On 29 October 2025, during its 49th session, the Congress’ Chamber of Local Authorities debated a report outlining practical strategies that Europe’s local and regional governments could follow in order to invest more in social rental housing and support vulnerable groups. The report comes at a time when much of Europe is grappling with a cost-of-living crisis, increasing the need for social housing, while supply is not meeting demand.
Presented by rapporteur Jimmy Moloney (Ireland, ILDG), the report highlighted the critical role of local authorities in implementing housing policies within multilevel governance systems. “Today, we are seeing cities where more than 50% of the population has to pay more than 40% of their income for rents, while 30% would normally be recommended. Housing is neither a commodity nor an isolated policy area but must be considered as a fundamental pillar of social inclusion and pre-condition to access employment and social services”, said Mr Moloney.
In the adopted resolution and recommendation, the Congress called for local and regional authorities to develop housing strategies based on thorough needs assessments, promote social housing innovations and foster new partnerships to expand both new housing developments and the use of the existing stock. The Congress also urged national governments to provide adequate resources and support, stressing the need to extend housing support schemes to middle-income groups, for whom homes were becoming increasingly unaffordable. It further called for developing national frameworks to address homelessness, and for the continuous monitoring of progress through measurable targets while encouraging the exchange of good practices to tackle housing as a fundamental human right, vital for social justice and democratic cohesion in Europe.
Mediabox with Jimmy Moloney and Tony Dyer
Addressing the housing crisis in European cities through social housing innovations
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