“Olivier was in foster care. When he turned 18, he had to leave the services, and was therefore at risk of becoming homeless. Lyon metropole applied the principle of housing first.”

The idea behind Housing First – a strategy adopted by an increasing number of cities – puts the right to housing at the forefront of the city’s strategy to combat homelessness.
“No need to be housing ready,” as explained in the video below:

Since 2018, Lyon metropole’s 5-year strategy for homelessness, developed in cooperation with the French national government, focuses on implementing Housing First at local level and reducing homelessness. Within this model, Lyon aims to increase the availability of housing (including through the private housing market), and also invest in other forms of innovation, such as the creation of a specific Housing First diploma to have professionals capable of applying Housing First principles to their practices.

Find out more about measures taken by European cities in the fight against homelessness in this report on access to affordable and social housing and support to homeless people.