R7 A16: Necessity and not luxury: Housing as a cornerstone of social justice

The Federation of the Young European Greens (FYEG) has noticed the worrying
trend of people increasingly struggling to access stable and affordable housing.
Throughout the last 30 years, we have been exposed to increasing scarcity to
ensure the access to secure and adequate housing for all age groups, but
particularly affecting students and youth who are in the modern cultural context
focused on social mobility and move abroad to access better opportunities or
conditions, where possible. While this is happening, many houses are remaining
empty, vacant, abandoned or derelict for various reasons and are being under-
utilised. Additionally, there is a serious issue in many countries, particularly
in Southern Europe and Mediterranean countries, where whole properties are being
used as short-term holiday rentals exclusively for tourism, whilst being left
empty or with temporary tenancies during low-tourist seasons. This issue has
been evident for a long while and it is increasingly worrying that governments
are not doing sufficient work to address the issues of the inaccessibility of
affordable housing, while international organisations are devolving work to a
lower level of governance.

It is increasingly obvious that youth, particularly those studying or entering
the workforce, face unprecedented challenges in securing affordable housing due
to wage stagnation, student debt burdens, and increasing rental prices. Many
communities across urban and rural areas are experiencing housing shortages,
rapidly rising rents, and increasing homelessness rates, leading to social and
economic instability. While this is happening, housing is increasingly being
treated as a financial asset rather than a fundamental human need, leading to
speculative practices that prioritize profit over people. We have additionally
seen that this has been negatively affecting everyone affected, as housing
stability is directly linked to economic security, health, ability to have
access to education and overall well-being.

In response to these issues, FYEG in this year has started working directly with
our community in a series of focus group calls, looking at the ground level and
assessing the current situation that young people are experiencing all over
Europe, while aiming to foster a bottom-up approach to advocacy. FYEG strongly
has always and will always call for truly affordable and liveable housing. This
resolution serves as the introduction to our future work, tying in the work that
FYEG has done, while connecting all of the member organisations with a strong
and clearly defined framework regarding this topic and setting the framework for
our collective future work.

Our commitment to social justice has led us to recognizing the importance of
stability, housing, and comfort in establishing a just living experience within
the modern world. We commit to continue working with our partners, stakeholders,
governments and international organisations to ensure that the right to housing
is recognized in various international agreements and national frameworks. We
will additionally emphasise the need for proactive policies and activism to
ensure housing rights align with the lived reality of those affected, rather
than investor speculation.

We are concerned that housing is increasingly being used as a revenue model for
a minority of wealthy individuals. This treatment of housing as an investment is
driving up prices and making access to housing unattainable for many.
Additionally, large financial institutions and corporate landlords are
accumulating vast amounts of property, sometimes utilising predatory and
speculative real estate practices. This monopoly enables them to increase rent
and housing prices for the benefit of profits over people. There is a clear lack
of checks and balances when it comes to holding these actors legally
accountable, and even in situations where laws exist they are not clear enough
for renters, or utilising them is prohibitively expensive. Any future
development must be done with clear conditionality, ensuring stockpiling of
property in this manner is prohibited.

Housing insecurity disproportionately affects vulnerable groups, including young
and low-income families, elderly individuals, persons with disabilities,
marginalized communities, and individuals experiencing systemic discrimination.
This is tied with the fact that gentrification is on the rise and that
displacement which is happening due to gentrification is negatively impacting
local communities, most often poorer immigrant or racialized communities,
pushing residents out of their neighborhoods and disrupting social networks.
Young people face significant financial barriers and are forced into renting due
to high rental prices, limited savings, and entry-level wages that do not keep
pace with inflation. There is a clear feeling that becoming a homeowner in your
youth is becoming more and more a thing of the past. Young people are staying
longer and longer with their parents, with the average age when people move out
of their childhood homes being as high as 32 in some EU countries.

The lack of sufficient investment in public, social and affordable housing
programs exacerbates the crisis, leaving many without viable housing options.
There is an overall lack of state interventions in the housing market making
this worse. This is exemplified by the lack of measures such as rent or price
caps, and no expropriation when property is misused such as when it is illegally
rented seasonally or property is accumulated. Another issue is short-term rental
platforms especially in city centres, which contribute to housing shortages by
reducing the availability of long-term rental units and driving up costs.

This is all not even mentioning that homelessness remains a persistent
challenge, and is even on the rise in many metropolises. Many individuals face
barriers to stable housing due to inadequate support systems,mental health
challenges, and insufficient shelter options. Housing is clearly seen as more a
status symbol rather than a necessity, and the mentality that everyone needs to
fend for themselves to secure safety is pushing more and more individuals to the
margins of society.

With all this in mind, we, the Federation of Young European Greens demands that:

• Governments at all levels start increasing investments in affordable
  housing initiatives, expand access and visibility of housing subsidies,
  and implement policies that ensure housing remains affordable for low- and
  middle-income households, particularly young workers.

• Regulation for housing needs to be updated to ensure that all new
  construction is sufficient for living standards. Access to space and
  utilities need to be available for every individual intended to live in a
  given accommodation unit. Homes should aim to be built with open air
  spaces readily accessible to tenants and double aspect construction should
  become the standard, ensuring access to natural lighting at all times of
  the day.

• Local authorities implement policies that prevent displacement, protect
  renters’ rights and regulate speculative real estate practices that
  contribute to housing shortages and the affordability crisis, with a
  particular focus on rent stabilization measures.

• Legislation is put in place to protect renters’ rights, and define the
  role of tenant unions and housing cooperatives, which represent a
  neglected aspect in solving housing shortages and community building.

• Community organizations, housing advocates, and stakeholders to engage in
  collaborative efforts to address housing insecurity, provide direct
  assistance, and promote long-term solutions that ensure accessibility and
  inclusivity.

• Development should be focused on the creation and maintenance of local neighbourhoods, with amenities available within a 15-minute walk for most residents, as opposed to sprawling suburbanisation, which is ecologically costly and contributes to social isolation. Where town centres are depopulated and/or derelict, efforts must be made to repopulate them with liveable housing.

• European research institutions must continue studying the impact of
  housing policies, provide data-driven recommendations for improvement, and
  explore innovative housing models, such as cooperative housing and
  community land trusts, with a focus on youth housing programs.

• European policymakers adopt a holistic approach to housing, integrating
  social services, employment programs, and mental health resources to
  support individuals and families, particularly young adults, in achieving
  long-term stability.

• European governments ensure conditionality in future affordable, low rent
  housing development projects, thereby ensuring that these homes will go to
  the individuals and families who need them most. Additionally, clear goals
  related to what affordability is when it relates to housing must be set
  and regularly updated.More high-density, mixed income housing is built by
  the state and municipalities in locations where the housing crisis is
  particularly dire. Priorities for minorities and immigrant communities
  with lack of access to housing must be enshrined.

• The European Union to take action against the excessive financialization
  of housing by implementing regulations that prevent speculative practices,
  discourage corporate hoarding of residential properties, and prioritize
  housing as a public good over its use as a wealth-building instrument for
  a select few.

• The European Green Party and its member parties must actively fight to
  enshrine the rights to affordable, safe housing in their political
  programmes, and practice campaigning on this topic, as it is a cornerstone
  of social justice.