Homelessness is one of the most severe social issues facing modern welfare states and poses significant challenges to social policy, administration, and service-providing organizations. Homelessness is closely linked to a variety of negative social and health consequences: it affects quality of life, opportunities for participation, and both physical and mental health, and is associated with a significantly reduced life expectancy. In this context, it represents not only an individual fate but also a societal problem that requires systemic solutions. Against this backdrop, Austria has committed, as part of the Lisbon Declaration, to actively work towards ending homelessness by 2030.

From a social policy perspective, addressing homelessness involves two complementary strands of action. On one hand, it concerns the provision and support for people who are already affected by homelessness—such as through tailored offerings of homeless assistance, Housing First models, or coordinated support services. On the other hand, prevention is at the center of effective social policy: this includes not only housing policy measures to ensure affordable housing but also measures to prevent eviction, which aim to stop people from losing their homes at an early stage.

The Center for Nonprofit Organizations and Social Impact has already engaged in several research projects focusing on homeless assistance and the prevention of housing loss. The focus has been on social policy governance issues, the design of support offerings, and their impacts on affected individuals, organizations, and other societal actors. Various social science methods have been employed, including interviews and focus groups with service-providing organizations and homeless individuals, as well as quantitative surveys of individuals at risk of eviction.

Reference Projects:

Accompanying evaluation of COVID-19-related eviction prevention and housing security within the "Wohnschirm" program

Study on the social and economic added value of eviction prevention by the Vienna Housing Security Office (FAWOS) through an SROI analysis

Impact analysis of Vienna's homeless assistance

Contact Persons:

Katharina Wankat

Eva More-Hollerweger

Christian Grünhaus