EASPD has published its first study on inclusive housing: Building inclusive housing: Perspectives from across Europe. We submitted it to the European Commission as part of our contribution to the upcoming European Affordable Housing Plan, following our earlier Position paper: Housing as a path to inclusion and independent living submitted in June.

Read the full study here

Developed in close collaboration with several EASPD members from the Member Forum on Independent Living, the study reinforces our commitment to making housing a cornerstone of inclusion and independent living for persons with disabilities.

Key insights:

• The study examines housing models in Finland, Greece, Moldova, Slovakia, and Spain, highlighting innovative approaches and common challenges.
• A comparative analysis reveals persistent barriers, including institutional culture, limited accessible and affordable housing stock, weak coordination between housing and disability services, and fragmented funding streams.
• Policy recommendations call for:

1. Scaling up investment in community-based housing and aligning housing policy with deinstitutionalisation goals.
2. Removing all barriers to accessible and affordable housing for persons people with disabilities.
3. Strengthening the role of disability service providers and fostering cross-sector collaboration.

Why now?

This study comes at a pivotal moment, as political momentum across EU institutions is growing.

The European Council recently adopted Conclusions on the social inclusion of persons with disabilities through the promotion of independent living, calling Member States to expand availability of accessible, inclusive, and safe housing to prevent homelessness and enable independent living and calling on the Commission to mainstream disability measures in major EU strategies, including the Affordable Housing Plan.

The European Commission’s 2026 Work Programme confirmed the launch of the EU Affordable Housing Plan and the second phase of the EU Disability Rights Strategy, offering a timely opportunity to embed these principles into future policy and funding frameworks.

Several European Parliament groups have integrated disability aspects into their housing position papers:

• S&D: Affordable and decent homes for all S&D Group’s Position Paper on Tackling Europe’s Housing Crisis
• EPP: A Liveable Europe: an EPP Approach to Housing in Europe
• The Greens/EFA: Affordable, Sustainable and Decent Housing for All