Fostering Social Cohesion and Safety in Vulnerable Areas
Tested practices in public, cooperative, and social housing
30 May 2024 | Published in Social
The evolving landscape of urban areas across Europe, has illuminated the critical role of investing in people to foster inclusive, resilient communities. This is why Housing Europe Senior Policy Officer Edit Lakatos and Policy Assistant Johanne Philippe prepared this brief note with the goal of showcasing in a positive light good practices from around Europe in addressing this issue.
The examples gathered in this documnet focus on improving living conditions, quality housing and access to opportunities, addressing the root causes of segregation, social exclusion and anti-social behaviour. Such investments are essential steps towards mitigating the social and economic divides that often characterise urban areas. The emphasis on people-centric investments acknowledges the complex interplay between socioeconomic factors and living conditions and can significantly impact community well-being.
The overall objective of this brief is to design a set of concrete recommendations for policy and practice aimed at building social cohesion among young people in disadvantaged urban areas. To that aim, the document will strive to:
- identify the pitfalls to avoid;
- roll out/scale up actions that tackle these trends;
- prevent potential backlash;
- help social housing providers in building arguments (what support/funding is needed from their
- government).
Good practices were gathered from Housing Europe members that are spread over ten countries, and they were divided into the following categories:
- Multi-stakeholder aproach
- Participatory approach and youth engagement:
- Ensuring a social mix
- Soft and educational approaches
From individualised programmes for 12-23 year old young people who are at high risk of offending behaviour in the community in Ireland to apprenticeship programmes by the non profit affordable housing providers in Denmark, discover them all!
The full document is available for download below.