Structurally addressing homelessness through coordinated social infrastructure and services in neighbourhoods

Opened

Programme Category

EU Competitive Programmes

Programme Name

Horizon Europe (2021-2027)

Programme Description

Horizon Europe is the European Union (EU) funding programme for the period 2021 – 2027, which targets the sectors of research and innovation. The programme’s budget is around € 95.5 billion, of which € 5.4 billion is from NextGenerationEU to stimulate recovery and strengthen the EU’s resilience in the future, and € 4.5 billion is additional aid.

Programme Details

Identifier Code

HORIZON-NEB-2026-01-BUSINESS-01

Call

Structurally addressing homelessness through coordinated social infrastructure and services in neighbourhoods

Summary

Based on 2024 data, over 1.2 million people are estimated to experience homelessness in Europe, with a significant proportion (45%) of surveyed homeless individuals finding themselves in a situation of chronic homelessness for over two years.

While housing-led approaches are crucial to tackle homelessness, addressing the structural and multidimensional causes of homelessness also requires systemic interventions focusing on social infrastructure and services in neighbourhoods. Social infrastructure and services include the physical places as well as public and community sector facilities and services that support and enable access to healthcare, employment, education, community integration, and other social services.

They must be developed and made available in a coordinated manner that mitigates the interconnected root causes of homelessness in the long term and supports the reintegration and social inclusion of individuals in communities by avoiding long-term dependence on emergency support. This is especially important considering that chronic homelessness is often accompanied by a complex mix of needs and physical and psychological functional variations.

Detailed Call Description

Proposals are expected to address all of the following:

  • Develop a system-based approach to mitigate homelessness and support the reintegration of individuals in communities by coordinating key social infrastructure and services (including healthcare, education, employment, community integration and other relevant social services) at neighbourhood level. The approach must cover at least the following:
    • Analysis of local neighbourhood context and existing built environment in terms of availability and equitable access to relevant social infrastructures and services, particularly for chronic homelessness and marginalised groups or those in a vulnerable situation.
    • Assessment of the impact and potential correlation between infrastructure and service design in the built environment and the degree of homelessness in neighbourhoods.
    • Development of strategies to overcome challenges of coordinating key social infrastructure and services at neighbourhood level (such as data limitations and fragmentation, siloed and fragmented social service systems, and funding challenges for scalability).
    • Analysis of the views, willingness, and ability of homeless groups, especially those experiencing chronic homelessness, to engage with and benefit from the provided social infrastructures and services.
    • Assessment of the potential impacts on community (re)integration and participation, well-being, social cohesion, and a sense of belonging in neighbourhoods for both homeless groups and the broader community in neighbourhoods.
    • Assessment of the socioeconomic impact of the system-based approach through measurable indicators on social infrastructure and service accessibility and use.
    • Provision of recommendations and guidance to apply the approach in other neighbourhoods, considering contextual factors such as unequal geographical distribution of and access to social infrastructure and services (considering factors including gender, sexual orientation, age, physical and psychological functional variations, or other relevant social factors), and local homelessness conditions.
  • Develop and validate the approach in at least five neighbourhoods located in different Member States and/or Associated Countries.

Proposals are expected to follow a participatory and transdisciplinary approach through the integration of different actors and disciplines.

This topic requires the effective contribution of social sciences and humanities (SSH) disciplines and the involvement of SSH experts, institutions as well as the inclusion of relevant SSH expertise, in order to produce meaningful and significant effects enhancing the societal impact of the related research activities.

Proposals are expected to allocate at least 0.8% of their budget for engaging with the Horizon Europe-funded ‘New European Bauhaus hub for results and impact’ to share their intermediate and final results, findings and learnings, as well as to contribute to impact assessment.

Call Total Budget

€10.500.000

Financing percentage by EU or other bodies / Level of Subsidy or Loan

70%

Expected EU contribution per project: €3.50 million.

Thematic Categories

  • Health
  • Public Administration
  • Regional Development
  • Research, Technological Development and Innovation
  • Social Affairs & Human Rights
  • Urban Development

Eligibility for Participation

  • Associations
  • Educational Institutions
  • Legal Entities
  • Local Authorities
  • Natual person / Citizen / Individual
  • Non Profit Organisations
  • Other Beneficiaries
  • Researchers/Research Centers/Institutions
  • Services Providers

Eligibility For Participation Notes

A number of non-EU/non-Associated Countries that are not automatically eligible for funding have made specific provisions for making funding available for their participants in Horizon Europe projects. See the information in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide.

Call Opening Date

05/05/2026

Call Closing Date

01/12/2026

National Contact Point(s)

Research and Innovation Foundation
Address:
 29a Andrea Michalakopoulou, 1075 Nicosia, P.B. 23422, 1683 Nicosia
Telephone: +357 22205000
Fax: +357 22205001
Email: support@research.org.cy
Website: https://www.research.org.cy/en/