Homelessness is rising in every region and needs to be treated as a structural crisis rooted in inequality, unaffordable housing, and weak social protection, according to a new United Nations presented today to the General Assembly. Prepared by UN-Habitat on behalf of the UN Secretary-General, the report Inclusive Policies and Programmes to Address Homelessness pushes governments to shift from short-term emergency responses to long-term, rights-based housing solutions.
Millions of people worldwide still lack secure and adequate housing, with conflicts, climate impacts, and rising living costs making things worse. Many forms of “hidden homelessness” remain uncounted, and a rights-based global definition now being developed through a UN-Habitat-led expert process aims to close these data gaps and strengthen accountability. The report stresses that homelessness is a systemic problem, not an individual failure.
More governments are adopting housing-led and prevention-focused approaches, including integrated social protection, community-driven housing, and rental mediation. Local authorities are driving innovation through inclusive urban planning. The report warns that punitive measures like forced evictions and criminalizing people in public spaces only deepen exclusion, urging countries instead to strengthen tenure security and uphold human rights in urban development.
Countries that link housing with strong social protection systems are better able to prevent homelessness and support long-term stability. Expanding universal access to social protection, particularly for marginalized groups, is needed to tackle root causes. The Secretary-General calls on governments to adopt rights-based data systems, end criminalization, invest in permanent and affordable housing, and integrate prevention across health, education, justice, and social protection systems.
By treating housing as a human right and focusing on prevention and inclusion, the report concludes, governments can move from managing homelessness to ending it. The shift requires sustained political commitment and adequate resources, but the report points to examples where comprehensive approaches have already begun to reduce homelessness and improve outcomes for vulnerable populations.
