Financing social and affordable housing in Europe

The Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB) sees housing as both a key factor for stabilizing population movements and a starting point for employment. The Bank addresses the housing need from closely interrelated social, environmental, and economic perspectives.

By financing purely social and other priority housing projects in its member states, the Bank increases the availability of affordable and decent housing for low-income and other vulnerable populations such as migrants, refugees, displaced persons, the elderly, and young families, thus improving their quality of life and facilitating their integration into the community and labor force. By financing energy-saving and efficiency investments, the Bank also plays a role in mitigating climate change and combatting energy poverty in Europe.

This working paper provides an overview of the Bank’s activities in housing financing. It also assesses recent trends in housing needs and considers how these will shape the demand for social and affordable housing and its financing. The paper is a follow-up to the study published in 2010, “Sustainable Housing and Urban Development: the CEB’s contribution”.

Also Read: Is Housing for Everyone? Comparative Analysis of Selected Regions in Slovakia