New IGLYO & FEANTSA Policy Report Calls for Action on LGBTQI Housing Exclusion and Homelessness
IGLYO — The International LGBTQI Youth & Student Organisation and FEANTSA — The European Federation of National Organisations Working with the Homeless, just released a new joint policy report titled “A Safe Home for Every LGBTQI Child and Young Person”. The report highlights the barriers LGBTQI people face in accessing safe and adequate housing across Europe, with a particular focus on children and young people, and calls for stronger policy action to prevent homelessness and discrimination.
Developed to support the Council of Europe’s 2026–2027 thematic review of Recommendation CM/Rec(2010)5, IGLYO and FEANTSA’s new report draws on a civil society survey conducted between April and June 2026, gathering contributions from 82 organisations and networks across 29 Council of Europe Member States.
Respondents included organisations working on LGBTQI rights, youth, housing, homelessness, advocacy, service provision, research and legal support, providing a broad picture of both policy frameworks and realities on the ground.
The report highlights persistent gaps in housing and homelessness policies, with LGBTQI inclusion often insufficiently addressed in equality strategies and action plans. Family rejection, violence, discrimination in housing and employment, and economic insecurity can combine to increase the risk of homelessness.
These risks are particularly acute for LGBTQI children and young people, trans and non-binary people, intersex people, migrants and asylum seekers, racialised people, people with disabilities and others facing intersecting forms of discrimination.
A central finding is that mainstream housing and homelessness services also frequently lack the resources, training and safeguards needed to provide safe and inclusive support. Specialised services remain scarce and are frequently delivered by civil society organisations with limited resources. Respondents highlighted particular concerns around gender-segregated accommodation, privacy, safeguarding, misgendering, harassment, and the lack of trained professionals and effective referral pathways.
IGLYO and FEANTSA call on public authorities to integrate LGBTQI inclusion into housing and equality policies, strengthen homelessness prevention and early intervention, and ensure adequate funding for mainstream and specialised services. The report also emphasises the need for better data collection, stronger accountability and the meaningful participation of LGBTQI people, particularly children and young people, in shaping the policies and services that affect them. Access to safe and adequate housing is a matter of dignity, equality and human rights.
Download the full report here.
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Jeremy Gobin (He/him)
IGLYO’s Communications & Network Manager
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Yleanna Robert (She/her)
IGLYO's Communications & Network Officer
yleanna@iglyo.org
About The Publication
A Safe Home for Every LGBTQI Child and Young Person. Evidence and policy priorities on housing exclusion and homelessness in Europe is a joint report by IGLYO and FEANTSA that brings together a scoping analysis of published research and a survey of civil society organisations working across LGBTQI rights, youth, housing and homelessness. The scoping analysis examines pathways into housing exclusion and existing responses. The survey provides organisational perspectives on policy frameworks, protection against discrimination, prevention and service provision. Children and young people are central to the report, while the survey also examines the wider housing systems and services affecting LGBTQI people of different ages.
This project is co-funded by the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values (CERV) 2021–2027 programme of the European Union, and the European Youth Foundation of the Council of Europe (236.WP.2025) Views and opinions expressed are however those of IGLYO only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA) or the Council of Europe or the European Youth Foundation.
About IGLYO
IGLYO — The International LGBTQI Youth & Student Organisation is the world’s largest network dedicated to LGBTQI young people and their rights. We represent the voice of over 150 Member Organisations in more than 40 countries across the European region. We advance the rights of LGBTQI young people, advocate for their equality and inclusion, empower their voices, and connect them across borders through international events, capacity-building training, thematic research, advocacy, awareness-raising campaigns, network building, regranting, and intersectional community dialogues. iglyo.org
About FEANTSA
FEANTSA brings together non-profit services that support homeless people in Europe. We have nearly 140 member organisations from 26 countries, including 23 Member States of the EU. FEANTSA works towards ending homelessness by: engaging in constant dialogue with the European institutions to promote the development and implementation of effective measures to end homelessness; conducting and disseminating research and data collection on homelessness; promoting and facilitating the exchange of information, experience and good practice between FEANTSA’s member organisations and relevant stakeholders.
For further information, please reach out to Sergio Pérez Barranco (he/him), Policy Officer, sergio.perez@feantsa.org