Policy brief: Shaping housing policies for healthy, inclusive and resilient communities

Europe’s housing crisis is not simply a shortage of homes: it affects health, social inclusion, economic security, intergenerational fairness and environmental sustainability. Increasing housing supply and mobilising investment are essential, but these measures will not be sufficient unless the homes created and renovated are healthy, inclusive, secure and affordable over the long term. Drawing on the MERGE Policy Lab on housing (19 May 2026), this Policy Brief identifies six priorities for action: Put wellbeing and housing adequacy at the centre of housing policy across governance levels, integrating housing, health, energy, climate, transport, spatial planning and social policy. Prevent housing insecurity and exclusion before they become crises, through early intervention, stronger personalised support and scaled-up Housing First approaches. Renovate, adapt and make fuller use of Europe’s existing housing stock to improve health, accessibility, energy performance and climate resilience while responding to demographic change and avoiding displacement. Develop diverse and inclusive homes and neighbourhoods that can address changing household structures and needs across the life course. Mobilise public and private investment with safeguards for long-term affordability and public value, assessing success by social and wellbeing outcomes in addition to investment and housing volumes. Strengthen institutional capacity and public, cooperative and social-economy housing provision. The implementation of the European Affordable Housing Plan creates an opportunity to develop and implement housing policies across governance levels that enable people and communities to live healthy, secure and fulfilling lives within environmental limits, beyond increasing and improving the housing stock.