work. The remaining four did not complete the survey.

After the housing shortage, 65 percent of the municipalities say the biggest problem with the housing first approach is that the target group has complex problems. According to the municipalities, many homeless people have multiple problems that require more intensive care than initially anticipated.

63 percent of municipalities complained about a lack of support from local partners and society. Locals have concerns about the livability of their neighborhoods if the municipality housed homeless people there, for example. And housing corporations worry about nuisance and rent arrears.

68 percent of municipalities agree that the housing first approach is an excellent solution for homelessness on paper. But 50 percent called it unfeasible, unrealistic, and unachievable in practice.

According to homelessness researcher Nienke Boesveldt, the main problem with this plan is that the government lets municipalities determine for themselves how to shape their approach to homelessness. “Some municipalities disregard the plan, and they can do so because the plan is non-binding. But failing to implement the Housing First approach is unwise in both moral and financial terms.”