HOMELESSNESS IN THE European Union contributes to the perception and understanding of housing exclusion and homelessness as serious social problems in the prosperous economies of the European Union. It also highlighted the discrepancy between the legal, political and social commitments to housing rights and the social reality of homelessness in Europe. The first chapter deals with human rights and legislation with reference to housing and homelessness at both international and national levels. Subsequent chapters develop this theme by examining situations in which these rights are not realized, outlining trends in homelessness and badly housed people and the social context of housing exclusion, and suggesting the policy implications of these trends and issues with an emphasis on legislative approaches to housing. The book offers a detailed review of the conditions and social reality of the homeless in the European Union with reference to relevant data as well as an in-depth examination of the policy approaches by member states of the European Union. Appendices provide the names and contact addresses of the contributors to the European Observatory on Homelessness and a list of this Observatory’s publications.