Appeal to the General States for Housing and City Rights
18 million people are living in poor housing in Europe, more than 3 million are homeless.
Currently, even people in regular employment cannot or are no longer able to find somewhere to live. Hundreds of thousands of people have been evicted, and even more are living under the threat of eviction.
These terrible figures are increasing every day. A disastrous situation is being created, which will be long-lasting, making the right to housing an inaccessible dream, in particular for immigrants, single women and people in an insecure situation.
The whole planet is affected, from the slums to the shanty towns, from to the edge of ring roads to squats which burn like matches.
Europe doesn’t escape these scandals.
The fact that housing policy has been put under liberal supervision by the international pension funds is making the prices shoot up, and is contributing to the eviction of the population.
It is neither the result of a curse, nor fate.
We, the managers of associations for housing, tenants, the homeless, public administrators, members of cooperatives, researchers and volunteers are aiming to develop a large movement on a European scale to exchange our experiences and to propose and devise other alternatives.
Therefore we are organising the first European General States for the right to housing, habitat and city rights.
Together we are realising a shared dream: housing and habitat for everyone, everywhere.
Meeting at the European Social Forum (Athens 4th – 7th May 2006) to look at the current situation and decide on the next steps together.
