On the occasion of the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, Eurodiaconia calls on the European Union and its Member States to address homelessness and housing exclusion with increased urgency, as it remains one of the most extreme forms of poverty and social exclusion in our societies today.
According to the United Nations, the COVID-19 pandemic threatens to push up to 115 million additional people into extreme poverty around the world, threatening several years of progress.
The pandemic is having a far-reaching impact on persons experiencing structural homelessness and social exclusion. The effects of this crisis have significantly exacerbated pre-existing barriers to social and healthcare services, as well as to access hygiene and isolation spaces and coherent information. People experiencing extreme poverty, particularly homelessness, are disproportionally affected by poor health conditions and disabilities and therefore have also been facing a greater risk of developing severe or critical illness as a result of the virus .
The COVID-19 crisis is also reminding us of the devastating consequences of human activities on the environment. The consequences of human-made climate change due to the overexploitation of natural resources and pollution largely impact the quality of life, health and access to resources of the most impoverished populations – among them the people living in homelessness. People living in poverty often have fewer levers with which to make sustainable choices, due to insufficient financial resources or limited room for manoeuvre (e.g. poorly insulated housing that is difficult to heat or having no shelter at all). More investment in social housing and the “Housing First” approach is needed.
Eurodiaconia Secretary General Heather Roy stated: “Extreme poverty and homelessness undermines the human dignity of affected individuals, limiting their capacity to develop their potential and to participate fully in society. Furthermore, it damages social cohesion and the potential for inclusive economic growth. A coordinated response to homelessness is necessary to counteract rising social inequalities and reinforce the EU’s aspiration of principle 19 of the European Pillar of Social Rights regarding housing and assistance for the homeless, which is yet far from the daily reality faced by the growing number of people left in destitution in Europe. We call on the European Union to prioritise combatting extreme poverty and homelessness in its vision for a sustainable and fair Europe. ”
With over 30,000 service centres, approximately 800,000 staff and over a million volunteers around Europe, the Eurodiaconia network is a dynamic, Europe-wide community of social and health care organisations founded in the Christian faith and working in the tradition of Diaconia.
Kwa sababu ya Siku ya Kimataifa ya Uangamizi wa Umaskini, Eurodaconia inatoa wito kwa Umoja wa Ulaya na nchi wanachama wake kukabiliana na ukosefu wa makazi na kutengwa kwa makazi kwa haraka zaidi, kwani bado ni moja ya aina kali zaidi za umaskini na kutengwa kwa kijamii katika jamii zetu leo. Kulingana na Umoja wa Mataifa, janga la COVID-19 linatisha kushinikiza watu milioni 115 zaidi katika umaskini mkubwa ulimwenguni kote, ikitishia miaka kadhaa ya maendeleo. Janga hilo lina athari kubwa kwa watu wanaokabiliwa na ukosefu wa makazi na kutengwa na jamii. Matokeo ya mgogoro huu yameongeza kwa kiasi kikubwa vizuizi vilivyopo hapo awali kwa huduma za kijamii na huduma za afya, na pia kupata nafasi za usafi na kutengwa na habari thabiti. Watu wanaokabili umaskini mkubwa, hasa wasio na makazi, wanaathiriwa sana na hali mbaya ya afya na ulemavu na kwa hivyo pia wamekuwa wakikabiliwa na hatari kubwa ya kuambukizwa ugonjwa mbaya au mbaya kama matokeo ya virusi. "Mgogoro wa COVID-19 pia unatuwakumbusha matokeo mabaya ya shughuli za binadamu kwenye mazingira. """ Matokeo ya mabadiliko ya hali ya hewa yaliyosababishwa na binadamu kutokana na unyonyaji wa rasilimali za asili na uchafuzi wa mazingira yanaathiri sana ubora wa maisha, afya na upatikanaji wa rasilimali za watu maskini zaidi - miongoni mwao watu wanaoishi bila makazi. Watu wanaoishi katika umaskini mara nyingi wana vyombo vichache vya kufanya uchaguzi endelevu, kwa sababu ya rasilimali za kutosha za kifedha au nafasi ndogo ya kuendesha (kwa mfano, Nyumba zenye insulation mbaya, ambazo ni vigumu kupasha joto au hazina makazi kabisa. Uwekezaji zaidi katika makazi ya kijamii na mbinu ya "makazi kwanza" inahitajika. Katibu Mkuu wa Eurodiaconia Heather Roy alisema: "Umaskini mkubwa na ukosefu wa makazi huathiri hadhi ya kibinadamu ya watu walioathiriwa, ikipunguza uwezo wao wa kuendeleza uwezo wao na kushiriki kikamilifu katika jamii. Zaidi ya hayo, inaharibu mshikamano wa kijamii na uwezekano wa ukuaji wa kiuchumi wa kujumuisha. "Kupambana na ukosefu wa makazi ni muhimu ili kukabiliana na kuongezeka kwa ukosefu wa usawa wa kijamii na kuimarisha matarajio ya EU ya kanuni ya 19 ya ""Mstari wa Haki za Jamii ya Ulaya"" kuhusu makazi na msaada kwa watu wasio na makazi, ambayo bado ni mbali na hali halisi ya kila siku inayokabiliwa na idadi inayoongezeka ya watu waliobaki katika ukosefu wa makazi." Tume ya Ulaya imetoa wito kwa Umoja wa Ulaya kuangazia kupambana na umaskini mkali na ukosefu wa makazi katika maono yake ya Ulaya endelevu na ya haki. Pamoja na vituo zaidi ya 30,000 vya huduma, wafanyakazi karibu 800,000 na zaidi ya wajitoleaji milioni moja kote Ulaya, mtandao wa Eurodaconia ni jamii ya nguvu, Ulaya nzima ya mashirika ya huduma za kijamii na afya iliyoanzishwa katika imani ya Kikristo na kufanya kazi katika utamaduni wa Diakonia.